Behavior that affects unique visitor count

Unique visitor identifiers are typically stored in a browser cookie. A new unique visitor is counted if they perform any of the following:

  • Clears their cache at any time
  • Opens a different browser on the same computer. One unique visitor is counted per browser.
  • The same person browsing your site on different devices. A separate unique visitor is counted per device. You can use Cross-device analytics to combine visitors together using the People metric.
  • Opens a private browsing session (such as Chrome’s Incognito tab).

A new unique visitor is not counted, as long as the cookie identifier is preserved:

  • Closes their browser for an extended period
  • Upgrades their browser to the latest version
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