Page views and hits do not refer to the same statistics. When comparing traffic figures between different sites, be sure that you know if the traffic figures are for the number of page views or the number of hits. Page views indicate how many pages were viewed on a site whereas hits include all viewed elements, including all graphics on a page.

Statistics that list the hits but not page views, therefore, can be misleading. The best figure to use for comparison between sites is the number of page views. For instance, if a page has 14 graphics and someone visits it, that will count as 15 hits (1 page view + 14 graphics = 15 hits) but will count more appropriately as only one page view.

Sites vary in the number of graphics used per page to accommodate each page's design and layout. Some even use "invisible" spacer graphics to accomplish the page layout. The total number of hits, therefore, is not generally a good representation of a site's popularity.

When comparing stats between sites, be sure to also compare the exact same time periods between sites.