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Wavecrest Knowledge Base

Understanding Hits, Visits, and Sessions

Hits, Visits, and Sessions are the core metrics Cyfin uses to measure employee web activity. They build on one another, giving you exactly the level of detail you need — from raw technical records to clean, manager-ready summaries.

Hits

  • Definition – Any single record stored for a user interaction with a website or web application.
  • Details – Each element on a webpage (images, JavaScript, CSS, CDN objects, embedded content, etc.) that is loaded or interacted with counts as a separate Hit.
  • Example – Loading a single web page with five images, one CSS file, and two JavaScript files generates eight Hits.

Visits

  • Definition – Each intentional user action that loads a new page or causes a significant interaction.
  • Details – Measured by user actions such as clicking a link, entering a URL, or a notable change on the current page.
  • Example – A user clicks a link to open a new page, then clicks another link to a different section = two Visits.

Sessions

  • Definition – A continuous series of Visits (and therefore Hits) a user has with one specific App/Site within a natural timeframe.
  • Details – The session starts on the first activity and ends after a period of inactivity. All related domains are intelligently grouped into the friendly App/Site name.
  • Benefits – Removes background noise (OS updates, telemetry, endpoint-security traffic, etc.) and delivers the most accurate duration measurement (Session Duration).
  • Example – A user opens Microsoft 365, works in several tabs, uploads files, then stops for 30 minutes = one Microsoft 365 Session with one total Session Duration.

Application/Sites and Categories – making reports easy to read

  • Application/Sites – Friendly tag names (e.g., “Facebook”, “Microsoft 365”, “YouTube”) instead of raw or ambiguous domain names, so non-technical users instantly understand what they are looking at.
    • Website Tag = traditional websites (company sites, news, sports, etc.)
    • Application Tag = specific web-based apps (Microsoft 365, Salesforce, etc.)
  • Categories – Broad content groups (e.g., Social Media, Streaming, News, Shopping) based on the primary purpose of the site/app, perfect for policy and trend analysis.

Together these metrics and friendly tagging give managers, HR, and leadership the clearest possible picture of actual human web activity in today.

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