Back to Glossary

Session Defined

A session typically refers to a single visit or interaction a user has with a website or application within a specific time frame. It is a unit of measurement used to track and analyze user behavior and engagement.

During a session, a user can navigate through multiple pages, interact with various features, perform actions, and consume content. The session begins when a user initiates their visit to the website or application, and it ends after a period of inactivity, typically after 30 minutes of inactivity or at the end of a day.

In the context of mobile marketing, a "session" refers to a user's interaction or engagement with a mobile application (app) within a specific time frame. It represents a single continuous period of activity by a user within the app.

During a mobile session, a user can perform various actions such as opening the app, navigating through different screens or features, interacting with content, making purchases, and ultimately closing the app. The session begins when the user launches the app and ends after a period of inactivity, typically after a few minutes of inactivity or when the user explicitly exits the app.

It's important to remember that different platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Facebook, or other marketing tools) may have their own unique definitions of a "session." For example, Google Analytics typically defines a session as a period of user activity that starts when a user arrives on a website or app and ends after a period of inactivity or at midnight. Other platforms might have slightly different definitions. These differences may also extend to things like session duration and cross-device tracking.

How to Use it in a Sentence

We noticed a significant increase in session duration after implementing the new website design.

Common Session FAQs

Sessions are a fundamental metric in marketing analytics as they provide insights into user engagement, website/app performance, and user behavior patterns. Some common metrics derived from sessions include the total number of sessions, average session duration, pages per session, bounce rate, and conversion rate.

A session represents a user's overall visit or interaction with a website or application, including multiple page views and interactions within a defined time frame. A page view refers to the number of times a specific page is loaded or viewed by users, regardless of whether it occurs within a single session or across multiple sessions.

To improve session duration on your website, you should focus on enhancing the user experience, providing valuable and engaging content, ensuring intuitive navigation, and optimizing website speed and performance. By offering personalized recommendations, related content, interactive features, and a clear call-to-action, you encourage users to explore more pages and spend more time on your site.

To improve user session duration for your mobile app, you must first ensure that your app is fast, responsive, and free from technical glitches. Long loading times and app crashes can frustrate users and lead to shorter session durations.

Pay close attention to crafting a smooth onboarding process with a user-friendly design. Avoid overwhelming new users with too much information at once and guide them through the key features of the app gradually.

You should also be using data-driven insights to personalize the app experience for each and every user. Provide relevant content, product recommendations, or tailored offers based on user preferences and behavior. One of the best ways to leverage personalized messaging is through push notifications. Use custom push notifications to inform users about relevant updates, new content, or limited-time offers. However, be mindful of the frequency and timing of notifications to avoid overwhelming users.

Additional ways to improve session duration for mobile apps include gamifying your app for increased engagement, improving the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), and A/B testing various new features or messaging.

OneSignal only counts a session after the user has left the app for over 30 seconds. If you close the app or website and return to it within 30 seconds, it will not be a new session. For instance, Apple's analytics tracks the session as the number of times the app has been used for at least two seconds. If the app is in the background and is later used again, that counts as another session. Learn more about sessions by checking out our analytics documentation.

To analyze user behavior within sessions, you can leverage web analytics tools such as OneSignal. From broad-level confirmed messaged deliveries to detailed user behavior patterns, OneSignal provides an industry-leading mobile analytics platform that truly delivers meaningful insights.

According to Statista, these are the average app session lengths as of 2020, per vertical:

  • Banking: 5.5 minutes

  • Payment: 4.76 minutes

  • Casual gaming: 21.19 minutes

  • Sports games: 22.77 minutes

  • Hyper casual gaming: 18.78 minutes

  • Shopping: 9.18 minutes

  • Marketplaces: 11.12 minutes