How are StoryMap views counted?

[LoriDelacruz_Lewis]

Wondering...every time I open a StoryMap to make a revision, is that counted as a "view?" I'm just trying to get a better idea of what my numbers mean.

Lori

[OwenGeo · Accepted solution]

@LoriDelacruz_Lewis The number of views that ArcGIS records on a StoryMap's item page is the number of times the ArcGIS item page has been viewed (see the Monitoring usage section of the Item details topic of the ArcGIS Online documentation). This is an example of an item page:

https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c87bc0a59c0144008e25d50a5dd1b192

Unfortunately, this is not a good indicator of how many people are viewing your story since most people don't go to the item page before viewing the story.

However, ArcGIS StoryMaps supports Google Analytics. This is the best way to collection information about how many people are reading your stories. Simply provide your GA tracking number in the story settings of each story you want to track, and information about all your stories will be recorded for you to study and review in your GA account. Not only does this feature record how many views the story gets but also how many clicks on each map, button, or link, which gives you even more detail about how readers are engaging with the content within your story.

For more information see Measure the traffic your story maps receive with Google Analytics.

[LoriDelacruz_Lewis]

Thanks for the information, @OwenGeo. I've previously tried to set up Google Analytics, and failed. I'll try again with the blog you shared. I'm glad see that I can also add it to ArcGIS Hubs, since the dashboards have never worked for me.

Lori

[PlantPestSurveillancePROJECT]

@OwenGeo sorry for the repetition but I have a similar question. Can you confirm that "the number of views that ArcGIS records on a StoryMap's item page is the number of times the ArcGIS item page has been viewed"?
I found the following paragraph (here: https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/manage-data/monitor-item-usage.htm) and I am now a bit confused about how the views for StoryMaps are counted:

"For maps, scenes, ArcGIS Server layers, and web apps, the view count is increased by one when you open the item page or open the item in Map Viewer or Scene Viewer. For example, if you open the item page for a map image layer and click Open in Map Viewer, the count increases by two. For other items—such as mobile apps and KML—the view count is increased by one when you open the item; the count does not increase when you open the item page."

Thank you for your time.