Part 1: Median vs Mean – the key to understanding your website

This is one of the most important concepts in web analytics that I think is misunderstood. When you look at averages for your website – average time on site, average page views, average revenue per user – you’re looking at the mean. But the median tells you what the typical user experience actually is. And these two numbers can be very, very different. Understanding this distinction is key to making good decisions about your website.