When visitors reach a site "Google Analytics stores the type of referral information in a cookie" and the analytics application ends the session after thirty minutes of inactivity or when the browser exits (Rutter 2010). Repeat activity is tracked as well: "Each unique browser that visits a page on your site is provided with a unique ID via the __utma cookie. In this way, subsequent visits to your website via the same browser are recorded as belonging to the same (unique) visitor" (Rutter 2010). Website owners can discover what keeps loyal customers coming back, as well as what draws first-time visitors. This is important, as for many sales-related products repeat use is more important than simply generating many first-time 'hits' from users who do not return.

Google Analytics also helps website owners "better realize their goals for sales" by tracking what users click on high-priority advertisements, such as advertisements for...
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