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Component User Metrics

The Component User Metrics system in Kinesis API provides detailed analytics about user interactions with your content. This powerful feature tracks and visualizes visitor behavior for blog posts, snippets, and redirects, giving you insights into how your content is being accessed and by whom.

Overview

Component User Metrics automatically capture detailed information about each visitor who accesses your content, including:

  • Device Information: Browser, operating system, and device type
  • Geographic Data: Location details including continent, country, region, and city
  • Technical Details: Rendering engine, architecture, and version information
  • Access Patterns: When and how often content is accessed

This data is collected transparently and stored securely, allowing you to understand your audience better and make data-driven decisions about your content strategy.

Understanding Metrics Data

Each metric entry captures comprehensive information about a single visit:

User Agent Information

  • Product: The browser or client application (e.g., Firefox, Chrome, Safari)
  • Product Version: Specific version of the browser
  • Engine: Rendering engine used (e.g., Gecko, Blink, WebKit)
  • Engine Version: Version of the rendering engine
  • Architecture: CPU architecture (e.g., x86_64, ARM)

Device Information

  • Device Type: Classification of the device (Desktop, Mobile, Tablet)
  • Brand: Manufacturer of the device (e.g., Apple, Samsung, Google)
  • Model: Specific device model

Operating System

  • OS Name: Operating system (e.g., macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, iOS)
  • OS Version: Specific version of the operating system

Geographic Information

  • Continent: Continental region of the visitor
  • Country: Country of origin
  • Subdivisions: State, province, or region within the country
  • City: City or locality
  • IP Address: Visitor’s IP address (stored for reference)

Temporal Information

  • Timestamp: Exact date and time of the access in RFC3339 format

Accessing Metrics

Metrics are available for three types of content:

Blog Post Metrics

To view metrics for a blog post:

  1. Navigate to the blog post edit page (/web/blog/edit?id=POST_ID)
  2. Click the “View Metrics” button below the form
  3. The metrics dashboard will display all visitor data for that post

Alternatively, from the blog posts list page:

  1. Navigate to /web/blog
  2. Click the dashboard icon (chart icon) next to the blog post you want to analyze
  3. The metrics dashboard will display all visitor data for that post

Snippet Metrics

To view metrics for a snippet:

  1. Navigate to the snippet view page (/web/snippets/view?id=SNIPPET_LOCATOR)
  2. Click the “View metrics” button in the snippet controls
  3. The metrics dashboard will display all visitor data for that snippet

Alternatively, from the snippet edit page:

  1. Navigate to /web/snippets/edit?id=SNIPPET_LOCATOR
  2. Click the “View Metrics” button below the form
  3. The metrics dashboard will display all visitor data for that snippet

You can also access metrics from the snippets list page:

  1. Navigate to /web/snippets
  2. Click the dashboard icon (chart icon) next to the snippet you want to analyze
  3. The metrics dashboard will display all visitor data for that snippet

Redirect Metrics

To view metrics for a redirect:

  1. Navigate to the redirects management page (/web/redirects)
  2. Click the dashboard icon (chart icon) next to the redirect you want to analyze
  3. The metrics dashboard will display all visitor data for that redirect

Metrics Dashboard

Metrics Dashboard

The metrics dashboard provides a comprehensive view of visitor analytics through various visualizations and data tables:

Overview Statistics

At the top of the dashboard, you’ll find summary cards showing:

  • Total Visits: Overall number of times the content has been accessed
  • Unique Visitors: Estimated count of distinct visitors (based on IP addresses)
  • Geographic Reach: Number of different countries visitors came from
  • Device Types: Breakdown of desktop, mobile, and tablet access percentages

Time Period Filtering

Use the dropdown at the top of the dashboard to filter metrics by time period:

  • Last 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes
  • Last 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours
  • Last 24 hours (default), 2 days, 7 days
  • Last 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, 12 months
  • All time

Visualizations

The dashboard includes several interactive charts:

Geographic Distribution

Geographic Map

  • Interactive World Map: Visual representation of visitor locations with color-coded countries based on visit counts
    • Hover over countries to see detailed visit counts
    • Click on countries on mobile devices to view information
    • Darker colors indicate higher visit counts
  • Top Countries Chart: Pie chart showing the top 12 countries by visit count
  • Top Cities Chart: Pie chart displaying the top 12 cities with the most visits

Device Analytics

Device Analytics

  • Browser Distribution: Doughnut chart showing browser usage (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, Others)
  • Device Type Breakdown: Doughnut chart visualizing Desktop vs. Mobile vs. Tablet usage
  • Operating System Share: Doughnut chart displaying distribution of operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Others)

Temporal Patterns

Temporal Analytics

  • Visit Timeline: Line graph showing visits over time, with automatic granularity adjustment based on selected time period
    • Minutes for periods less than 6 hours
    • Hours for 6 hours to 2 days
    • Days for 2 days to 3 months
    • Weeks for 3 to 6 months
    • Months for periods longer than 6 months
  • Peak Hours Heatmap: Interactive matrix visualization showing the most active access times by day of week and hour of day
    • Darker cells indicate higher activity
    • Hover to see exact visit counts for each time slot

Detailed Data Table

Metrics Table

Below the visualizations, a detailed table lists individual metric entries with:

  • Unique metric ID
  • Browser product name and version
  • CPU architecture
  • Device type, brand, and model
  • Rendering engine and version
  • Operating system and version
  • IP address
  • Geographic location (continent, country, subdivisions, city)
  • Timestamp of access

The table supports:

  • Pagination: Navigate through large datasets with 10 entries per page
  • Responsive Display: Horizontal scrolling on smaller screens to show all columns

Privacy and Permissions

Access Control

Metrics viewing is restricted based on user roles:

  • Content Owners: Can view metrics for their own content
  • Administrators: Can view metrics for all content
  • Regular Users: Cannot view metrics for others’ content

This ensures that sensitive visitor information is only accessible to authorized users.

Data Privacy

The metrics system is designed with privacy in mind:

  • IP addresses are stored but only displayed to administrators
  • Geographic data is derived from IP addresses using the GeoIP2 database
  • No personally identifiable information beyond IP addresses is collected
  • All data collection is passive and transparent to visitors

Filtering and Analyzing Metrics

Time-Based Filtering

To analyze metrics for specific time periods:

  1. Use the time period selector at the top of the dashboard
  2. Choose from presets ranging from 5 minutes to all time
  3. The dashboard will automatically update all visualizations and statistics

The filtering is client-side, providing instant updates without requiring new data fetches.

Use Cases

Content Optimization

Use metrics to understand:

  • Best Performing Content: Which posts or snippets get the most engagement
  • Audience Geography: Where your audience is located
  • Device Preferences: How users access your content
  • Peak Times: When your content is most accessed

Technical Decisions

Make informed decisions about:

  • Browser Compatibility: Prioritize support for browsers your audience uses
  • Responsive Design: Understand the balance between mobile and desktop users
  • Performance Optimization: Focus on devices and connections your users have

Marketing and Outreach

Leverage insights for:

  • Geographic Targeting: Focus marketing efforts on regions with high engagement
  • Content Timing: Publish content when your audience is most active
  • Platform Strategy: Prioritize platforms used by your audience

Security and Monitoring

Identify potential issues:

  • Unusual Access Patterns: Detect potential automated or malicious access
  • Geographic Anomalies: Notice unexpected traffic from certain regions
  • Traffic Spikes: Monitor sudden increases in access

Best Practices

For effective use of metrics:

  1. Regular Review: Check metrics weekly to understand trends
  2. Comparative Analysis: Compare metrics across different content pieces
  3. Action on Insights: Use data to inform content and technical decisions
  4. Privacy Respect: Be mindful of visitor privacy when using metrics data
  5. Data Retention: Regularly export and archive historical metrics
  6. Pattern Recognition: Look for patterns over time rather than focusing on individual visits

Limitations and Considerations

Be aware of these limitations:

  • Ad Blockers: Some visitors may block tracking
  • VPN Usage: Geographic data may be inaccurate for VPN users
  • Browser Privacy: Privacy-focused browsers may limit user agent information
  • Unique Visitors: Estimation based on IP addresses is not perfectly accurate
  • Bot Traffic: Some automated traffic may be included in metrics

Future Enhancements

Planned improvements to the metrics system include:

  • Real-time Analytics: Live updating of metrics as visitors access content
  • Automated Reports: Scheduled email reports with key insights
  • Advanced Filtering: More sophisticated query and filter options
  • Custom Dashboards: Ability to create personalized metric views
  • API Access: Programmatic access to metrics data
  • Integration: Connect metrics with other analytics platforms