What are page views and how do they relate to ad inventory?
What page views measure, how they differ from visits and visitors, and how they turn into ad inventory.
Written by Samhub with the help of AI·Updated 13 Oct 2026·3 min readA page view is counted each time a page is loaded in a browser. It is the basic unit of website traffic and the starting point for ad inventory.
Page views, visits and visitors
| Metric | Counts |
|---|---|
| Page views | Every page load |
| Visits (sessions) | A group of page views in one sitting |
| Unique visitors | Different browsers or people in a period |
From page views to revenue
Ad inventory = page views × ad units per page
Example: 2,000,000 × 3 = 6,000,000 impressions
Illustrative numbers.
16 pages for publishers, with a checklist for data, programmatic and direct sales.
Value per page view
Page views set the volume. The price per impression sets the value. RPM, revenue per thousand page views, combines both and is the best single measure of how well page views are monetized.
CPM uplift at Stampen Media after activating first-party audiences with Samhub.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, they drive ad inventory, but engagement and known readers matter more for price.
They count at different moments and filter bots differently.
Usually yes, which is why ad refresh needs care.
RPM is revenue per thousand page views.
Related terms
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