Traffic Growth Rate
IntermediateTraffic growth rate shows the percentage change of a traffic metric against a baseline period — this month's visits versus last month's, for example.
Growth rate is the simplest way to turn two raw numbers into a judgment, but precisely because it looks simple it is where the most error occurs. The first decision is choosing the baseline: comparing to the immediately prior period (month over month) ignores seasonality, while comparing to the same period last year neutralizes the seasonal pattern; for a site that gets busy at year-end, the month-over-month growth of the following month always comes out negative with nothing wrong. A second trap is percentage growth on a small base: going from 100 to 200 visits is one hundred percent but meaningless, while five percent growth on a million visits matters far more; a percentage without the absolute number misleads. A third trap is growth that comes from non-human traffic; the growth rate should be read on bot-free data or a scraper wave looks like real growth.
How it is calculated
Traffic growth rate = (current-period value − baseline-period value) ÷ baseline-period value × 100
The output is a percentage and can be negative. It is unstable on a small base, so always read it beside the absolute number and with a deliberate baseline choice (prior month or prior year).