What is the difference between a Hit and an Action?
Understanding the difference between hits and actions in Matomo is key to accurately interpreting your website analytics. While these terms are related, they serve distinct purposes in Matomo’s tracking.
What is a Hit?
A hit in Matomo refers to any tracking request sent to the server. Hits represent raw data points collected by Matomo, regardless of how they are processed or categorised. Hits can include:
- Page views
- Event tracking
- Downloads
- Outlinks (external link clicks)
- Site searches
- Goal conversions
- Content tracking interactions (e.g., impressions or interactions with embedded content)
Enabling plugins like Heatmaps or Media Analytics increases the volume of hits by adding specialised tracking requests.
Where can I view the Hits count?
Cloud users can view the total number of hits in Matomo Administration 
> Account > Billing, where it is displayed alongside your account limits. Hits are also included in reports generated using Custom Reports with the Hits metric.
What is an Action?
An action in Matomo is a subset of hits that represent meaningful interactions tracked in reports. Actions include:
- Page views
- Site searches
- Events (e.g., button clicks or video plays)
- Outlinks
- Downloads
- Events
Actions are tied to Matomo’s default reporting categories, including page views, site searches, events, outlinks, and downloads. The total action count in reports reflects the sum of these interactions for a visitor.
Some plugins, such as Form Analytics or Media Analytics, may track additional interactions (e.g., form submissions or media plays), which can also contribute to the overall action count.
Where can I view the Actions count?
You can view the total number of actions in the All Websites dashboard where it is displayed alongside the totals for visits, page views, and revenue.
Compare Hits and Actions
While all actions are hits, not all hits qualify as actions. For example, specialised tracking requests like heatmap data are logged as hits but not necessarily as actions.
| Aspect | Hits | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any tracking request sent to Matomo, regardless of its processing. | Represents key user interactions that are logged for reporting purposes, such as page views, events, or downloads. |
| Scope | Broader: Includes all tracking requests, even those not logged as actions. | Narrower: Focused on key interactions like page views, downloads, and events. |
| Examples | Page views, goal conversions, plugin-generated interactions (e.g., content tracking). | Page views, site searches, events, outlinks, downloads. |
| Processing | Handled differently based on request type or plugin logic. | Logged as actionable data in the database for reporting. |
| Impact on Reports | Contributes indirectly to certain metrics (e.g., custom hits reports). | Directly reflected in the Actions metric in Visitor and Behaviour reports. |
| Usage in Billing | Hits are counted for billing purposes in Matomo Cloud. | Actions are not directly tied to billing but reflect meaningful engagement. |
Use Case Example 1
A banking website tracks user behaviour with Matomo, including:
Hits:
- Goal conversions tracked when users apply for a loan or open a new account.
- Form submissions recorded when users fill out enquiry forms for personalised services.
- Heatmap data collected for visual analytics to understand how users interact with the site.
Actions:
- Page views logged when visitors navigate through account features or services.
- Downloads tracked when users download product brochures.
- Site searches tracked when users search for nearby branches or specific banking services.
Use Case Example 2
An investment platform tracks user behaviour with Matomo, including:
Hits:
- Goal conversions logged when users create a new investment account.
- Content impressions tracked for educational articles or infographics about financial planning.
- Media tracking requests generated when users play tutorial videos on how to use the platform.
Actions:
- Page views recorded as users navigate to their portfolio dashboard.
- Downloads tracked when users download financial reports or transaction summaries.
- Outlinks captured when users click external links to regulatory documents or partner services.
The hit count includes all tracking requests, whereas the action count focuses on insightful visitor interactions.