Establishing a new Site usage page in SharePoint Online
Published Jun 29 2017 11:31 AM 39.4K Views
Microsoft

We are establishing a new, dedicated page for Site usage in SharePoint Online. This applies to both team sites and upcoming communication sites. Previously, a site owner would see site usage information at the top of the Site contents page. We have moved that analytics portion to a dedicated page. The Site contents page maintains focus on access and management of content (lists, libraries, pages, etc.). And to gain insights into how your site is being used via this new Site usage page.

 

New Site usage page in SharePoint Online (Office 365)New Site usage page in SharePoint Online (Office 365)

It’s easy to get to the new Site usage page. When you are visiting a team or communication site, click the gear button in the upper-right portion of the site, and select Site contents. Once on the Site contents page, click the Site usage button in the top-right action bar.

Click Site usage button from the Site content pageClick Site usage button from the Site content page

The new Site usage page is broken down into five insightful sections:

  • Site visits – easily view the number of visits to your site within a rolling 7-day period.
  • New items – see front-and-center the number of items that have been added within the last 7 days. This information previously lived behind the click to the ‘trending content’ report.
  • Tips – get guidance on how to increase the reach and effectiveness of your site.
  • Trending files – view the list of most popular content on your site - over a rolling 2-week period. This used to be a limited card view only able to show four items.
  • Shared externally – see what’s accessible to authenticated external users outside of your organization to give you confidence that sharing is done properly.

 

Note: Everyone on the site can see the new Site Usage page, not just site owners; and content on Site Usage is security trimmed to the person who is logged in.

 

To reference the previous combined experience, please reference the graphic below where site usage information sat on the top of the Site contents page with limited real estate:

Previous Site content page experience when site usage information was included at the topPrevious Site content page experience when site usage information was included at the top 

Learn more about viewing usage data for your SharePoint Online site.

 

Thanks,

Mark

 

Easter egg prize: first person to tweet me (@mkashman) with the technical .aspx string name of the Site usage page gets a FREE SharePoint hat :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:. #happyurlhunting

57 Comments
Copper Contributor

We don't see the site usage option on our site content page. It there any setting that needs to be enabled to get thie option.

Bronze Contributor

Hi @Mark Kashman , is the new Site Usage Report live yet for everyone? I don't want to waste time looking for something that is not there yet :p

Also, does it have to be Twitter :p ?

Steel Contributor

Hi @Mark Kashman, can these usage sections be available as web parts? 

 

I actually asked a question here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/SharePoint/WebParts-for-Trending-Content-on-Modern-Pages/td-p...

 

We don't want users to go to the site contents / site analytics page at all. Especially those users who have limited permissions. But, we certainly do want to popularize the site analytics so that people can see high level stats like usage activity, most popular documents etc. So, I was wondering if those sections could be made available as web parts so that they can be included selectively in home page or any other custom page?

Microsoft

Hi @Abhimanyu Singh. Great feedback. There are things you can do today with existing web parts, and adding a few "usage" specific ones are great to consider (Cc: @Jeff Smith (SHAREPOINT)). There are list and library webparts that can be programmed with specific views, making them dynamic per activity and growth of content. There, too, is the Highlighted Content web part that has a lot of configurable settings to truly make pages and news come to life, and stay alive; more here on the Highlighted Content web part.

 

Cheers, Mark.

Microsoft

Hi @Ivan Unger. Not yet. The new page just started to rollout into First Release earlier this week, and like all SharePoint service updates, doesn't hit everyone all at once. We start with First Release (typically "select users" and then "all tenant; different options when you opt into First Release), and then we move into worldwide production once we've met initial scale thresholds with success.

 

Cc: @Jeff Smith (SHAREPOINT) who can possibly share more granular details if you need them.

 

Thx,

Mark

Copper Contributor

@Mark Kashman - Will the Site Usage option be available in the classic experience or only modern?

Microsoft

Hi @Blair Brown. Yes. The previous Site contents page had been modernized prior to the introduction of group-connected sites, aka modern team sites. So if you are in an existing 'classic' team site, know that much of the experiece has also been modernized (document libraries, lists, pages and site contents). So when the new Site contents update hits your tenant, you'll see a prompt at the top to review the new Site usage page (also a persistent "Site usage" button at the top of your Site contents pages).

 

Hth,

Mark

Hi Mark, new site usage page looks nice! How often are the stats being updated? Just shared a file externally and it doesn't show up in the stats yet (at least not right away).

Silver Contributor

Will this page provide the ability to differentiate external and internal visitors? e.g., show how many external visitors there have been? 

Deleted
Not applicable

Do you guys realize that Microsoft Edge has difficulty displaying the Site Contents page? I have to use IE in order to get the Site Contents page to display. This is an issue that has been reported to the MS Community as well as the TechNet forums and no resolution provided to date. And Microsoft is pushing us to use Edge--but it is not working on their own sites; there are features you cannot do in Edge (it even tells you to use a compatible browser!)

Copper Contributor

Will this also be available on Publishing sites or just Team and Communication sites?

 
 
Microsoft

Hi @Maarten Eekels. Let me loop in @Jeff Smith (SHAREPOINT) from our engineering team. Jeff, Maarten is asking about the freshness of data on the new Site usage page?

Microsoft

Hi @Denis Moquin. Anywhere a Site contents page exists/existed, you will also have a companion Site usage page. Thx, Mark.

Microsoft

Hi @Deleted. Looping in @Jeremy Mazner who can best direct this one to the right SME from our browser support/test team. We maintain this broader page (calls out SP'2016 and applies to SPO, too). We certainly optimize for all major platforms and browsers, and with new pages and experiences we may have a few edges to round off yet; pun intended ;).

 

We'll take note and And Cc: @Jeff Smith (SHAREPOINT) as FYI to the issue your signaling.

 

Thx,

Mark

Microsoft

Hi @Dean Gross. Today, the Site usage page has a pivot on "Shared externally" to show what’s accessible to authenticated external users outside of your organization to give you confidence that sharing is being done properly. That said, there is a lot of reporting capabilities you can do from the Office 365 admin level wihtin the "Security and Compliance Center", plus use of the new Office 365 Adoption Content Pack, and user managment you can achieve via PowerShell using the "Get-SPOExternalUser" command.

 

And I'll wager a bet that the above is OK as feedback, and you'd like to see more granularity and visuals locally on the Site uage page. This page has just been established, and as shared during the "SharePoint Virtual Summit" and previous "Future of SharePoint" event, usage and analytics are an area of focus for the team. Glad you like where we've started, with more to be shared re:roadmap during the Ignite 2017 timeframe.

 

Cheers,

Mark

Copper Contributor

Our current SharePoint site is set to classic view and yet this information doesn't appear in the contents page.  Is it only available in the new views as the information is provides is very useful when looking to the amount of traffic a particular site gets.

Thanks,

Tom

Microsoft

Is there a way to see actual numbers of views in the Trending part? I can only see bars but I am interested to see actual number of views.

 

Thanks,

Marko

Copper Contributor

@Mark Kashman - Are there plans to extend the view of number of visits to a site longer than 7 days? It would be nice to be able to customize the site usage you are reviewing.

Copper Contributor

@Mark Kashman - In this communication site demo video site usage page with new layout has been shown. When this will be available on the modern sites? Also as communication site roll has been completed, can we use site usage page on classic site?

Thanks

Kash

Brass Contributor

Ever since we went Modern, we've been seeing a Latin C with bar character instead of the < and > arrows to toggle the tiles when the browser is on a smaller monitor or not fully expanded ... periodically we have a flash of the arrows or some sites will have them, but mostly we've been living with this character for months. We've had tickets on this and MSFT insists it's fixed, but it continues to persist in our environment ... :( 

Latin C with bar instead of < and >Latin C with bar instead of < and >Deactivated character on pg 2Deactivated character on pg 2

Microsoft

Hi @Marko Jovic - this is something we are working on and have more to share in the Ignite timeframe (end of Sept.2017). There are a number of site and page innovations coming to up-level what insights are shown so you can see best what is happening within a site/page (applies to news, too).

 

Thx, Mark.

Microsoft

Hi @Blair Brown - yes,  this is something we are working on and have more to share in the Ignite timeframe (end of Sept.2017). Good feedback and thx for sharing, Mark.

Microsoft

Hi @Kashif MAJEED - as of now, you should be able to see the new Site usage page for a communication site. Remember the entry point is still off of the Site contents page. Get there from the Gear icon > Site contents > Site usage. And no, it's not yet available to existing (non-group-connected sites). Thx, Mark.

Microsoft

Hi @Laurie Gonyea - are you still seeing this? If so, looping in @Jeff Smith (SHAREPOINT) to take the feedback/bug. Thx, Mark.

Steel Contributor

@Mark Kashman The Site Usage page for us is still blank for most sites! What is the cadence for stat updates? When adding or editing documents via sync folder (NGSC/Groove), the stats should update, but nada. Our sites still show a blank!

Copper Contributor

@Mark Kashman Thanks for replying. I know site usage page is available under site contents. My question was currently the following page is available on modern sites:

 

Site usage page1Site usage page1

 

 

where as in the communication site video the following page is shown as site usage page:

 

SU2.JPG

 

How can i get this page on my site? 

 

 

 

Brass Contributor

Yes @Mark Kashman the issue has persisted since March when we went Modern in our tenant. And is still there with the new Site Usage experience.

Copper Contributor

Hello, we are trying to use a modern communication site to create a news site for our company. On my end, under Gear > Site Contents, there is no Site Usage anywhere to be seen. Can someone help as to why it is not displaying for us? Thank you.

ScreenShot020.png

 

Copper Contributor
Is there a way to show how many views a document received?
Bronze Contributor

@Sheffer Soria you screenshot does not show a Site Contents page of a modern site, but rather a classic one. This is probably the reason why you're not seeing the Site Usage button.

Copper Contributor

Hi there,

 

I have the same questions as Kashif MAJEED, Eric Moore and one more:

 

1. Is it possible to know which specific people accessed one specific page?

 

Kind Regards!

 

Diogo Maul

 

Copper Contributor

@Mark Kashman - Any updates on this post Ignite? I don't remember hearing anything about SharePoint Usage Analytics, only a little bit about Office 365 Admin Analytic Tools.

 

Thanks!

Blair 

Copper Contributor

hi ,

 

can somebody tell how frequently is the data updated for the views on sites.

How is user visits captured, is it based on per session or per every user login

 

Thanks,

Sru

Copper Contributor

I launched a communication site for Office 365 adoption. I know we are getting traffic to the site but the Usage is showing zero visitors. Office Graph was disabled for a time but re-enabled two-weeks ago and still no traffic. Other team sites do show activity in usage. Any ideas?

Copper Contributor

hello; 

 

i would like to see how many users have seen the sites or documents in the sites i go to every site i check the site usage but it only shows the views can i see who viewed individually and how many times? 

 

 

Copper Contributor

@Mark Kashman, is there an answer yet to @Kashif MAJEED 's question about using the gear on the Communications site, selecting "Site Usage" and then displaying this view:

ViewSiteUsage.png

This feature was in the video Kashif referenced in the thread above.  How do we get this look and feel?  It gives us a lot more information than the older usage report.  I am on first release.  - thanks, Karin

 

Brass Contributor

@Mark Kashman I have a pdf file in the document library and this pdf file is accessed frequently by plenty of users.

But I can not see the pdf file in the Trending view. Is there a timer job  when user access the pdf file. 

Or this is only worked in office file not for pdf?

Copper Contributor

Hello Mark! Will SharePoint create a link to an all-inclusive usage report? We want to see everything (sites and sub-sites uses) in one report, where users go and what documents they use. This will help identify what pages and or sites are working and those that are not. It will also help us campaign the importance of the site and why management support is needed. Thank you.

Microsoft

Is there a way to see actual numbers of views in the Trending part? I can only see bars but I am interested to see actual number of views.

 

Thanks,
Marko

Copper Contributor

Hi Mark,

 

Thanks for update regards the new usage - Unfortunately I am struggling with it. With the previous it allowed us to see the trends over a given time range and number of unique users which that ability has now gone. I can go onto it now for example and see 20 visits this week and all of them could have been me so it does not serve much purpose and especially 7 days which prevents trends and awareness of the site

 

Thanks

Mark


@Mark Kashman wrote:

We are establishing a new, dedicated page for Site usage in SharePoint Online. This applies to both team sites and upcoming communication sites. Previously, a site owner would see site usage information at the top of the Site contents page. We have moved that analytics portion to a dedicated page. The Site contents page maintains focus on access and management of content (lists, libraries, pages, etc.). And to gain insights into how your site is being used via this new Site usage page.

 

New Site usage page in SharePoint Online (Office 365)New Site usage page in SharePoint Online (Office 365)

It’s easy to get to the new Site usage page. When you are visiting a team or communication site, click the gear button in the upper-right portion of the site, and select Site contents. Once on the Site contents page, click the Site usage button in the top-right action bar.

Click Site usage button from the Site content pageClick Site usage button from the Site content page

The new Site usage page is broken down into five insightful sections:

  • Site visits – easily view the number of visits to your site within a rolling 7-day period.
  • New items – see front-and-center the number of items that have been added within the last 7 days. This information previously lived behind the click to the ‘trending content’ report.
  • Tips – get guidance on how to increase the reach and effectiveness of your site.
  • Trending files – view the list of most popular content on your site - over a rolling 2-week period. This used to be a limited card view only able to show four items.
  • Shared externally – see what’s accessible to authenticated external users outside of your organization to give you confidence that sharing is done properly.

 

Note: Everyone on the site can see the new Site Usage page, not just site owners; and content on Site Usage is security trimmed to the person who is logged in.

 

To reference the previous combined experience, please reference the graphic below where site usage information sat on the top of the Site contents page with limited real estate:

Previous Site content page experience when site usage information was included at the topPrevious Site content page experience when site usage information was included at the top 

Learn more about viewing usage data for your SharePoint Online site.

 

Thanks,

Mark

 

Easter egg prize: first person to tweet me (@mkashman) with the technical .aspx string name of the Site usage page gets a FREE SharePoint hat :smiling_face_with_smiling_eyes:. #happyurlhunting


 

Copper Contributor

I'd like to echo earlier questions about not seeing page metrics in Communications sites.  When is this coming? I can't tell how effective my website is if I can't see what pages people are viewing. How about seeing data longer than 7 days ago and the ability to export it?  Will page information be available in Delve?

It looks like it's been awhile since we've heard anything back from anyone at Microsoft, but I'm hoping someone will eventually respond.

Copper Contributor

I have the same question. The usage reporting seems really 'document' centric however, I'm more interested in page access and breadcrumbs (i.e. people clicked and closed, clicked and followed links) etc.

Copper Contributor

As others have asked, we are interested in more detail as to how the counts are calculated on the Site Usage page. What constitutes a "Site Visit" for example. The documentation does not go into much detail other than "Shows the total number of unique visits to your home page for the last 7 days." Is that unique users? Or unique sessions?  We have many users that are looking for more understanding.

Copper Contributor

Does anyone here have a sneaking suspicion that MSFT may have come across a bug or security issue with the metrics? Why have they gone so quiet on a feature that was already built-in?

Copper Contributor

Hi! 

 

The site usage feature is not available any more in Sharepoint online, is it? I dont see it.

 

thank you

Copper Contributor

 

I still have it on my sites

Copper Contributor

It is strange.. I had it in my last company but now I have started in a new one but I dont see it. I have admin permissions, is there anything to be activated?

thank you

Microsoft

Like others have mentioned, I'm interested in page access and breadcrumbs (i.e., clicked and closed, clicked and followed links, etc.).  Any updates on that front?

Copper Contributor

What gives Microsoft?

 

You advertise this feature and it doesn't work as advertised?

 

People start asking questions and you don't reply?

 

We just want it to work!

 

What's up, please explain what is happening.

 

Thank you

Bronze Contributor

I've just noticed, that when you hover over a SharePoint site in the SitePages Library you get some analytics for that page. PageViews and UniqueVisitors. This is information is also displayed in the properties pane for the page below the thumbnail and above the access information.

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