Merge pull request #635 from humanmade/pageview-faq

add new page view FAQ page

Author: mikelittle

other-docs/faq/Account/understanding-page-views.md

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+# Understanding Page View Billing on Altis Cloud
+
+## What Is an Altis Page View?
+
+An Altis page view is any response from the Altis Cloud platform that results in an HTML page. This includes users loading pages, as
+well as automated traffic such as search engines indexing your site, AI bots scraping content, and other automated requests.
+
+## Why Is There a Discrepancy Between Altis Page Views and My Analytics Data?
+
+The discrepancy arises because Altis counts every request that results in an HTML page, including automated traffic and users with
+JavaScript disabled. In contrast, analytics tools like Google Analytics rely on JavaScript running in the user’s browser, which may
+not capture all visits, especially from bots, users with ad blockers, or those who disable JavaScript. This leads to higher page
+view counts on Altis compared to traditional analytics platforms.
+
+## Best Practices for Managing Automated Traffic
+
+1. Review Your Data: Regularly analyze your traffic data to understand common user agents, response codes, URLs, and the geographic
+   origin of your traffic. This helps you ensure that the traffic aligns with your expected audience and identify any anomalies.
+2. Utilize robots.txt: Configure your robots.txt file to control which crawlers can access your site and how frequently they can do
+   so. This can help manage the load from search engines and other automated agents.
+3. Request Block Rules: If you identify problematic automated traffic, contact your Altis account manager to request specific block
+   rules.
+4. Analyze Access Logs: Download and review access logs from the Altis dashboard to get detailed insights into traffic patterns,
+   sources, and the type of content being accessed. This can help you identify and manage unusual spikes.
+
+## Common Misconceptions
+
+1. All Traffic is the Same: A common misconception is that every recorded page view represents a real user. In reality, it includes
+   automated traffic such as bots and crawlers, which inflate the numbers.
+2. Page Views Match Analytics Data: Many users assume that page views in Altis should match their analytics data. However, due to
+   differences in counting methods (e.g., JavaScript-based analytics vs. server-side counting), these numbers will significantly
+   differ.
+3. Only Human Visits Count: Another misconception is that only human visits are counted. Altis page views include all HTML page
+   responses, whether from humans, bots, or automated processes.