The session duration can be influenced by various factors. If your session duration is high, it could be due to the following reasons:
1. User Behavior: Users might be spending more time on your website, exploring different pages or content. This is generally a positive sign indicating user engagement.
2. Session Timeout Settings: The session duration could also be influenced by the session timeout settings in Mixpanel. By default, the session timeout length is set to 30 minutes, meaning if a user is inactive for 30 minutes, the session ends. If you have set a longer session timeout, it could result in higher session durations.
3. Event Tracking: If there are events that are frequently triggered by system activities or background processes, they could keep the session active and result in a longer session duration. It's recommended to exclude such events from your session calculations to get accurate results.
4. API-related Events: Certain API-related events are by default excluded from session calculations in Mixpanel. If there are additional API-related events specific to your application that are not excluded, they could impact the session duration.
To get a more accurate session duration, you can use the Time to Convert Chart in Funnels to determine an appropriate session timeout period that aligns with your users’ behavior. Also, ensure to exclude events that don’t denote an action made by the user from your funnel.
Sources:
- Estimating Ideal Session Length
- Session Timeout
- FAQ
