Beyond Vanity Metrics
Page views and visitor counts feel good but tell you nothing about business impact. Focus on metrics that matter.
Key Metrics to Track
Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors who take your desired action — filling out a form, making a purchase, booking a call. This is your most important metric.
Bounce Rate
If visitors leave after viewing one page, something's wrong. A high bounce rate indicates poor content, slow loading, or mismatched expectations.
Average Session Duration
How long do visitors stay? Longer sessions typically correlate with higher engagement and conversion rates.
Setting Up Analytics
Essential tools for measuring success:
- Google Analytics 4 for traffic and behavior data
- Google Search Console for SEO performance
- Heat maps (Hotjar) for visual user behavior
- Conversion tracking for goal completion
- A/B testing tools for optimization
Making Data-Driven Decisions
Data without action is useless. Review your metrics monthly, identify trends, and make changes based on what the numbers tell you.
What gets measured gets managed. And what gets managed gets improved.
Conclusion
Start with Google Analytics 4, track your conversions, and review the data monthly. That alone will give you a massive advantage over competitors who fly blind.