There are numerous metrics that can be used to determine the success of a website and to answer those important questions. Here is a list of metrics grouped by category according to Avinash Kaushik.
- Category: Building Block Terms or Foundational
- Metrics: Page, Page Views, Visits, Unique Visitors, Event
- Category: Visit Characterization
- Metrics: Entry Page, Landing Page, Exit Page, Visit Duration, Referrer, Page Referrer, Internal Referrer, Session Referrer, Visit Referrer, Click-through, Click-through Rate/Ratio, New Visitor, Returning Visitor, Repeat Visitor, Visits Per Visitor, Recency, Frequency
- Category: Visitor Characterization
- Metrics: New Visitor, Returning Visitor, Repeat Visitor, Visits Per Visitor, Recency, Frequency
- Category: Engagement
- Metrics: Page Exit Ratio, Single-Page Visits (Bounces), Bounce Rate, Page Views Per Visit
- Category: Conversion
- Metrics: Conversion, Conversion Ratio
- Category: Miscellaneous
- Metrics: Hit/Server Request, Impressions
Utilizing these metrics can provide an immense amount of data and information into how well a marketer’s website is working. However, for the purpose of this discussion we will focus on one metric in particular: conversion.
What is a conversion? The Web Analytics Association defines conversion as a representation of important business outcomes, such as completing a purchase or requesting a quote. They are also known as goals, outcomes and success events. Conversions "are sometimes chosen because they indicate potential for future behavior, such as clicking on an advertisement, registering for more information or starting a checkout process" (Web Analytics, 2008).
Knowing the conversions of a user is important in that it tells the marketer which customers are performing the desired outcome. Also, once the organization has this information it can track back where the users are coming from, what their behavior is, letting them target more of the top converters.
As an example, Nature Air had 17 separate landing pages. They did a single A/B test on each landing page and the conversions went from 2.78% to about 19%. The control did not make the call to action prominent:
Then they put the CTA in the content area:
Metrics gives businesses the opportunity to figure out what is working and what is not working to improve engagement with the audience. However, the problem is that most businesses do not know how these metrics work and how they are beneficial. Kaushik makes a valid point, “you worked hard to get them to the site, if they did not convert did you accomplish nothing”. Many companies assume that if the customer didn’t buy then, it didn’t work, but that’s not regularly the case. Getting someone to open an email is a conversion. Having them click on the call-to-action link inside that email is another conversion. Going to the landing page and filling out a registration form to read your content is a conversion. And, of course, buying your product is the ultimate conversion.
References:
Kuashik, A. (n.d). Web Analytics Standards: 26 New Metrics Definitions. Retrieved from: http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/web-analytics-standards-26-new-metrics-definitions/
Kaushik, A. (n.d). Web Analytics 101: Definitions: Goals, Metrics, KPIs, Dimensions, Targets Retrieved from http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/web-analytics-101-definitions-goals-metrics-kpis-dimensions-targets/
KissMetrics, (n.d). 100 Conversion Optimization Case Studies. Retrieved from https://blog.kissmetrics.com/100-conversion-optimization-case-studies/
Web Analytics Association (2008). Web Analytics Definitions. Retrieved from http://www.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/Files/PDF_standards/WebAnalyticsDefinitions.pdf
Kirkpatrick, D. (2012). Marketing 101: What is conversion? Retrieved from http://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/marketing/conversion-defined/
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