14 Essential Website KPIs Every Business Should Monitor
Your website is more than a digital brochure. It’s a dynamic tool for attracting, engaging, and converting visitors into loyal customers. But how do you know if your website is performing well? This is where Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) come into existence.
Every click, scroll, and interaction on your website generates data, and to utilize that; you need to identify the right website metrics, known as KPIs.
In this blog, we will explore the website KPIs that every business, small or large, should monitor. Whether you are an entrepreneur, established business owner, or seasoned digital marketer, understanding these KPIs can significantly help you make data-driven decisions and optimize your website’s performance.
So, let’s begin by understanding the term website KPIs.
What are Website KPIs?
Website key performance indicators (KPIs) are specific, quantifiable metrics used to measure the performance, effectiveness, and success of a website. They provide insights on how well your website is achieving its goals, driving traffic, engaging users, generating leads, and making sales.
Web KPIs are essential to understand the impact of digital marketing efforts and user interaction on websites. They serve as crucial benchmarks that allow website owners, marketers, and analysts to analyze the success and health of a website.
It also helps to identify areas that need improvement. By tracking website performance KPIs, you get answers to queries like:
- Are you attracting the right audience?
- How engaged are your visitors?
- Are your marketing strategies paying off?
- Is your website’s performance improving over time?
- What areas need attention?
Top Website KPIs To Keep Track On
1. Unique Website Visitors
What is a unique visitor? Unique website visitors are those who visit your website for the first time or haven’t visited within a specific time. It is important to track to see how many people are coming to your site.
For example, if an individual visits your site and engages with other pages, they are considered as a single unique visitor.
If you see an increase in the number of unique visitors, your website reach is expanding to more people. Each unique visitor represents an individual or device.
How to track unique website visitors?
You can easily monitor your unique website visitors with web analytics tools like Google Analytics.
- Set up your account and integrate their tracking code into your site.
- Once you set the tracking code, you can access the detailed reports on your visitors,
- Specify the timeframe you want to analyze, such as daily, weekly, or monthly, to see how unique visitor counts vary.
Why Are Unique Users Important?
They offer valuable insights into how well your website performs:
- It helps you know how many people visit your site and helps you analyze the potential market size.
- It tells of how engaging your content is, indicating higher user interest.
- It helps you understand the behavior of users so you can turn them into customers.
2. Traffic By Source
What is the traffic source? Traffic sources are the pathways people take to discover your website, be it channels or platforms. It can be categorized into several types, such as:
- Organic Search: People find your website through search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo.
- Direct Traffic: People use website URLs directly or use bookmarks.
- Referral Traffic: Visitors visit by clicking on guest blogging, listicle sites, etc.
- Paid Search: People visit through paid advertising, such as Google Ads or Bing Ads.
Social Traffic: Visitors who visit through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
How to measure website traffic?
Access detailed reports on your website traffic sources through Google Analytics. Review the data to understand which sources are driving traffic and how they perform.
Why is it important?
Traffic sources provide you with a deeper understanding of website performance.
- It helps you analyze whether your ads, SEO, or social media campaigning bring visitors.
- You can gain insights into user behavior and know if they prefer organic search results or click frequently on social media links.
- It helps you know your primary traffic source so you can allocate your budget and resources wisely.
With the help of this key performance indicator, you can plan your strategies to attract the right type of traffic.
3. Sessions
What is a session?
A session is a period of time that a user spends on your website actively, including all their interactions. This is an important website metric to track as it tells how your users engage with your site.
A session begins when a user lands on your site and ends after a period of inactivity or when they exit. During this session, users can explore different pages, click on various content, and do more.
How to Measure Sessions?
Measuring sessions is a core function of web analytics tools like Google Analytics. This tool will automatically track and record user sessions.
It collects data on their activities of how users interact with your site, such as page views, clicks, and time spent. With this tool, you can calculate sessions based on user engagement time.
Usually, the session ends after 30 minutes of inactivity or when a user logs out.
Why does it matter?
Session KPIs are important for several reasons:
- It provides clarity of your audience engagement with your website.
- You can identify which page content is more popular and engaging.
- It is helpful for tracking conversions such as sign-ups, purchases, or other desired actions.
- This KPI allows you to identify why people leave the website due to bugs or other reasons.
4. Pages Per Session
What are pages per session?
Pages per session is a website KPI that measures the average number of page views by users during a single visit to your website. It’s like counting the chapters readers read in a book.
This is one of the best website KPIs examples as it tells how deeply your visitors are exploring the site and navigating through pages.
How to Measure Pages per Session?
In Google Analytics, tracking pages per session is a standard feature. Here’s how you can calculate it:
- Set up Google Analytics tools on your website, and it will automatically record user interactions.
- It collects data on the number of pages users view during a session.
- The tool calculates the average page view number by dividing the total pageviews by the total number of sessions.
What is a good number of pages per session? A good number is 1.7 to 4.0 pages per session for your website’s success. Aim to set a realistic benchmark and create a meaningful user experience.
Why are Pages per Session Important?
It is important to measure for several reasons:
- You can directly measure how many users are engaging with your website. So, what does an increase in pages per session mean? It means users show involvement in exploring your site.
- By assessing this KPI, you can identify your more attractive & engaging sections to users. It helps you focus on those areas.
- Websites with high pages per session can convert visitors into customers.
5. Average Time on Page
What Is Average Time on Page? Average time on a page is a critical KPI for a website that quantifies the average duration visitors spend on a specific web page. It offers insights into how engaging a particular page content is to your audience.
So, according to research, what is a healthy average time on a page?
The good average time on the page to consider across industries is around 53 seconds. However, if you consider an e-commerce page, it can range from 44 seconds to 1 minute, while blog posts can be around 2 to 5 minutes.
Now, how do you calculate average time?
In Google Analytics, the average time on a page is calculated by considering the total time spent by all visitors on a specific page and dividing it by the total number of pageviews.
Why is it important to measure?
It is a significant KPI to measure for various reasons, such as content evaluation of specific pages, user engagement indicating the best-performing section, and being able to identify areas that need improvement.
6. Bounce Rate
What is the Bounce Rate?
It is an important KPI in SEO that indicates the percentage of visitors who land on your page and then promptly exit without any actions. It shows that users are not engaging further with your site.
How to Measure Bounce Rate?
With the help of web analytic tools, you can track user interactions on your website, including their entry and exit points.
It is calculated by dividing the number of single-page sessions by the total number of sessions and expressing the outcome in percentage.
So, what can be considered as a good bounce rate? A bounce rate of 40% or lower is considered good, while bounce rates above 55% indicate that your website needs improvement.
Why is bounce rate important?
- It helps you know if you have a high bounce rate, indicating that users don’t find the compelling content and lower site sales.
- A high bounce rate helps you signify that the content on specific pages needs improvement.
- The bounce rate is linked to the website’s conversion rate, and reducing it leads to an improved conversion rate.
7. Page Load Time
What is page load time? It is a website key performance indicator (KPI) that measures the time it takes for a web page to display the content and become accessible to visitors. It is also referred to as “Page Speed.” Page load time includes the time of text, images, scripts, and other elements to load completely.
What can be a good page load time on a website? An ideal page loading time is around 2-3 seconds. Anything above 3 seconds increases the likelihood of visitors leaving your website.
How is page load time measured? You can measure page load time through various tools and techniques. They are:
Web Performance Tools: Several tools that help you analyze your web pages and provide insight into their load times are Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and WebPageTest.
Browser Developer Tools: Web browsers have built-in developer tools that measure page load times for specific pages. It shows detailed data on how different elements load.
How important is page load time? It is important for several reasons, including:
- Better user experience to keep visitors engaged.
- Faster-loading pages tend to rank high in search results as page speed is considered as a ranking factor.
- Slow page speed leads to high bounce rates, so optimizing website page speed can improve conversion rates and revenue.
Also Read: How to Optimize Website Speed? [Proven Strategies]
8. Dwell Time
What do you mean by dwell time? It is insightful tracking metrics that show the time a user spends on your website between clicking on a search result and returning to the search results. It is considered a strong indicator of user interest and content quality.
What is an example of dwell time? For example, let’s say you click on a search result, visit a website and stay on the page for two minutes, then click back to search results. It means your dwell time on that page is two minutes.
How to measure dwell time? To find average dwell time, use tools like Google Analytics to know user behavior, including the time users spend on your site. It records the start and end time of a session, which helps to determine the Dwell time.
Dwell Time = Total duration of all sessions / Number of sessions
Why Dwell Time is Important?
- It helps you analyze the content quality. A longer dwell time indicates that users find your content valuable.
- You can know if your content is grabbing the user’s attention, which leads to longer dwell times.
- Dwell time is a potential ranking factor, so it improves the page’s search engine ranking.
- It is also a sign of increasing the potential for conversion.
9. Conversion Rate
What is the Conversion Rate? Conversion rate is the best website KPI that measures the percentage of website visitors who complete a specific action out of all visitors.
It can include several actions, such as signing up, making a purchase, submitting a contact form, or any other action related to your website’s objectives.
There are two layers of conversion rate:Traffic-to-lead ratio: Measuring if your website traffic is converting to leads helps you understand if you are creating the right kind of content and targeting the right audience.
MQL-to-SQL ratio: It measures the percentage of marketing qualified leads (MQL) who get converted to sales qualified leads (SQLs). This ratio helps marketing teams observe and qualify the right audience.
But what is the best way to track the conversion rate? To measure the conversion rate, set up goal tracking in your analytics tool, such as making a purchase, signing up, or downloading. It helps you monitor and record when users complete these actions.
Consider leveraging conversion rate optimization services. CRO experts can help you assess your website and conduct tests to enhance the user experience and boost conversion rates.
Conversion Rate holds critical importance because:
- It provides a direct assessment of how your website is converting visitors into customers, leads, or engaged users.
- A higher conversion rate leads to an increase in ROI, which is good for business success.
Also Read: How to Improve Conversion Rate of Your Website? [Detailed guide and proven tricks]
10. Goal Completions
What are Goal Completions? It is the successful completion of specific goals or series of objectives on your website. These objectives can include actions such as form submission, account registration, or any other.
How to measure goal completions? If you want to measure goals in Google Analytics, clearly define the objectives you want visitors to complete. The tool will monitor and record the data when users complete predefined actions.
Why are Goal Completions Important? It is important for several reasons:
- By tracking goal completions, you can analyze the ROI of your website.
- It indicates how well your users engage with websites to take specific actions.
- Data on goal completions helps you make informed decisions to improve the website’s performance.
11. Top Landing Pages
The top landing page is a fundamental KPI for website engagement that identifies web pages users first visit when they land at your website. They act as a gateway to your digital domain, often linked to external sources such as search engines, social media, or online advertisements.
However, it is important to create appealing landing page designs as these pages create a first impression on users, which helps them to navigate further.
How can you track top landing pages? Use a web analytic tool as it allows you to collect and analyze user data. The tool records which pages users land on as their entry points. It highlights the page that receives the most initial traffic.
Why are the top landing pages an important KPI for a website?
- These pages are the first impressions users have with your website, so it helps you analyze the initial impressions.
- Effective landing pages engage users, and they can explore further or take desired actions.
- Identifying the top landing pages allows you to optimize for better user experiences and conversion rates.
12. Number of Leads/Sales
If you want to count the total customers who have shown interest in your offering, what KPIs should you be tracking? The answer is the Number of leads. It provides the total count of all visitors who have provided their contact information for further engagement.
The number of leads is generated through various channels, including contact forms, newsletter sign-ups, or requests for more information.
How to Measure the Number of Leads? It is essential to evaluate your lead generation efforts. Utilize tools to track lead generation activities such as form submissions, email sign-ups, or any action that indicates user interest.
When users express interest, store the contact information provided by them. This information can be collected through CRM software. Understand the sources that are driving leads, which help you optimize your marketing strategies.
Why is this KPI so important?
- It shows potential customers that might get converted into paying customers.
- It helps you allocate resources more efficiently by knowing the outcomes of your marketing efforts.
- It is the first step of the sales pipeline, which leads to revenue generation.
13. Organic Traffic
Organic traffic is a crucial website key performance indicator that evaluates the number of visitors who reach your website through non-promotional and unpaid search engine results. Users who have discovered your website naturally by searching relevant keywords or phrases.
How do you calculate organic traffic? Firstly, to calculate organic traffic, you should have analytic tools implemented on your website. For example, if you use the Google Analytics tool, it records users’ visits through organic search results as a part of your organic traffic.
It shows the volume of organic traffic and the specific keyword or search queries that bring users.
Why does it matter? Organic traffic is important as it indicates your website is visible in search engine results. It is generated without the cost of paid advertising, so it indicates that your website content is relevant and valuable to users.
Unlike paid advertising, organic traffic is a sustainable source when supported by strong SEO practices.
Consult with website marketing experts, as they can provide personalized strategies to boost your website visibility and attract organic traffic.
14. Scroll Depth
What is scroll depth? It is an essential website performance KPI that tracks how much of a web page a visitor has viewed by scrolling down. It is often expressed as a percentage that indicates how far they reached through your content.
A higher scroll depth percentage means deep user engagement, while a low percentage indicates users are not fully exploring your content.
How to track Scroll Depth?
- You can implement scroll-tracking scripts or plugins on your website to collect data on how far users scroll.
- You can use analytics tools that offer scroll depth tracking as a feature to monitor user interactions.
- Heatmap tools visualize user interactions on web pages, including scroll depth.
So, what is good scroll depth? A good scroll depth is considered to be 60% or more of the page covered, which is a positive indicator. While the specific threshold differs as it depends on the context.
Why is it an important KPI to measure website performance?
- It provides insights into how deeply users engage with your content and indicates if they find the content interesting.
- It helps you analyze which part of your content has the highest scroll depth.
- It helps you understand how users interact with your content. Do they read the entire article or skim through it quickly?
- If you notice low scroll depths on specific pages or sections, it may highlight areas where you might need content improvements or layout changes.
Best Website KPIs To Choose For Different Websites Type
- Cart Abandonment Rate
- Conversion Rate
- Bounce Rate
- Revenue per Visitor
- Page Views
- Event completions
- Traffic sources
- Sessions
- Bounce rate
- Conversion rate
- Average session duration
- Pages per session
- Organic traffic
- Scroll depth
- Pageviews
- Sessions
- Traffic source
- Returning visitors
- Click-through rate
- Conversion rate
- Cost per lead
- Customer lifetime value
- Customer acquisition cost
- Website traffic
- Bounce rate
- Blended ROAS
- Net promoter score
- SEO metrics
- Return on digital investments
- Customer retention
Bottom Line
In conclusion, monitoring and analyzing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is not just a good practice; it’s a necessity for any business. We hope this comprehensive list of important KPIs provides you with valuable insights about each KPI.
However, it’s about more than just measuring these KPIs. It helps you make informed decisions, improve strategies, and ultimately drive success.
As you begin on this digital journey, if you find yourself in need of expert guidance, consider consulting with a marketing professional who can make your goals a reality.
WebyKing provides a range of website marketing services designed to help you achieve your goals. Our team expertise in web marketing helps you boost your online visibility to succeed in this competitive world.
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