Five key metrics to measure your digital marketing strategy

Google Analytics is an incredibly valuable tool in setting and reviewing a digital marketing strategy – but it has one big problem. The sheer volume of data and statistics available is mind-blowing.

Are you really interested that a visitor from Lancashire was on your site last Thursday using Internet Explorer 8 on a 1024 x 800 monitor, and it took three seconds to load the page? No, I didn’t think so.

So what Google Analytics statistics should marketers and business owners be measuring to benchmark their digital marketing efforts?

Audience statistics

You might have the best looking, most user-friendly site in your industry but unless the right people are visiting, the orders and enquiries won’t come flooding in. Look at the number of unique visitors per month, demographics and new versus returning visitors.

Engagement levels

Is your content engaging site visitors? This is particularly key for news and blog sections of the website, plus product and service pages. Focus on the length of time users spend on the pages and the amount of social shares. Tools like AddThis can also really help you understand where and when your content is shared.

Traffic sources

One of the most powerful questions any businessperson can ask a new contact is “where did you hear about us?” Google Analytics gives you this data at your fingertips. Being able to segment your data by source can lead to some valuable insights – such as the effects your off page SEO tactics are having on website visitor numbers.

Top performing content

Content marketing is a hugely time-intensive commitment. So, it is critical to regularly check that the content you are producing is performing well. Measure the volume of visitors to individual articles over time to see which topics give you an instant hit of short-term traffic and which provide a slow burn of new visitors over months and years.

Conversion rates

The ultimate measure of digital marketing return on investment is whether your website is helping you hit your business objectives. Google Analytics allows you to set goals based on what you want users to do on your website. Examples include: making a purchase, filling out a contact form, downloading a white paper or signing up for your e-newsletter.

Start with the end in mind and set goals that correspond to your business aims. Look at the goal conversion rates and compare these with the other metrics outlined above (eg, are visitors from social media channels more likely to give you their contact details?)

The challenge for marketers once they have collected this information is determining what to do with it. Ultimately, the data needs to inform and drive your digital marketing tactics so that, over time, these statistics improve.