There’s no doubt that your website is an important aspect of your business. Websites generate sales, showcase your brand, and serve as your first interaction with every customer online. The ultimate goal of a properly built site is to increase the impact of marketing initiatives and provide more information for potential customers.
But how do you know if your website is effective? The answer: metrics. You can gain insightful knowledge, take advantage of opportunities, and track advancements by monitoring important data over time. In this article, you will learn how to measure the effectiveness of your website and how it can be improved.
8 Metrics To Measure Website Effectiveness
Google Analytics is color-coordinated, but evaluating site effectiveness isn’t always about the nice colors, fonts, and textures. Data and analytics should be the cornerstone when evaluating a website’s effectiveness. Let’s take a look at some of the metrics we use to measure the effectiveness of websites:
1. No Broken Links
A bad link may harm the flow of site visitors. One of the worst things a web page can do is direct an old or first-time visitor to an invalid page via a broken link. Try to locate any faulty links on multiple pages and fix them as soon as possible.
2. CTA Click-Through Rate
One of the most important performance metrics is the website’s click-through rate. Every web page must have calls-to-action (CTAs) and is an integral part of the user journey. A high click-through rate is a great indication. And businesses must point people toward a specific task, for example, an add to cart button.
If the call to action button isn’t clicked, businesses need to make adjustments to encourage existing users to click around for a better conversion rate.
3. Bounce Rate
The number of visitors who leave a site after just viewing a particular page is known as the “bounce rate.” A site with a low rate is a good indicator that it has excellent content and design. The lower the rate, the better. But there may be some circumstances when a high bounce rate is acceptable, for example, an FAQ portion.
4. Conversions
Conversions are more than just sales. The site-wide conversion rate examines the performance of the entire website. Conversion rates apply to landing pages as well. These conversion percentages often fall between 20% and 40%. The pages attract users with particular goals, which is why they rank higher.
5. Exit Pages
The exit pages frequently have characteristics in common with certain pages that make them less engaging and user-friendly. Make changes to those pages to keep people interested and persuade them to perform the required action. Businesses can quickly improve exit pages by using appealing calls-to-action and value-driven language.
6. Time On Site
A great metric of user engagement is the average time spent on site. Website visitors won’t stay long if they don’t find it useful or interesting. If you notice that people are spending less time on the pages, this could signify that the user experience (UX) needs work.
7. Website Traffic and Traffic Sources
Decent site traffic is a great indicator of the effectiveness of a website. Additionally, traffic sources immediately show where most visitors are coming from. Generally, a web traffic source will inform businesses of the factors that brought users to the site, such as:
- Social media platforms
- Paid advertisements
- Search results from search engines
- Specialized marketing campaigns
8. Keyword Rankings
Keyword rankings are an excellent predictor of possible free traffic. You can hold your SEO measures accountable and seize keyword possibilities by regularly monitoring changes in your top keyword rankings.
Tips To Boost Website Effectiveness
An eCommerce store, or even those that aren’t, needs an online presence. Fortunately, making a website is easy because of the many design tools available. Here are a few tips you need to remember:
Check The Load Time
A web page’s loading speed is one of the most crucial engagement metrics any company needs to attend to. The speed greatly impacts the user experience and a site’s overall performance. Users expect a loading time of under two to three seconds for most pages.
Always Have A Call-To-Action
Websites should have calls to action (CTA). It would be best to nudge new and returning visitors toward a specific course of action. But don’t put your CTAs on only one page. Provide clear call-to-action buttons or links on almost every page so that people interact with your website better.
Browser And Mobile Friendliness
Aside from the quality content of popular websites, these websites don’t have complicated navigation or Flash animation. That means the website’s design should be mobile-friendly to attract more visitors.
Keep the web design straightforward and uncluttered to ensure the site works well on any device a visitor might use. Additionally, always check if the website is fully functional on other browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge (formerly Internet Explorer).
Take Note of Pain Points
Remember that your site is the first thing people visit to know about your products or services. That’s why you need to note every obstacle new visitors (or even return visitors) may face when interacting with any of your web pages. In such cases, you should check if relevant information is difficult to find, if you have unclear messaging, and if everything is cohesive and consistent.
Reaching Website Effectiveness
Certainly, effectiveness is crucial to website usability. An in-depth look at the metrics and data is necessary to gauge a website’s success. Fortunately, there is a wealth of information and resources available to anyone. Utilizing technologies like Google Analytics or another analytics tool to check those mentioned above or other metrics can greatly help attain business goals.
