When diving into marketing analytics, it's easy to get caught up in vanity metrics.

• How many likes did you get?

• How many people did your content reach?

• What was your engagement like?

While these figures might look impressive and help gauge awareness and reach, they don't necessarily align with your ultimate goals:

Acquiring new and repeat customers.

Instead, let's focus on a straightforward, jargon-free method to interpret your website data using just five key metrics.

How to Use This Guide

1. Gather your data from last month.

2. Compare your numbers to the ideal ranges provided below.

3. If a metric "needs work," follow the "If X then do Y" recommendations.

1. Visitors

What it tells you: Are enough people seeing your offer?

• Good: Stable or growing 5–10% month-on-month

• Needs work: Flat or declining for 4+ weeks

If X then do Y:

• One or two traffic sources only: Add a test channel like a partner feature, niche directory, or paid campaigns on high-intent terms.

• Heavy social, low intent: Shift efforts towards search, referrals, or email.

• Seasonal dip: Create a timely offer and update your hero section to match demand.

2. Enquiries/Bookings

What it tells you: Are visitors expressing interest?

• Good: Consistent weekly enquiries with a gentle upward trend

• Needs work: Spiky weeks or any zero-enquiry weeks

If X then do Y:

• Spiky pattern: Standardise your primary Call To Action (CTA) and form across pages; eliminate competing CTAs.

• Zero weeks: Introduce a lower-friction step like a callback, pay in three, or a quote.

• Channel mismatch: Use channel-specific landing pages and ensure your ads/posts match the promise.

3. Conversion Rate (Visitor → Enquiry/Booking)

Targets:

• Services: 2–5% baseline; 5–10% strong

• Local services: 5–12%

• E-Commerce: 1-3% baseline; 3-5% strong

Needs work: If you're below the lower bound for your type

If X then do Y:

• Below target: Improve the hero section with a clear headline (what, who, outcome), one CTA, visible proof, and ensure it's fast on mobile.

• Lots of views, few clicks: Revise CTA and subhead for outcome; add risk-reducers.

• High mobile traffic, low mobile conversion rate (CR): Compress hero image, shorten forms, enlarge tap targets.

4. Cost Per Enquiry/Booking

What it tells you: Are you paying a sensible price for your pipeline?

• Good: Within your acceptable payback/Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) band, steady or improving

• Needs work: Rising 2–3 weeks in a row or above target

If X then do Y:

• Rising costs, stable CR: Pause broad/low-intent terms; focus on high-intent search and remarketing.

• High cost and low CR: Fix the page first, then reopen spend.

• Bloated stack: Remove paid widgets/scripts that don’t enhance conversion; invest in proof and clarity.

5. Time to Book/Enquire

What it tells you: How long decisions take from first visit

• Good: Most act within 1–3 visits or under 7 days.

• Needs work: Long delays or many return visits without action

If X then do Y:

• Long lag: Add reminders like exit intent, simple email capture, and remarketing, addressing top objections.

• Many returns, no action: Add comparison/FAQ near the CTA; explain exactly what happens next.

• High mobile returners: Offer "Text me the link" or "Email this to myself" to continue on desktop.

Red-Flag Patterns and Quick Fixes

• High visitors, low enquiries: Offer unclear. Tighten headline/subhead; add proof and one CTA.

• Low visitors, decent conversion: Distribution issue. Add one new channel; publish one comparison or case study.

• Rising cost, flat conversion: Targeting off. Narrow keywords/audiences; align ad copy to page promise.

• Long time to act, many returns: Add FAQs and next-step clarity; make follow-up obvious.

What “Good” Looks Like

• Traffic grows by 5–10% monthly.

• Conversion Rate (CR) sits within your target band and improves after small edits.

• Cost per enquiry trends down or remains steady as volume grows.

• Most actions happen within a week.

By tracking these metrics and optimising your landing page to improve each stat week by week, you'll enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns and website.