Learn about the 13 most important metrics that are essential to monitor to improve the performance of your website and how to do it for free.

A website is often the first point of contact between a business and its potential customers, so it's crucial to make sure it works at its best.

But how can you measure the performance of your website? Website metrics are a set of data that provide valuable information about website performance.

The basic tool that allows you to control these metrics in a simple and free way is Google Analytics. This is a powerful tool that will help you understand the performance of the web to make decisions.

In addition, it integrates with other tools, such as Google Ads and Google Search Console. This allows you to track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and optimize the website for search engines.

In this article, we'll explore 13 metrics you should monitor to increase your website's performance, which you can check through Google Analytics.

So whether you're a business owner, marketing or web developer, read on to discover the key metrics you need to achieve your website goal.

1.- Number of Visitors

Monitoring the number of visitors will give you an idea of ​​how your website is performing in attracting new visitors and retaining existing ones.

If you see a drop in the number of visitors, it could be an indication that your website is not optimized for search engines or that your content is not resonating with your target audience.

On the other hand, if you see a steady increase in the number of visitors, you can be sure that your website is performing well and that your marketing efforts are paying off.

To increase the number of visitors to your website, ensure that it is optimized for search engines and create high-quality content that is informative, engaging and relevant to your target audience.

Also, promote your site through social media, email marketing, and other digital channels.

2.- Bounce Rate

Bounce rate refers to the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing just one page.

A high bounce rate indicates that visitors are not finding what they are looking for, and this can negatively affect search engine rankings and overall site performance.

To reduce your website bounce rate, you need to focus on various aspects of your website such as design, content, and user experience.

Create an attractive, professional layout that's easy to navigate. It also optimizes page load speed, ensuring mobile responsiveness and providing clear calls to action.

3.- Page Views per Session

Refers to the number of pages a user views during a visit. The higher the number of page views per session, the higher the visitor's engagement with the website.

It also indicates that the content is interesting and relevant to the audience, which can increase the conversion rate and improve the user experience.

To improve page views per session, you need to focus on creating engaging and relevant content. You can also use internal links to drive traffic to other relevant pages within the site.

In addition, optimizing navigation and reducing page load times can encourage users to stay longer on the site and explore more pages.

4.- Duration of the Session

Session duration measures the time a user spends on the website before leaving. A high session duration indicates that users find a website attractive, informative, and relevant to their needs.

A low session duration indicates that users are leaving your site quickly, which can hurt search engine rankings and reduce conversion rates.

By monitoring the duration of the session on the site, you can identify which pages or sections cause users to leave quickly.

Make the necessary adjustments such as improving loading speed, simplifying navigation, creating more attractive content or optimizing calls to action to increase this metric.

Additionally, tracking session duration can help you gauge the impact of any changes you make and identify which strategies are working best to increase engagement and retention.

5.- Traffic Sources

Understanding where your website visitors are coming from can help you make informed decisions about your marketing efforts. For example, if you find that a lot of your traffic is coming from social media, you may need to focus more on creating compelling content for social media.

On the other hand, if most of your traffic is coming from search engines, then you may want to invest in search engine optimization (SEO) strategies.

6.- Landing Page

Landing pages refer to the number of times a particular page has been viewed by visitors. The more visits a page has, the more popular it will be with your audience.

By monitoring landing pages, you can gain valuable insight into which content is resonating with your audience and which may need some work.

Tracking page views over time can also help you identify trends and patterns in visitor behavior.

For example, you may notice that certain pages receive a lot of traffic at certain times of the year or when certain events are held.

With this information, you can tailor content and marketing strategies to better meet the needs and interests of your audience.

It can also help you identify potential problems. If you notice a sudden drop in visits to a particular page, it may be an indication that there is something wrong with that page, such as broken links or slow load times.

By fixing these issues quickly, you can improve the user experience and keep visitors coming back.

7.- Conversion Rate

The conversion rate represents the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

By monitoring the conversion rate, you can identify areas where the site may be failing and make improvements to increase its effectiveness.

This could mean optimizing your landing pages, refining your call-to-action messages, or simplifying the checkout process.

Ultimately, increasing the conversion rate can have a significant impact on the success of not only the website but the business as a whole.

8.- Users by Country

Understanding where visitors are coming from can help tailor content and all marketing strategies.

By analyzing this metric, you can determine which countries are attracting the most traffic, which pages are popular, and which types of content resonate with which audiences.

With this information, you can optimize the website for these regions and create targeted marketing campaigns. Tracking users by country is only one aspect of a website's performance, but it can have a significant impact on its overall success.

9.- Users by Gender

With this metric, you can gain valuable insight into the preferences and behavior patterns of both male and female users.

For example, if you notice that the majority of users are men, you can consider optimizing the content and design of the website to better attract a female audience.

This could mean incorporating more images or language that resonates with women, or creating targeted ad campaigns that reach female audiences.

10.- Users by Age

By tracking user age metrics, you can tailor content and design choices to better fit the needs and preferences of your target audience.

This data can help identify areas for growth and improvement, leading to increased traffic and engagement. With this you will be able to optimize the design, the language and the general experience of the web user at the age that you hope to attract.

So don't overlook the importance of age metrics in increasing site performance.

11.- New Users

As a website owner or developer, one of the most important goals is to attract new users. But once they arrive, you need to make sure the website is running optimally to keep them engaged and interested.

That is why it is crucial to control certain metrics that can help improve the performance of the web for new users. Slow loading times can discourage new users and lead to a high bounce rate.

Use tools like Google PageSpeed ​​Insights to check website loading speed and identify potential issues that need to be fixed.

Next, pay attention to design and user experience. A cluttered or confusing layout can quickly discourage new users from exploring further.

12.- Recurring Users

Returning users are those who visit the website more than once and are a clear indication that the content offers value to visitors.

By monitoring this metric, you can identify what is most popular on your site and make the necessary improvements to optimize the experience.

To increase the number of returning users, you must first understand what keeps them coming back. Is it the quality of the content, the ease of use or the personalized experience?

Once the key factors are identified, you can put strategies in place to encourage users to return to the site.

13.- Users by Device

This metric can help you understand performance across different devices and platforms, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones.

By analyzing this metric, you can identify from which devices your users prefer to access the website and optimize it accordingly.

For example, if you find that a significant number of users are accessing your website from their mobile phones, you can make sure that the site is mobile-friendly and loads quickly on small screens.

On the other hand, if most of your users are accessing from desktop or laptop computers, you can focus on improving the experience and page load times on larger screens.

Conclusion

As a website owner, it is essential to monitor its performance. One way to do this is to monitor metrics that can help identify potential issues and improve your performance.

By tracking metrics like traffic sources, bounce rate, and conversion rates, you can gain insight into performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize it.

These were the 13 most important metrics that you must take into account to create strategies that allow you to increase the overall performance of your website. All can be measured through Google Analytics for free.

Thanks for your time ;-)