14 Essential Website Metrics Every Marketer Should Track
In today’s digital-first world, your website isn’t just a virtual storefront—it’s the foundation of your brand’s online presence. But simply having a website isn’t enough. To truly understand how well your site is performing, you need to track website metrics—key data points that reveal how people find, interact with, and respond to your content.
Website metrics help answer critical questions: Are people finding your site? Are they staying long enough to engage with your content? Are they taking the actions you want them to—like signing up, purchasing, or returning?
In this blog, we’ll walk through 14 essential website metrics every marketer and business owner should monitor. From traffic and user behavior to conversion rates and page load speed, you’ll learn what each metric means, how to track it, and practical ways to improve performance.
By leveraging these insights, you can make smarter, data-driven decisions that lead to higher engagement, better user experience, and ultimately, greater results for your website and business.
1. Total Visits
Total visits refer to the number of times users land on your website within a specific time frame—whether that’s a day, a week, or a month. This metric is one of the most fundamental indicators of your website’s reach and visibility. It helps answer a simple but crucial question: Are people finding your site at all?
While high traffic doesn’t always guarantee high conversions, tracking total visits over time allows you to identify trends, measure the impact of marketing campaigns, and spot seasonal fluctuations in user behavior.
How to Track It:
You can track total visits—also referred to as “sessions”—in Google Analytics 4 (GA4). Navigate to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition, and look for the Sessions column. For a quick comparison against competitors, tools like Semrush’s Free Website Traffic Checker can also estimate traffic levels.
How to Improve It:
To increase total visits, focus on multi-channel strategies such as:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to boost organic visibility
- Social media marketing to drive engagement from platforms
- Paid advertising (PPC) to generate targeted traffic
- Content marketing that targets search intent and user needs
2. Unique Visitors
Unique visitors represent the number of individual users who visit your website during a specific time period—regardless of how many times they visit. For example, if one person visits your site five times in a week, they still count as just one unique visitor. This metric is key to understanding the true size of your audience and how well your marketing is reaching new people.
While total visits give you volume, unique visitors give you clarity on reach. A steady increase in unique visitors often signals effective awareness campaigns, SEO performance, or content that attracts fresh audiences.
How to Track It:
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), unique visitors are shown as “Total Users” under Reports > Acquisition > User Acquisition. You can also use Semrush’s Traffic Analytics to estimate the number of unique visitors for both your site and competitors’.
How to Attract More Unique Visitors:
- Publish new content targeting different keywords and topics
- Promote across diverse platforms where your audience spends time
- Partner with influencers or industry voices to expand your reach
- Optimize content for discoverability through strong SEO practices
3. Returning Users
Returning users are visitors who have been to your website before and come back during a set time period. While attracting new visitors is important, getting people to return is a strong signal that your content, product, or brand offers real value.
This metric reflects audience retention and trust. If users are coming back, it means your website left a positive impression or provided something worth revisiting—whether it’s helpful content, a useful tool, or a memorable user experience.
As Kevin Indig, growth advisor and former Director of SEO at Shopify, points out:
“Total visits show that your content is discoverable. But returning visitors are what tell you you’re building real trust.”
Where to Track It:
In GA4, go to Reports > Acquisition > User Acquisition and look for the Returning Users column. This helps you measure how effectively you’re building lasting engagement.
How to Increase Return Visits:
- Create consistently high-quality, helpful content
- Publish regularly to encourage repeat engagement
- Use email newsletters or retargeting ads to bring users back
- Encourage bookmarking and social follows for long-term engagement
4. Traffic Sources
Traffic sources tell you where your website visitors are coming from—a crucial insight for understanding which marketing efforts are actually driving people to your site. By breaking down traffic by source, you can identify which channels perform best and where to focus your time and budget.
The main types of traffic include:
- Organic Search – Visitors who find you via unpaid search engine results
- Direct – Users who type your URL directly or use a bookmark
- Referral – Traffic from links on other websites
- Social – Visitors from platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram
- Email – Clicks from newsletters or email campaigns
- Paid Search – Users coming through ads on search engines (like Google Ads)
How to Track It:
In GA4, head to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition. Here, you’ll find a breakdown of traffic channels along with metrics like sessions and engagement. For deeper insights—including sources like ChatGPT or other AI platforms—use Semrush’s Traffic Journey tool.
How to Leverage & Optimize Channels:
- Double down on high-performing channels by allocating more resources
- Refine underperforming campaigns (e.g., targeting, content, or UX)
- Tailor content formats for each channel (e.g., short videos for social, long-form for SEO)
- Use UTM parameters to track specific campaigns and sources more accurately
5. Views per Active User
Views per active user measures the average number of pages a user views during their visit to your site. This metric gives you insight into how deeply users are engaging with your content. A higher number suggests that visitors are not just landing on one page and bouncing—they’re exploring, reading, and interacting with more of your site.
This is particularly valuable for content-heavy sites like blogs, news platforms, or educational resources. It can also highlight whether your internal navigation and content structure are effectively guiding users to relevant next steps.
How to Track It:
In GA4, go to Reports > Engagement > Pages and Screens. Look for the “Views per Active User” column to see this metric at both the site-wide and individual page level.
How to Increase Page Views:
- Add strategic internal links to related articles or product pages
- Improve your site’s navigation to make content easier to discover
- Use clear headlines and structured layouts that encourage continued reading
- Include “related content” widgets or CTAs at the end of articles to drive further exploration
6. Average Engagement Time
Average engagement time is the average amount of time users actively spend on your website—meaning your site is in focus on their screen, and they’re likely scrolling, reading, or interacting. This metric reflects how compelling and relevant your content is to visitors.
Formula:
Average Engagement Time = Total Engaged Time / Total Active Users
Unlike general time-on-site metrics, this GA4 measurement is more accurate because it filters out passive sessions. A longer engagement time usually signals strong user experience (UX) and content quality—two important factors for both conversions and SEO.
How to Track It:
In GA4, go to Reports > Engagement > Pages and Screens. You’ll find the “Average Engagement Time per Active User” for both your entire site and individual pages.
How to Improve It:
- Structure your content clearly using headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points
- Use visuals like images, videos, and charts to break up text and maintain interest
- Align content with user intent so visitors quickly find the answers or value they’re looking for
- Avoid intrusive popups or slow-loading elements that disrupt the reading experience
7. Engagement Rate
Engagement rate measures the percentage of sessions where users actively interact with your site—whether by spending at least 10 seconds, viewing multiple pages, or triggering conversion events like clicks or video plays. This metric is critical because it goes beyond just visits; it shows how compelling and meaningful your content is to visitors.
Why it matters:
A high engagement rate indicates that users find your site useful and are motivated to explore further or take action. It’s a strong signal for user experience quality and can positively impact your SEO rankings.
How to Track It:
In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), navigate to Reports > Life cycle > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition and look for the “Engagement rate” column. This will show how different traffic sources perform in engaging users.
How to Improve It:
- Optimize mobile UX by ensuring your site is responsive, fast-loading, and easy to navigate on phones
- Focus on content relevance by matching user intent and delivering valuable, clear information
- Use heatmaps and session recordings (tools like Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity) to identify where users click, scroll, or drop off, helping you refine your site for better engagement
8. Conversion Rate
Definition and Examples:
Conversion rate measures the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action on your website, known as a conversion. These actions vary depending on your business goals—common examples include signing up for a newsletter, submitting a contact form, downloading a resource, or making a purchase. For instance, if 100 visitors come to your site and 5 make a purchase, your conversion rate is 5%.
Tracking in GA4:
To track conversion rate effectively, you need to set up conversion events in Google Analytics 4 (GA4). These are specific user actions that you mark as “key events.” Once configured, GA4 provides metrics such as the Session key event rate and User key event rate in reports like Traffic acquisition, enabling you to see how well your site turns visitors into customers or leads.
How to Boost Conversions:
- Streamline the User Journey: Simplify navigation and reduce unnecessary steps, especially in checkout or sign-up processes, to lower friction.
- Effective Calls to Action (CTAs): Use clear, compelling CTAs that tell visitors exactly what to do next, such as “Buy Now,” “Get Your Free Guide,” or “Subscribe Today.”
- Build Trust: Incorporate elements like testimonials, customer reviews, security badges, and clear refund or privacy policies. Trust signals reassure visitors and encourage them to convert.
9. Cost Per Conversion (CPC)
Importance for Paid Marketing ROI:
Cost per conversion is a critical metric for evaluating the efficiency of your paid marketing campaigns. It tells you how much you spend, on average, to get one conversion—whether that’s a sale, lead, or signup. Keeping this cost low while maintaining conversion quality ensures you get the best return on investment (ROI) from your advertising budget.
Where to Find It:
Most ad platforms calculate CPC automatically once conversion tracking is set up:
- Google Ads: Shows cost per conversion (called cost per action) in campaign performance reports.
- Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram): Reports “cost per result” based on your campaign objective.
- LinkedIn Ads: Displays cost per conversion in campaign manager reports when conversion tracking is enabled.
How to Reduce CPC:
- Refine Your Audience Targeting: Analyze which demographic segments, interests, or behaviors convert best and focus your budget there. Avoid wasting spend on audiences less likely to convert.
- Align Ads and Landing Pages: Ensure your ad’s message, offer, and design match what visitors see on your landing page. Consistency reduces bounce rates and increases the likelihood of conversion.
- Improve Ad Quality: Use high-quality images, clear copy, and strong CTAs to grab attention and persuade users.
- Test and Optimize: Regularly run A/B tests on ads and landing pages to find the best-performing combinations and continuously improve efficiency.
10. Keyword Rankings
SEO Visibility Metric Explained:
Keyword rankings indicate where your website appears in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords or phrases relevant to your business. Higher rankings generally mean greater visibility and a higher chance of attracting organic traffic. Tracking keyword rankings helps you understand how well your SEO efforts are performing and which keywords are driving traffic to your site.
How to Monitor with Semrush:
Semrush offers powerful tools to track keyword rankings over time. By entering your target keywords and website domain into Semrush’s Position Tracking tool, you can monitor your site’s ranking positions daily, see movements in SERPs, and compare your performance against competitors. Semrush also provides insights into keyword difficulty, search volume, and potential new keywords to target, helping you prioritize SEO efforts.
How to Improve Rankings:
- Match Search Intent: Ensure your content directly addresses the intent behind the keywords—whether informational, navigational, or transactional. Content that matches user intent tends to rank higher.
- On-Page Optimization: Optimize title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and URL structures with your target keywords. Include keywords naturally in your content, but avoid keyword stuffing.
- Create High-Quality Content: Provide valuable, comprehensive, and well-structured content that answers users’ questions better than competitors. Regularly update content to keep it fresh and relevant.
- Build Backlinks: Earn authoritative backlinks from reputable websites, which signal to search engines that your content is trustworthy and relevant.
11. Backlinks
Why Backlinks Matter for Authority and SEO:
Backlinks are links from other websites pointing to your site, and they play a crucial role in SEO. Search engines view backlinks as votes of confidence—each link signals that your content is valuable and trustworthy. The more high-quality and relevant backlinks you have, the stronger your website’s authority becomes. This, in turn, helps improve your keyword rankings, drive more organic traffic, and boost your site’s overall credibility.
Where to Track and Analyze Backlinks:
You can track your backlinks using tools like Semrush’s Backlink Analytics. Simply enter your domain to get a detailed report showing the total number of backlinks, referring domains, and the authority score of those links. This helps you assess the quality and quantity of your backlinks, identify new opportunities, and monitor your link-building progress. Monitoring competitors’ backlinks can also reveal strategies to emulate or areas where you can gain an edge.
Ways to Build More Backlinks:
- Digital PR: Pitch unique stories, data, or expert insights to journalists and bloggers. If your content is newsworthy or offers value, media outlets may link back to your site.
- Broken Link Building: Identify broken links on relevant websites and suggest your content as a replacement. This helps webmasters fix their links while earning you valuable backlinks.
- Unlinked Mentions: Use brand monitoring tools to find instances where your business or content is mentioned without a link. Reach out politely to ask for a proper link inclusion.
Consistent and ethical link-building efforts take time but yield long-term SEO benefits and enhance your site’s reputation.
12. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Definition and Importance:
Click-Through Rate (CTR) measures the percentage of users who click on your website link after seeing it in search engine results or ads. A higher CTR means your titles, meta descriptions, or ads are compelling and relevant. For SEO, a strong CTR can boost your rankings, as search engines interpret it as a sign of valuable content. In paid ads, CTR directly impacts your Quality Score and cost-efficiency.
Where to Track:
You can monitor CTR in Google Search Console (GSC) under the Performance report, which shows CTR for individual queries and pages. For ads, platforms like Google Ads provide detailed CTR metrics for each campaign and ad group.
Optimization Tips:
Craft clear, concise, and engaging titles and meta descriptions that include target keywords and a call to action. For ads, focus on persuasive copy that aligns with user intent and highlights unique benefits.
13. Page Load Speed
Impact on UX and Rankings:
Page load speed is how fast your website content loads for visitors. Slow sites frustrate users, increase bounce rates, and negatively affect SEO rankings, as search engines prioritize fast-loading pages for better user experience.
Tools to Measure:
Use Google Page Speed Insights for a comprehensive speed report, including mobile and desktop performance scores and actionable recommendations. Semrush Site Audit also provides detailed insights into site speed issues.
Ways to Speed Up Your Site:
Optimize images through compression, implement a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to reduce server response time, and use code minification to streamline CSS, JavaScript, and HTML files.
14. Crawlability
What It Is and Why It Matters:
Crawlability refers to how easily search engine bots can discover and index your website pages. If bots struggle to access your content, those pages won’t appear in search results, limiting your SEO potential.
How to Track:
Tools like Google Search Console and SEO crawlers (e.g., Semrush Site Audit or Screaming Frog) identify crawl errors, blocked pages, and indexing issues.
How to Fix Crawl Issues:
Improve your site structure for better navigation, submit accurate XML sitemaps, and ensure internal linking connects key pages. Remove or update broken links and check your robots.txt file to avoid unintentionally blocking search bots.
Conclusion
Monitoring website metrics is essential for continuous growth and digital success. While it’s tempting to chase high numbers, focusing on quality metrics that reflect real user engagement and conversions yields better results. Setting up dashboards with tools like GA4 and Semrush empowers you to track your site’s performance accurately and make data-driven decisions. Start optimizing your website today to unlock its full potential and stay ahead in the competitive digital landscape.