Seven Critical KPIs for Content Websites
As online marketing embraces—willingly or unwillingly—the collaborative nature of Web 2.0, data analysis is evolving to encompass key performance indicators (KPIs). As WebSideStory, a provider of digital marketing and analytics solutions, explains in a white paper titled “New Metrics for New Media,” “While Web analytics metrics provide a foundation, KPIs take this reporting a step further by putting the numbers in context. KPIs are ratios that take volumes out of the picture, clarifying for business managers how key ratios change over time.”
Among the KPIs that WebSideStory cites as critical for media and content Websites:
average page views per visit. The more engaged the visitor, the more pages he will visit in a session.
average cost and average revenue per week. “In general,” according to WebSideStory, “you can make these calculations using close but best-guess estimates of your costs and CPM-based revenues; exact monetization is less important than watching the trend of your costs vs. revenue.”
percentage of high- , medium- , and low-frequency visitors. How often you update your site will influence your definitions of “high”frequency” vs. “low-frequency” visitors. ratio of new to returning visitors. This gives you a quick feel for the success of your prospecting and retention efforts.
If your site offers streaming media, track these KPIs as well:
ratio of stream views to page views. This enables you to monitor over time the popularity of streaming media compared with traditional content.
percentage of complete stream views. “Often a sudden decrease in ‘completed stream views’ indicates a delivery issue, not a content issue,” according to the white paper.
And if you’re tracking mobile site viewing:
average mobile page views per visit.
To download the complete white paper, click here.
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