There’s so much data that flows in through analytics measuring systems, but how do you know which data actually matters? Typically, overworked marketers tend to pay attention solely to web analytics (such as page views) and, although those numbers are important, they’re just not an effective measurement of your marketing efforts. That said, it’s time to throw out everything you know about measuring traffic to your website or blog, because we’re about to talk dirty details of measurements that matter.
1. Traffic Sources: The composition of your websites incoming traffic, such as Organic, Paid, Search, Social, etc. Measurable in Google Analytics.
Traffic in and of itself is an important measurement but, for marketing, it’s more important to measure where your traffic is coming from. By taking a look at where and how people are finding your firm’s site, you can determine which content and advertisements are working and which aren’t. This is especially important if you’re paying for advertising, as it’s an easy way to figure out what is and is not worth the money you’re putting in.
2. Conversion Rates: The number of users that "convert" divided by the number of users who visit that webpage x 100. Measurable in Google Analytics.
As much as we’d like it to be, it’s not enough to just get eyes on your page. Your marketing is only effective if your copy inspires people to react to your call-to-action. If you're really interested in optimizing your website and/or blog content, you should be keeping track of how many people subscribe to your newsletter, click on your CTA button, or fill out a form.
3. Time on Site: The average amount of time a user is spending on each page of your website. Measurable in Google Analytics.
How much time are people spending on your site? Using services such as Google Analytics, you can see a breakdown of how much time people are spending on your site from each referral channel. In general, the longer people spend on your site, the more information they’re soaking up. Using this metric, you can tell which traffic sources you should nurture and which sources need some extra love (or less attention) when it comes to boosting visitor interest in your site.
4. Unsubscribe Rate: The number of people who unsubscribed divided by the number of messages delivered. Measurable through your email service.
If you’re using email campaigns as a way to market your firm (which you should be!), it’s crucial to pay attention to your unsubscribe and spam rate. The average email unsubscribe rate across all industries is 0.25%, so if you’re above average in that department, you’ll need to figure out which email marketing faux paus you might be committing.
5. Inbound Links: A hyperlink on a third-party webpage that points back to your website or blog. Measurable in Google Analytics or Alexa.
Keep a close eye on your inbound links as they are a hugely important part of how search engines calculate your SEO status! Although we don’t know exactly how the algorithm applies weight to all on-and-off page factors, we do know that the quality of inbound links matters. You should focus on creating inbound links that come from sites that have a lot of authority (such as .edu or .gov domains) and that are built organically by sharing quality content and ideas, not spammy backlinks.
Interested in 4 more need-to-know marketing metrics that are key for law firm success? Download our Law Firm Marketing Guide and access all 9!
Leave a Reply