7 Google Analytics metrics you should monitor

To get a deep sense of just what Google Analytics can do, I recommend this thorough guide to Google Analytics from Simply Business, which approaches the main issues from various angles.

Once you are acquainted, here are our top seven Google Analytics metrics to watch:

1. Bounce rate

Put simply, bounce rate is when a user visits only one page on your site before heading to another site altogether, i.e., “bouncing” off your site.

However, marketers and site owners alike often misinterpret the reason behind a bounce. Although a bounce might mean that a user isn’t finding the information or products he or she had hoped for, it’s often an indication of a poorly optimized landing page that lacks clear calls to action.

The site may, for example, have the best content in the world, but unless there’s an easy-to-spot Web form right above the fold or a service to buy at the end of that long sales page, the user will have no motivation to explore the site, let alone move further down the conversion funnel.