Websites are not just a few pages with fancy words, pretty colors, or complex animations; they are there to serve a specific purpose. Every website has a goal and its success is determined by whether or not it is achieving it.
The design of a website always stays at the forefront and plays a key role in its success. After all, the design is what puts the first impression on a visitor. The better the first impression, the longer the user is going to stay on the website and the better are the chances of them taking the desired action.
So what metrics to measure to determine whether the design is working or not? It’s not the design itself but the results it brings to a site.Measuring a website’s success requires an in-depth look at the analytics and data.
The following are the metrics to measure website success. We will see how these metrics are affected by website design.
Bounce Rate
The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave a site without visiting a second page. They land on one page and leave without going deeper. Google Analytics provides insights into the bounce rate under the Audience>Overview page. If your bounce rate is above 65%, there is something wrong with the design and it’s something to worry about.
A high bounce rate means your website design fails to grab the attention of users or it does not help them find what they are looking for. If a user is not impressed by the design, his trust over the business/product is hindered. Also, if he finds it difficult to navigate through your site and find the content of his primary concern, his stay on your site will be limited.
Average Time on Page
How much time do your visitors spend on your pages on the average? Is their duration long enough for you to put your message across? For example, you have written an article to make your point or a video to explain your product or an image gallery to demonstrate what you have to offer. Are your visitors interacting with the content you have created for them?
Google Analytics provides these insights in the ‘Avg. Session Duration’ section under Audience>Overview and other views. User engagement can also be measured by tracking events such as clicks, scrolls, video plays, etc.
Your website design company has a lot to do with the average time people spend in each session. If your content interests them and is easy to read and understand, people will engage more. Also, they are more likely to interact if they think they are in the right place and that the content can help them solve their problem.
Call to Action (CTA) Clicks
Every website wants its visitors to take certain action(s). CTAs are an integral part of every website and are meant to direct visitors to take that action such as ‘Add to Cart’, ‘Sign up’, ‘Download Now’ etc. Are you CTAs being clicked? You need to measure it to determine how well your website is performing.
Your website design has a key role to play in optimizing the CTA clicks. Effective web designs make it appealing and within quick reach for visitors to click on that all-important button.
It’s important that you experiment with the placement, size, design, and text of your CTA and find out what yields maximum results.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who take the desired action. It is easy to calculate: Unique Visitors / Conversions. Conversion rate is the most important metric of all as it represents your website’s bottom line. If you see an increase in conversion rate from 10% to 20%, it means your profit has doubled. Every website strives to achieve a high conversion rate.
After you have managed to get a visitor click on your CTA, the next step is that of the conversion. Nothing is more frustrating than losing a customer at this stage. website design can either facilitate customers to complete this step or make it hard for them.
Optimizing the checkout process is one of the most important aspects of the web design process. For example, deciding on whether to use a one page checkout or multiple page checkout, what fields to include in a sign up form, what payment options to include etc. go a long way in improving conversion rate.
Conclusion
Tracking the above metrics will not only give you a clear picture of a website’s performance but also present you with areas that need improvements. The beauty of websites is that every possible action on them no matter how small is measurable. The good news is tracking these metrics is easy even for less tech savvy and first time users.