The following two metrics are the most common KPIs tracked for lead generation websites:
The number of leads a website generates compared to the number of monthly visitors. This is the most important KPI for lead generation websites.
This ratio represents the number of leads that are generated online and from which the sales team is then able to capture business. Some companies consider this ratio to be the real conversion rate ratio for a website. And although this ratio measures to some extent the quality of leads a website is generating, there are external factors that the website has no way of controlling, such as the ability of the sales team.
Content websites generate their revenue either by selling online advertising or by selling monthly subscriptions to premium content. Based on the revenue model, the following are some of the common KPIs tracked:
Advertisers are willing to pay more for websites that have a higher number of visitors. This metric can have a direct impact on the amount of money a company can charge for displaying banner advertising on a specific section of its website.
Similar to the number of monthly visitors, this metric measures the website’s ability to engage its visitors. The more a website is able to engage visitors, the more pages these visitors will view. Some content websites will intentionally break down articles into four or five sections to force readers to navigate to more pages, thus inflating this KPI. This metric should be monitored closely to ensure that users are actually spending time “reading” the content and not bouncing from page to page (which indicates that they have not found what they are looking for).
For websites that rely on selling premium content to registered users, the registration process abandonment metric tracks the percentage of visitors who start the registration process compared to those who complete it. This metric is similar to the checkout process abandonment rate for an ecommerce website, and it tracks the following KPIs:
In many instances, these websites will offer free access to their content for a limited time. The goal is to allow website visitors to experience the content and determine whether a paid membership will bring them additional value. Ultimately, the goal is to convert these free accounts into paid ones. This ratio tracks the percentage of visitors who start with a free account and then convert into a paid account. This ratio will vary tremendously based on the type of website, the cost of membership, and the perceived value of the content.
At the surface, this metric may seem to have little business value, as it doesn’t affect revenue directly. However, it can be useful for predicting the possibility of subscribers canceling their membership and thus reducing the website’s revenue. Some subscription websites measure the average activity for their membership and how frequently they log in to the website. For example, if a customer logs in to the site once every two weeks initially, but then does not log in for four weeks, the chances of that user canceling the subscription increase.
This ratio tracks the number of cancellations within a time period. Tracking this ratio allows subscription-based websites to react to spikes in cancellation by understanding why this happens and coming up with a plan to address the causes.
This number tracks the average period a person remains subscribed to the website. This will help the website operators understand their revenue model. Analyzing the different subscriber behavior between long-time subscribers and short-term subscribers can help reduce the number of short-term subscriptions.