Whether you’re running a small business website, an e-commerce store, or a content hub, understanding your website analytics is essential. It’s not just about knowing how many people visited your site — it’s about knowing what they did, where they came from, and how you can use that data to improve your digital presence.

 

Here’s a breakdown of the essential website statistics to track and what each one tells you:

 

1. Users & Sessions

• Users: This refers to the number of unique visitors to your site.

• Sessions: A session is a single visit to your website. One user can generate multiple sessions.

Tracking users and sessions helps you understand the size and frequency of your audience. A healthy ratio between users and sessions can show returning visitors, which often indicates strong content or engagement.

 

2. Page views & Pages per Session

• Page views: The total number of pages viewed on your website.

• Pages per Session: The average number of pages a user visits during one session.

High page views and pages per session suggest that users are exploring your site — a good sign for content relevance and user experience.

 

3. Average Session Duration

This measures the average amount of time users spend on your website during a session.

Longer session durations often indicate that your content is engaging and users are finding value. If this number is low, you may need to rethink your page layout, messaging, or load speed.

 

4. Bounce Rate

This is the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing just one page.

A high bounce rate could mean your landing pages aren’t compelling or relevant to visitors. It can also signal poor navigation, slow load times, or mismatched content from your ads or search results.

 

5. Traffic Sources / Channels

These show where your visitors are coming from:

• Direct: Typed your URL directly.

• Organic Search: Found you via search engines.

• Social: Came from social media platforms.

• Referral: Clicked through from another website.

• Email: Came via an email campaign.

• Paid Search / Ads: Arrived through your ad campaigns.

Knowing which channels are driving the most traffic helps you focus your marketing efforts. For instance, if organic traffic is high, your SEO is working. If social is low, maybe it’s time to tweak your content or posting strategy.

 

6. New vs Returning Visitors

Shows the ratio of first-time visitors compared to those who’ve been to your site before. Returning visitors typically indicate loyalty or interest. If you’re only attracting new visitors but not converting or retaining them, you may need to improve your user journey or offer more value.

 

7. Top Pages

This stat tells you which pages are receiving the most traffic.

 Understanding which content is performing best can guide your content strategy and help you build more of what works.

 

8. Exit Pages

These are the last pages people view before leaving your site.

If specific pages are frequently the “exit” point, they might be confusing, unsatisfying, or poorly optimised. Reviewing these can help reduce drop-off.

 

9. Conversion Rate

This measures the percentage of visitors who complete a desired goal (e.g., filling out a form, purchasing a product).

This is a critical metric for ROI. If your conversion rate is low, even with high traffic, something in your funnel might be broken — like weak calls-to-action or poor design.

 

10. Site Speed / Load Time

This measures how fast your website loads on desktop and mobile.

Speed is both a user experience and SEO factor. Slow sites lose visitors quickly — and search engines penalise them too.

 

Here is a list of 11 of the best web analytics tools to utilise for your website.