Decoding Website Health & Google Analytics | Key Metrics Every Business Owner Should Know
One of the greatest advantages of an interior design website is that it allows potential and current clients to discover and engage with your brand at any time, from anywhere. The activity that takes place behind the scenes—how users interact with your site, how well it performs, and how visible it is to search engines—needs to be carefully monitored and understood. This is key for your brand to stay competitive and continue delivering value to your ideal clients.
When it comes to your website’s health and analytics, do you know where you stand? Do you know which metrics are crucial for your success? In this post, we’re highlighting the nine key metrics of our website health report so you can gain a clear understanding of your site’s performance.
1. General Audience Information
Your website health reports’ general audience information gives a snapshot of new and recurring site visits. Garnering new site visitors is an excellent goal for generating new business, but you also want to ensure the content on your website is compelling enough to keep your audience coming back for more.
Page views and average page views give a glimpse into the content your users seek while visiting your website. A key metric we look at is of the total page views, what is the average number of pages looked at per session? Those sessions’ average duration and bounce rate will also let you know if something isn’t resonating or if your site content should be modified to invite users to stay longer. Once you understand what a healthy month of site activity looks like for you, you can use that benchmark as your guide for opportunities to optimize areas that need attention and when.
2. Traffic Sources
How do visitors arrive at your website? The traffic sources snapshot provides a high-level overview of how users navigate to your site, offering valuable insights into your audience’s journey. The "direct" traffic line item reflects users who reach your site by typing your URL directly into their browser, indicating strong brand recognition. Meanwhile, the "organic search" line shows how effectively your users find you through search engines like Google. If organic search traffic is outperforming other sources, it’s a clear sign that your SEO strategy is delivering results.
Referral traffic is another important metric, often originating from sites like shelter publications, business directories, or industry-specific platforms. This can be especially valuable if you've received recent press or recognition in your field.
Social traffic activity measures how many users are being directed to your site from social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or LinkedIn. If this source is outperforming others, it indicates that your social media content is successfully driving engagement and interest for your brand.
The "other" category in the traffic sources report accounts for traffic that Google is unable to categorize. Typically, this is a smaller portion of your overall traffic, so we don’t typically pay very close attention to this metric. However, if "other" becomes a leading source, it’s worth investigating further to understand the referral sites behind it. By identifying these sources, you can leverage this traffic to enhance your other channels and optimize your overall digital strategy.
3. URL Inspection
The URL inspection tool reveals the last time Google crawled your website, offering insight into how up-to-date your site is in Google's index. If you publish a blog post on a trending topic but notice minimal traffic after a few weeks, double check whether Google has crawled and indexed the new URL. Google can only serve your content to users if it's aware of it, and publishing new content—whether it's a project, press feature, or blog post—doesn't automatically alert Google.
This is where periodic URL inspection requests can come in handy. By proactively requesting inspections, you verify that Google discovers and indexes your fresh content. This practice not only boosts your site’s visibility in search results but also helps maintain consistent performance, allowing your new content to reach your audience.
4. Sitemaps
An accurate site map is essential for effective website management and works in tandem with regular URL inspections. Think of your site map as Google’s blueprint for your website—it outlines the structure, showing how different pages are connected and guiding how users should navigate through your site. This is crucial for helping Google understand the user journey, whether someone is exploring your site for the first time, searching with specific intent, or following a direct path to a particular page.
A well-organized site map ensures that Google can efficiently crawl and index your content, which enhances your visibility in search results. When combined with regular URL inspections, a precise site map confirms that all parts of your website are properly indexed, making it easier for potential clients to find the information they need at every stage of their journey.
5. Visitor Device Info
Is your website optimized for mobile? Given that a significant portion of website traffic now comes from mobile devices, it's important that your website design caters to these users. If your site is primarily optimized for desktop, you might be missing out on potential clients who access your site on their phones or tablets. To make an informed decision about prioritizing mobile or desktop design, analyze your visitor device statistics. This data will reveal where your audience is coming from and help you tailor your site to meet their user experience needs.
6. Visitor Location Info
Part of the luxury interior design experience is the tailored approach every designer seeks to bring to their clients and their homes. This is why visitor location data is invaluable for your website. Think of it as the key to understanding your website's audience and their specific needs. Depending on their location, visitors might have different interests or requirements regarding your services. If your ideal client is searching for a vacation home interior designer, but your portfolio only showcases work where you are based, you could be missing out on a new business opportunity. Other metrics combined with location information like income bracket, age, and other factors will help you outline the core drivers for your potential clients.
7. Top Visited pages
Curious about which content is attracting the most visitors to your website? Analyzing your top-performing pages can provide valuable insights by revealing the content that is driving traffic and highlight opportunities for optimizing less popular pages to enhance their performance. By focusing on what resonates most with your audience, you can refine your digital strategy to better engage visitors and boost overall site effectiveness.
8. Image Performance Issues
Your website's portfolio photography is a central element that showcases your expertise. It's essential to verify that these images are optimized for web viewing to enhance both their impact and your site's performance.
If Google encounters slow-loading pages, it may prioritize faster sites in search results, potentially directing new clients away from your website. To maintain a competitive edge, promptly address any image performance issues you encounter. By doing so, you confirm that your website remains attractive and accessible, reinforcing your brand’s luxury appeal.
9. Core Web Vitals
Think of core web vitals as the way Google Measures your website’s page speed and much more. These metrics are vital to the success of your website because they are a ranking factor as of June 2021. Your overall page experience is also an official ranking factor as of August 2021–not to mention users love fast results and in turn faster sites tend to produce more conversions.
Core web vitals can be broken down into three categories:
Loading or Largest Content Paint (LCP) – The amount of time it takes to load the largest piece of content on your page – think of the biggest video, image or text block.
Interactivity or First Input Delay (FID) – How long does it take for your page to become responsive? For example, how long before does it take for a user to be able to use a button, see hover animations, to be served a pop up, or view form toggles?
Visual Stability or Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – This measures whether the layout of the content on the screen shifts as the page loads. A layout shift typically occurs when visible elements are shifted to make room for additional elements. For example, a block of text may appear on the screen before shifting to the left to make room for an image.
Decoding your website health and Google Analytics effectively are necessary steps for any business owner aiming to optimize their online presence. By focusing on these key metrics, you can gain valuable insights into what drives your site’s success and where improvements are needed. With this data, you can make informed decisions that enhance your user experience, boost engagement, and drive growth. Remember, a well-maintained website is not just a reflection of your brand but a powerful tool for attracting and retaining discerning clients. If you’re looking for website support to stay proactive, continually monitor your metrics, and adjust your strategies to ensure your digital presence remains robust and competitive connect with our experts.