Content marketing metrics and KPIs prove marketing value as a team, influence how you make decisions, and communicate your success to the organization.
Read this piece to learn the fundamentals of measuring content marketing success and see the types of metrics that have worked for us (as well as our customers). You’ll learn metric definitions, how to calculate them, and why each is important for making strategic content marketing decisions.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is creating and delivering high-quality content to attract and engage a business’s target audience.
Benefits of Content Marketing:
- Drive website traffic
- Boost SEO and backlinks
- Amplify brand awareness
- Stand out from competitors
What Is The Goal Of Content Marketing?
The overall goal of content marketing is to provide beneficial information to:
- Educate and attract an audience
- Generate leads
- Build brand awareness to move potential customers through the sales funnel
Set up goals for your content marketing strategy using SMART:
What Are Content Marketing Metrics?
Content Marketing Metrics:
Content marketing metrics are standards to measure content performance.
What Are Content Marketing KPIs?
Content Marketing KPIs:
Content marketing key performance indicators, or KPIs, are metrics that you and your team track and report regularly. Marketing teams select these KPIs to determine whether they are on course to achieve their objectives and goals.
1. Content Traffic Metrics
This content marketing metric calculates the number of users who arrive at your content through specific landing pages. Discover the sources that are bringing in traffic to your content pages.
Content traffic metrics to view on Google Analytics:
- Direct Traffic
- Referral Traffic
- Organic Search Traffic
- Paid Traffic
- Display Traffic
- Social Media Traffic
- Email Traffic
2. Page Views Metrics
The total page views metric looks at the number of times all visitors open a specific website page. An individual may view the same page multiple times, and all of these views are totaled.
Look at this content marketing metric to assess what readers are interested in.
3. Unique Page Views Metrics
Unique page view totals the number of unique visitors who look at a specific page. Only one view is accounted for within a visit to the page, even if the user clicks on the content multiple times.
Similar to page views, evaluate unique page views to investigate the types of individuals looking at specific pieces of content.
4. Average Time Reading Metrics
Average time on page measures the amount of time visitors spend reading your content. If your content generates a longer average time, you will likely have higher engagement rates of the content.
5. Bounce Rate Metrics
Bounce rate measures the percentage of people who visit your content page but exit after viewing.
Look into bounce rate metrics to determine why people are leaving your content.
6. Pages Per Session Metrics
In one visit, pages per session calculate the average number of pages someone will click through when visiting your original piece. Content with higher pages per session will generate more interest from the potential client to continue looking through other pages.
7. Leads Generated Metrics
Lead generation metrics assess how many leads your content has gained. With top-of-the-funnel leads, consumers begin to show interest in the company. In this stage, readers might click on the call to action or sign up for an email subscription based on the viewed content site.
Pro Tip: Improve call-to-action statements to increase the number of potential leads.
8. Lead Conversion Metrics
With bottom-of-the-funnel conversions, leads have taken more action toward profitable activities from the content piece. For example, they may set up a call with the sales team or purchase your product.
9. Content Engagement Metrics
Content engagement metrics are clicks inside the article, video plays for embedded content, or content upgrade downloads. Understand the effectiveness of your content based on user engagement with the article.
View “Behavior Flow” on Google Analytics to track user engagement.
Pro Tip: Boost readability and improve navigation to encourage content engagement
10. Email Opt-In Metrics
Within a content page, include an email sign-up option and track the number of subscriptions. Consumers develop comfortability with your content to sign up for an email subscription and are eager to learn more.
11. Content Backlink Metrics
Backlinks occur when other third-party websites link to your content. As a content marketing metric, backlinks are essential for search engine optimization because other webpages linking to your piece generate content authority which search engine sites reward.
Commonly known as “Referrals” on Google Analytics, view webpages linking to your piece.
12. Click-through Rate Metrics
Click-through Rates, or CTRs, show the percentage of recipients who clicked on at least one link in your post. Higher click-through rates mean higher engagement on your website since the reader finds the content appealing.
13. Comment Metrics
Monitor the number of comments to understand what resonates with your audience on specific pieces of content. Use this content marketing metric to create content based on the needs of your audience to ensure positive reviews.
14. Keyword Metrics
Keyword metrics demonstrate how a webpage ranks for a specific keyword in a search engine results page. The higher your content ranks is a crucial indicator of incoming organic search traffic to that piece of content.
15. Content Production Metrics
Hone in on your content marketing strategy by tracking the time spent creating content. Maximize the value of each piece by assessing how much time you need to spend on specific content ideas.
Content production metrics provide insight into an efficient workflow. You can focus your time on creating streamlined content by analyzing these production metrics.
16. Content Cost Metrics
Track your business expenses for producing content. Invest in your content for readers to invest in your business.
Evaluate these content cost metrics to allocate expenses for an effective content marketing strategy.
