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From Data to Decisions: Context is Everything

You have a dashboard full of numbers, graphs, and tables. But what do these values really mean? A 70% bounce rate can be an alarm signal for one site and completely normal for another. This section of our documentation serves as your resource to go beyond simply using the platform. Here, you’ll learn to interpret the numbers, ask the right questions, and make informed decisions for your website. We’ll help you:
  • Understand metrics: What exactly does “Engagement Rate” measure?
  • Find benchmarks: Is my average visit duration “good” or “bad”?
  • Recognize patterns: Why are so many users leaving my site after the first click?
  • Derive actions: What are the next steps to improve my metrics?

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The Most Important Distinction: Informational vs. Commercial

Before you evaluate a single number, you must define the primary goal of your website. We primarily distinguish between two approaches:

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The Informational Approach (e.g., Blog, Magazine, Documentation)

An informational website is successful if the visitor finds the information they are looking for quickly and easily.
  • Primary Goal: To convey knowledge, answer a question, or educate the user.
  • Key Metrics:
    • Avg. Visit Duration: Are users staying long enough to read/watch?
    • Engagement Rate: Are they scrolling, clicking on internal links?
    • Returning Visitors: Do users find the content so valuable that they come back?
  • When a “bad” metric can be good: A high Bounce Rate can be a positive sign here! If a user asks a question on Google, lands on your page, finds the answer in 30 seconds, and leaves, your page was a perfect success—even though this technically counts as a “bounce.”

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The Commercial Approach (e.g., E-commerce, SaaS, Lead Generation)

A commercial website is successful if the visitor performs a specific action (a conversion).
  • Primary Goal: To sell a product, book a demo, sign up for a newsletter, or make contact.
  • Key Metrics:
    • Bounce Rate: This is often a critical metric here. A bounce means a potential lost customer.
    • User Flows: How do users move toward the conversion goal? Where do they drop off?
    • Conversion Rate (tracked as an event): The ultimate measure of success. How many visitors complete the target action?
  • When a “good” metric can be misleading: A high Avg. Visit Duration without a conversion can be a warning sign. Visitors might be on the site but can’t find what they’re looking for, or the purchase process is too complicated.
With this fundamental understanding, you can now dive deeper into analyzing your data. Use the following pages in this section to discover specific metrics and benchmarks for your type of website.