Type 3: Lead Generation sites Objective(s): Lead generation sites offer information for sales processes by actively “capturing” visitors as leads. This usually occurs after visitors register or contact a sales representative.
Examples: Examples include B-to-C web sites such as autos and homes, and Business-to-Business (B2B) web sites such as Realtor.com, Esurance, Peoplesoft, and Lending Tree.
Lead generation sites are typically interested in the following metrics: Visitor-to-lead conversion ratio This represents the percent of visitors that register or otherwise become a lead over a period of time. If this metric dips or peaks, you should evaluate conversion rates by acquisition source (campaigns).
Total number of leads If the number of leads does not grow, then a site may need to be re-evaluated. Consider examining the number of leads from search engines, campaigns, partners, or the number of leads for different products or from a geographic region.
Cost per lead Represents marketing expenses divided by the number of leads generated during a period of time. This metric contributes to understanding the cost of marketing campaigns and collateral.
Lead close ratio This is the percentage of collected leads that ended up closing as a sale. If leads are “closed” through channels other than your web site, you may have to track lead closure manually.
Average visits or page views per visitor If your site is seen as a resource, it may attract more leads that value the content.
Marketing campaign conversion rate This is the general effectiveness of campaigns at driving visitors to register as leads.
Specialized conversion rates Conversion rates typically explore how many visitors move from one step to the next in a scenario that you are monitoring. An example of a specialized conversion rate for a lead-generation site: your site wants to evaluate which methods (such as a newsletter or a webcast) lead to the highest closure rates.Represents the ratio of visitors to sales and visits to sales.
Customer retention rate Represents the number of repeat customers divided by the number of total customers over a period of time. Commerce sites strive for repeat business.
Cost per sale Represents marketing expenses divided by the number of sales during a period of time. Low cost per sale means efficient marketing and a higher net profit.
Customer acquisition cost This is marketing expenses divided by the total number of orders from unique, first-time buyers over a period of time. If it costs a lot to acquire new customers, then you may have to retool your marketing effort.
Repeat/returning visitors Successful branding sites attract multiple, continuous interactions with visitors.