Content / Media / Branding sites KPI's Objective(s): The objective is increase readership, level of interest, and time spent on the site. You want to measure visit length, page views, number of subscribers, and cancellations.
Examples: Content sites are media sites and specialty portals that are supported by sponsors and ads, subscriptions, premium services, and other means. Examples are Yahoo, CNN.com, Salon.com, and Consumer Reports.
Content sites are typically interested in the following metrics:
Average page views per visit Content sites desire an increasing amount of pages views per visit. By examining this metric in relation to content groups, you may gain more perspective on what areas are generating the most interest.
Average visits per visitor How often are visitors returning each day, week, or month? This is an important metric that may indicate the success of a particular campaign.
Clickthroughs of on-site ads Since many content sites are supported through advertising, monitoring the number of clickthroughs of these ads help you gauge the value of the ad.
First-time versus returning visitors Does the content effectively engage visitors enough to make them return? By tracking the ratio between new and return visits over a period of time, you can determine if your site is attracting enough returning visitors.
Average visit frequency, recency, and latency by content area visited These measurements continue the concept of sustained interaction with visitors. Loyal visitors, for example, are the ones that typically purchase more products.
Content group activity and history metrics If a content group experiences fewer and fewer visits, then you can investigate and take action.
Number of search engine referrals The number of visits referred by search engines is usually a critical metric for most content sites.
Specialized conversion rates Conversion rates typically explore how many visitors move from one step to the next in a scenario that you are monitoring. Media sites may want visitors to register for topical newsletters to increase ad revenues and drive repeat traffic to the site.
Unique visitors Monitoring unique visitors by day, week, month, quarter, and year helps to evaluate the effectiveness of your online branding.
Depth of exploration This includes measures such as average page view per visit, length of time, and content group exposure. When tied to a campaign, you can find out to what “depth” that campaign affected visitors.
Repeat/returning visitors Successful branding sites attract multiple, continuous interactions with visitors.