20 Key Digital Marketing Metrics You Should Know and Measure

When designing a marketing campaign, you cannot rely solely on your gut feelings. Sure, it’s tempting to trust your instincts – especially when customers seem to love what you’re doing, sharing your content, and turning your copy into viral memes. But without solid data, you’re in the dark. Subjective feelings do not always translate into business results, but the numbers don’t lie.

If you want to know what’s going on in the marketing department, you need hard data. This is why digital marketing metrics are so important. In this article, we’ll explain what they are, why they matter, and how to use interactive online flipbooks to strengthen your campaigns.

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What are digital marketing metrics?

Digital marketing metrics are data that track everything from website visits to ad impressions, revealing how well your online promotion efforts are actually performing. However, marketing metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) are not the same.

• Metrics are of raw data collected from analytics systems – like total website visits, email open rates, or social media shares.
• KPIs are the strategic figures that measure whether you’re meeting specific business goals – like conversion rate, cost per acquisition, or customer lifetime value.

It might seem like KPIs are the only numbers that matter, but that’s not the case! Other data, even if it seems less important, can provide valuable insights about your customers and prospects. For instance, knowing which phone models or browsers they use can help you design more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

 

How important are digital marketing metrics?

Without digital marketing metrics, you’re flying blind. These numbers are the foundation of any successful market campaign.

• Firstly, they provide access to tangible, specific data that serve as a solid basis for your decisions. They allow marketers to base their plans on facts rather than guessing.
• What’s more, analysing this data allows you to optimize your campaigns. By analyzing trends and adjusting your approach, you can stretch your budget further and boost ROI.
• Metrics also provide crucial insights about audience behaviour, preferences and needs. What do your customers actually want? What platforms do they use? Based on this, you can go further with recognizing your target audience – you can learn more about it in our Knowledge Base.

Most importantly, without tracking KPIs, you have no way of knowing if you’re truly hitting your targets. And without that, there’s no reliable way to measure success.

 

20 key digital marketing metrics for your business

This list contains both actual metrics (raw data you’ll see in your Google or Publuu analytics panel) but also some basic KPIs – you can calculate them yourself on basis of metrics.

1. Total website traffic

What it is? The number of people who visit your website over a specific time period.

How to calculate? Use tools like Google Analytics to track visitors or Publuu Analytics to see how many people viewed your flipbook.

Why it matters? Helps you understand your overall online visibility and brand awareness.

 

2. Traffic by channel

What it is? Breakdown of where your website visitors come from:

• Direct – People typing your website address directly
• Organic – Natural unpaid search results
• Referrals – Links on other websites
• Email – Traffic from your emails or newsletters
• Social media – Visitors coming from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more
• Paid – Visitors from advertisements

How to calculate? Use analytics tools to see traffic sources.

Why it matters? Helps identify which channels work best for your business. Focus on them and try to detect improvable areas elsewhere.

 

3. Conversion Rate (CR)

What it is? The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (purchase, signup, etc.).

How to calculate? Number of conversions ÷ Number of visitors × 100%.

Why it matters? Shows how effectively you turn visitors into customers.

 

4. Bounce rate

What it is? The percentage of visitors who leave your site without interacting with it, just glancing at it.

How to calculate? Number of single-page visits ÷ Total number of visits.

Why it matters? Indicates if your content is relevant and engaging. The lower, the better. Try various means of attracting people, using bright fonts or vivid images.

 

5. Returning visitors

What it is? The number of people who come back to your website after visiting once.

How to calculate? Track through analytics tools.

Why it matters? Shows customer loyalty and content quality. Even if the visitors haven’t made a purchase yet, they’re now a part of the marketing funnel.

 

6. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

What it is? The percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it.

How to calculate? Number of clicks ÷ Number of impressions × 100%. You can get these metrics from Google Ads.

Why it matters? Measures how compelling your ads are. Higher is better.

 

7. Page views

What it is? The number of pages visitors look at during one session.

How to calculate? Track through analytics tools.

Why it matters? Shows how engaging your content is.

 

8. Exit rate

What it is? The percentage of visitors who leave your site from a specific page.

How to calculate? Number of exits from a page ÷ Number of times that page was viewed.

Why it matters? Helps identify problematic pages that might need improvement or put the viewers off. Redesign them – if it’s necessary.

 

9. Customer Retention Rate (CRR)

What it is? The percentage of customers who continue to buy from you over time.

How to calculate? ((Customers at end – New customers) ÷ Customers at start) × 100%.

Why it matters? Indicates how well you keep customers satisfied. The more people you manage to keep, the better for your project!

 

10. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

What it is? The total cost of getting a new customer.

How to calculate? Total marketing cost ÷ Number of new customers.

Why it matters? Shows if your customer acquisition strategy is cost-effective. Try to get this within reasonable frame for your location and industry.

 

11. Cost Per Click (CPC)

What it is? How much you pay for each click on your ad.

How to calculate? Campaign cost ÷ Number of clicks.

Why it matters? Helps evaluate if your paid advertising is affordable.

 

12. Cost Per Lead (CPL)

What it is? How much money on average do you spend to get one potential customer.

How to calculate? Total campaign cost ÷ Number of leads.

Why it matters? Helps evaluate if your lead generation is cost-effective.

 

13. Return on Investment (ROI)

What it is? Measures how much money you make compared to what you spend on marketing.

How to calculate? (Profit – Marketing costs) ÷ Cost of investment × 100%.

Why it matters? Shows which marketing activities give you the best financial results. Focus on the best ones and improve the marketing strategies that lag behind.

 

14. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

What it is? The total revenue you expect from a customer during your relationship.

How to calculate? Average order value × Number of repeat purchases × Average customer lifespan.

Why it matters? Helps determine how much you can spend to acquire and keep customers.

 

15. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

What it is? How much revenue your ad campaign generate compared to your advertising costs.

How to calculate? Revenue ÷ Ad spend.

Why it matters? Shows if your ads are profitable. Higher is better.

 

16. Email marketing metrics

What it is? Key measurements for email campaigns:

• Open rate – Percentage of recipients who open your email
• Click rate – Percentage who click links in your email

How to calculate? Open rate = Emails opened ÷ Emails sent; Click rate = Clicks ÷ Emails sent. You can get it from software like MailChimp or use Publuu flipbook newsletters to find out how many people read your newsletter.

Why it matters? Shows if your emails are effective.

 

17. Social media engagement

What it is? How people interact with your social media content (likes, shares, comments).

How to calculate? Track using social media platform analytics like Hootsuite.

Why it matters? Indicates how well your content resonates with your audience.

 

18. Churn Rate (attrition rate, customer turnover)

What it is? The percentage of customers who stop using your products or services.

How to calculate? (Customers lost ÷ Total customers) × 100%.

Why it matters? Lower churn means better customer retention. Helps identify why customers leave.

 

19. Marketing Automation Metrics

What it is? Measurements of your automated marketing processes.

How to calculate? Track completion rates, conversion rates, and engagement through automation tools.

Why it matters? Shows how effectively your automated systems guide customers through their journey.

 

20. Cost Per Action (CPA)

What it is? The cost of getting a visitor to complete a specific goal (visiting your site, clicking a banner, even purchasing).

How to calculate? Campaign cost ÷ Number of completed actions.

Why it matters? Helps determine the true cost of achieving your marketing goals.

 

Software for digital marketing metrics

Publuu Analytics

Publuu allows you to turn PDFs into interactive flipbooks – boosting any kind of reader engagement. But the best tool Publuu offers is its analytics feature: you can actually see how readers interact with your content – how much time they spend on each page, what links catch their eyes, and whether they actually finish reading.

You can use Publuu to track engagement with your digital brochures, catalogs, or presentations – for example, it can help you to find out whether a blog post or an eBook captures more interest. If you notice that certain pages are attracting more attention, you can double down on those what works.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a key tool for learning how people interact with your site. It tells you who’s visiting, where they came from, and what they’re doing once they land on your pages. You can see if any onsite traffic is coming from search engines, social media or paid ads – and see what’s working or not.

You can also use Google Analytics to track conversions, such as the number of people signing up for a newsletter, submitting a form or making a purchase. Furthermore, you can integrate Publuu with Google Analytics to gain even deeper insights into how readers engage with your flipbooks. This allows you to track visitor behavior, measure engagement, and optimize your content for better performance.

This is a versatile tool any serious marketer should master as soon as possible.

Hootsuite Analytics

Hootsuite Analytics helps you keep the tabs on of your social media accounts. It tracks key metrics such as engagement (likes, shares and comments), follower growth, and post reach. You can compare how well your posts are performing on different platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – learning what’s hot and what’s not.

With this package, you can plan posts in advance and analyze which content triggers the most interactions. If a certain type of post (such as videos or infographics) does well, you can create more of that content, and develop your social media strategy based on these metrics.

 

Mailchimp

Mailchimp provides detailed information on the effectiveness of email campaigns. It tracks key metrics such as open rates (how many people open an email), click-through rates (how many clicks links inside) and rejection rates (how many emails were not delivered). These numbers help you understand whether your emails are reaching and engaging your audience.

In your marketing campaign, you can use Mailchimp to test different subject lines and content to see what works best. Run A/B tests and experiment with it – and with Publuu-powered newsletters.

 

HubSpot

HubSpot is a powerful tool that combines email marketing, social media, CRM (customer relationship management) and analytics into one platform. It tracks website visits, interactions with potential customers and customer engagement, helping you see the full picture of your marketing efforts.

Imagine a visitor downloads a free guide from your website. Instead of letting that lead go cold, HubSpot automatically sends follow-up emails to keep them engaged, nudging them toward a purchase. With this tool, you’re not just collecting leads—you’re guiding them down the path to conversion.

 

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a tool that helps you improve your site’s visibility in search engines. It finds keywords, tracks backlinks (links from other sites to yours) and lets you spy on competitor performance. You can use it to find the best keywords to use in your content, making your site rank higher in search results.

Ahrefs also helps you discover what your competitors are doing and how you can improve it. If a competitor is ranking higher for certain keywords, you can analyze their content and create something better. Furthermore, it lets you track the health of your site, ensuring there are no broken links or SEO errors that could hurt your rankings.

 

Mixpanel

Instead of just tracking page views, Mixpanel helps you track user interactions with your site or app. Whether it’s clicking a button, signing up, or dropping off halfway through checkout, this tool uncovers each stage in your customers’ journey.

It gives you insight into where people stop shopping and leave. Mixpanel lets you pinpoint where they’re bailing, so you can step in with remarketing strategies and bring them back.

Digital marketing metrics FAQ

What are digital marketing indicators?

Digital marketing indicators are key numbers that show how well online marketing campaigns are performing. They provide insight into the effectiveness of a strategy, helping you estimate how well you’re doing!

 

What is the difference between metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs)?

Metrics are raw data collected from analytics systems (like website visits, number of clicks or impressions). KPIs are specific metrics that you choose to determine whether you have achieved your goals (e.g. conversion rate, ROI). All KPIs are metrics, but not all metrics are KPIs!

 

Why are digital marketing metrics important?

Without metrics, you can get lost at sea. These numbers:

• Provide concrete data to guide your decision-making
• Help fine-tune your marketing strategy for better results
• Reveal customer behavior and preferences
• Allow you to measure progress of your plans

 

What tools can I use to track digital marketing metrics?

These include Google Analytics, Publuu Flipbooks, Hootsuite Analytics, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Ahrefs and Mixpanel.

 

To sum up

Digital marketing isn’t a guessing game – it’s a complex process that relies on data, not hopes and dreams. Now that you understand how to track and interpret digital marketing metrics, you’re equipped to create engaging campaigns.

By relying on powerful tools like Google Analytics, Publuu, Hootsuite, and Mailchimp, you can gain valuable insights into your audience’s behavior and continuously work on your marketing strategy.

And if you want to boost your marketing efforts, check out our analytics package and find out how interactive flipbooks can further help you in improving your marketing efforts!

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