The 5 main performance indicators for a site intended for lead generation (1 of 2)

We are often asked  THE  question by our clients/partners/colleagues/bosses: What are the main performance indicators to check in the management of my website? However, their selection is greatly influenced by the vocation of the website, because each has a unique strategy and objectives of its own. In order to answer this fundamental question as humbly as possible, I will publish a series of posts that will identify the 5 main performance indicators for 3 types of business model on the Internet.

I will deal with these models:

• lead generation website 
• E-commerce site
• Content site or blog

THE PURPOSE OF A LEAD GENERATION  SITE

Websites with this type of model are attributable to professional service companies or industrial product sales.

A lead generation site's main strategy is to add as many qualified contacts as possible to their CRM database. To do so, they must meet three objectives:  

1. Drive a lot of traffic to their site
2. Encourage people to sign up for different items offered on the site.
3. Keep qualified leads engaged by providing them with more information

WHAT ARE THE 5 MAIN PERFORMANCE INDICATORS TO CHECK?

Here are, first of all, the first 2 indicators that will be discussed.

**ATTENTION REQUIRED TECHNICAL**  You must ensure that your performance measurement tool can segment new leads from those already generated.  

I've ordered the metrics chronologically based on each stage a lead must go through before committing to your business.

1- NUMBER OF NEW VISITS GENERATED AND THEIR BOUNCE RATE BY TRAFFIC SOURCE

Measuring the traffic contribution of each source allows you to identify where most of your visits come from and, therefore, where to devote most of your marketing efforts. For its part, the bounce rate makes it possible to identify if the source generates quality traffic or if the landing page is well articulated. It is necessary to compare the contribution of each of them and to check each major variation between two periods. Also, don't forget to:  

• consult your marketing plan because any new actions taken or interrupted can influence the number of visits generated on your site.
• Rigorously label any actions that drive traffic to your site.

For those who use Google Analytics: visitors > new VS. returning > choose New > choose the medium segment.

2- BOUNCE RATE OF NEW VISITS ON THE TOP LANDING PAGES ( LANDING PAGE )

The majority of new visits generated are concentrated on a minimum of landing pages. This reference to Pareto encourages you to target the 5, 10, 20 main pages and to measure their relevance with their respective bounce rates. This indicator may cause changes to your promotional campaigns, including the content of your CPC ads or your banner ads. If your ads are adequate, start an on-page optimization strategy by performing A/B testing with Google Website Optimizer.

For those who use Google Analytics : visitors > new VS. returning > choose New > choose the landing page segment. 

The 3rd, 4th and 5th Key Performance Indicators will follow shortly.

*** Update ***

Here is the second part on the main performance indicators for a lead generation site