Tool: The Big Three of Web Site Measurement

These top metrics are suggested by the Drilling Down Project, which offers a broader, 22-metric analysis tool via an Excel spreadsheet.

REJECT RATE

This measures the percent of visitors that came to a particular page on your site but failed to browse any further. Usually tracked for entry pages, such as your home page.

 Your siteExample
Targeted Web pageindex.html
Measurement periodOct. ’02
Number of visits that consisted of this page only15,834
Number of visits that began with this page79,638
 %19.88%

TAKE RATE

How often do visitors accept offers like a newsletter subscription or a download? This number gauges marketing’s effectiveness over time and between products.

Description of offeringNewsletter
Number of sign-ups6,235
Number of total visits during this period94,328
 %6.61%

COMMITTED VISITOR SHARE

Are visitors passing through, or have they committed to a long visit (in this example, 19 minutes)? Remember, longer might mean “more confusing,” unless take rate rises also.

Length of visit19 minutes
Number of long visits during this period9,611
Number of total visits during this period94,328
 %10.19%