Squarespace Analytics for Pros Part 1: Improving Audience Engagement
Add lasting value to the services you offer by tracking and measuring your clients’ website analytics using Squarespace Analytics. From there, you can identify what's working and what's not. Offering this as a service is an excellent way to re-engage customers and improve satisfaction. Pairing Google Analytics with Squarespace Analytics is the perfect way to ensure your clients always have the best picture of their online presence.
A website is nothing if it's not engaging its target audience. If a website isn't getting the attention it deserves, it could be that you're attracting the wrong people. There are several ways you can determine this using data from Squarespace Analytics.
Here's a look at what to consider if numbers are disappointing at first.
Number of pageviews
Certain pages on a website will get more page views than others, depending on what you’re driving the audience to see/do. For example, if you have an ad pointing people to a specific product or product category page, that page could potentially get more traffic than the homepage. The type of business and its goals will determine which pages outperform the others.
Looking at page views can help you:
Identify opportunities to improve the information architecture: For example, if visitors aren’t making it to your key conversion pages (such as product pages or blog posts), consider lifting them into the main navigation.
Measuring marketing and advertising effectiveness: If page views drop, it's possible the keywords, offer, or messaging don't align with the target audience.
Iterate on content: If copy, buttons, and images on the site aren’t driving the behaviors you or your client want, consider testing variations of the content.
To determine whether a page is receiving ideal pageviews, compare the numbers to the overall views for the website. If the rate for a page is too low, then analyze whether users are having a hard time finding the page.
Do note that pageviews is a vanity number and doesn't mean much without diving a bit deeper. This is why it's critical to also look at time spent on pages, as well as bounce and exit rates.
Average time on page
A website may get a ton of traffic, but if visitors aren't sticking around a page that you expect them to, there's an underlying quality issue. You may be targeting the wrong audience and they are bouncing away shortly after arriving, or the content on the landing page is low-quality or irrelevant.
This is where A/B testing can help. Using tools like Google Optimize, some Circle members test headlines, subheadings, page layouts, and calls to action to identify whether low time on page metrics may be a result of copy and messaging. If this doesn't help, then look to your traffic sources—more on this later.
Before you begin manipulating pages, consider the content in question. For example, a long blog post should have a longer time spent on page than a basic landing page with a signup form or download.
If the landing page or blog post deserves more time than it’s getting, investigate what might be directing people away. This could be because there are too many links or too much content in general. Try breaking up large chunks of content with headings or if a page covers multiple topics, split them up into multiple sections or pages.
Note that average time on page doesn't identify exactly how long a visitor is actively engaged. That’s why we designed Squarespace Analytics to account for this: Once a visitor lands on a page, Squarespace tracks the time spent there and records when they land on a subsequent page so you and your clients see how long a visitor actually spent on the page.
Bounce rate
Bounce rate is a metric used to determine how many visitors leave a page right after landing there. These people are coming to the website and almost immediately leaving without visiting other pages on the site.
Initially, this may mean the content on the page was irrelevant to the user. This is a problem because if they found your page organically, then it signals to Google that the content is low-quality and could hurt the page's rank on search engine result pages (SERPs).
The key is to look at the source of the traffic. If they're coming from Google, then check which keywords they used to find the page. Maybe the intent is mismatched. For instance, a buying intent keyword that drives people to an informational blog post will create a high bounce rate. This is because users of this key phrase are looking to buy, not learn.
If it’s a site-wide issue, performing a keyword analysis will help identify problematic keywords.
Another way to reduce bounce rates is to write copy that clearly explains the purpose of the page and what it offers visitors. This way, they know they're in the right place. There should also be a CTA to ensure visitors don't leave prematurely.
The only time a high bounce rate is good is if the landing page is designed to be a one-stop experience. This means the visitor gets what they're looking for on that one page and leaves satisfied.
Exit rate
An exit rate is similar to a bounce rate in that it shows visitors who have left a page. The main difference is that exit rate shows the percentage of visits that were the last in a session, whereas bounce rate shows visits that were only to that page during the session.
This is an essential metric because it identifies pages that may not perform their intended role. For example, if you have a campaign that leads visitors down a journey that looks like this: ad > landing page > product page, and the exit rate is high on the product page, this would be expected behavior, assuming the leads are making a purchase.
But if folks are dropping off part way through your intended journey, this could point to an issue with the content on the landing page. Do a deep dive to see what might be causing this.
You might offer to help your client:
Update copy, keywords, and CTAs
Shorten the journey from landing to purchase
Conduct user research with your client’s customers
Form and button conversions
Having a CTA on every page guides visitors to the next step — usually becoming a prospect or customer. If you're placing lead capture forms, buttons, and other CTAs throughout the site, Squarespace Analytics will show you and your clients how many visitors are converting.
In your Form & Button Conversions Analytics panel, you'll see how visitors interact with forms and buttons on a site, including how many submissions or clicks they get. A conversion rate is determined based on the number of views compared to the number of submissions.
If you're seeing low conversions for the amount of traffic received, it might be time to dig deeper. You might suggest:
Moving buttons, forms, and other CTAs higher on the page
Checking if forms ask for too much information—the more form fields, the higher barrier to entry
Suggest a pop-up or banner to increase visibility of your CTAs.
Pro tip: Try to avoid having too many CTAs on a single page, including links within the copy.
Want more?
Check out these resources for more information on using Squarespace Analytics to amplify your clients’ digital strategies.