The Marketing Metrics That Matter (And How to Keep It Simple)

When you’re growing your business online, it can feel like there are a million different numbers to keep track of.

Page views. Followers. Engagement rates. Clicks. Reach. Sales. Likes. Shares. CTR. Conversions. Funnels. 😵‍💫

If you’ve ever opened your analytics dashboard and felt overwhelmed, you’re not alone.

The good news is you don’t need to track everything to grow your business. You just need to focus on a handful of meaningful metrics that tell you what’s working and where to improve.

Let’s break it down, simply.

Why So Many People Track the Wrong Metrics

When you’re starting out, it’s easy to obsess over vanity metrics like likes and follower counts. They’re easy to see, they move quickly, and they give that quick hit of “something’s happening.”

But vanity metrics don’t always translate into sales. Ten thousand followers means very little if none of them are buying.

Focusing only on sales isn’t the answer either—especially if you don’t yet understand the steps that lead to those sales.

The sweet spot is to track a small set of numbers across your marketing journey. This gives you clarity without drowning in data.

The Four Stages You Should Track

Instead of measuring everything, think of your marketing like a customer journey:

1. Awareness → Are people discovering you?

2. Engagement → Are they paying attention and connecting?

3. Conversion → Are they taking action?

4. Loyalty → Are they sticking around?

If you pick one or two simple metrics for each stage, you’ll have a clear view of what’s working and what to focus on next.

1. Awareness Metrics

These numbers show whether new people are finding you.

Examples:

• Website visitors (monthly)

• Social media reach or impressions

• New followers or subscribers

• Blog post views

Why it matters: You can’t grow if people don’t know you exist. Awareness metrics tell you if your marketing is getting seen.

Pro tip: Track these monthly to see trends, rather than obsessing over daily fluctuations.

2. Engagement Metrics

Engagement shows whether people are actually interacting with your content.

Examples:

• Likes, comments, saves, shares

• Email open and click rates

• Time spent on your blog posts

• Story replies or poll interactions

Why it matters: Engagement is the bridge between “I’ve seen you” and “I trust you.” High engagement means your message is landing.

Pro tip: Focus on one or two platforms that matter most to your business and ignore the rest.

3. Conversion Metrics

This is where attention turns into action.

Examples:

• Sales

• Email sign-ups

• Webinar or lead magnet registrations

• Add-to-cart or checkout completions

Why it matters: Conversions are the actions that grow your business. Tracking them shows whether your content and offers are doing their job.

Pro tip: Look at conversions in context. A 5% conversion rate with 200 visitors is often healthier than 0.5% with 20,000.

4. Loyalty Metrics

This is the stage most beginners forget, but it’s where real growth happens.

Examples:

• Repeat purchases

• Referral traffic or word of mouth

• Positive reviews

• Engagement from existing customers

Why it matters: Loyal customers spend more, refer others, and help your business grow sustainably. It’s cheaper to keep a customer than find a new one.

Pro tip: Start with one simple loyalty metric, like “percentage of repeat customers.”

How to Keep Tracking Simple

You don’t need fancy dashboards. A basic spreadsheet works beautifully.

Try this:

• Create one row for each month.

• Track one or two metrics for each stage (Awareness, Engagement, Conversion, Loyalty).

• Spend 15 minutes at the end of each month updating it.

You’ll quickly see where the gaps are:

• High awareness but low engagement? Your message might need tweaking.

• High engagement but low conversion? Your offer might not be clear.

• Good conversion but low loyalty? You may need to improve customer experience.

Don’t Overcomplicate It

You don’t need to measure everything. In fact, the more numbers you try to track, the less likely you are to stick with it.

• Pick a few meaningful metrics.

• Track them consistently.

• Use what you learn to make small, smart improvements.

That’s what real marketing strategy looks like: simple, clear, and focused on what actually moves the needle.

Next Step

Once you’re tracking the right numbers, you’ll have a clear view of where to focus your time and energy.

Explore my other marketing blogs for practical tips on planning your content, building trust with your audience, and growing your business online—without the overwhelm.