Web analytics guide
A complete overview of conversions, events and metrics we can track on your website. For each row — what the metric actually measures and why it matters for the business.
A website without analytics is like a shop without a cash register: something is moving, but you do not know how much, from which channel, or with what product. Metrics show concretely what is working on the site and what is not — and only on that basis can you remove the ineffective or change it.
This guide is your map: every conversion and event worth tracking, with an explanation of why it specifically matters for your business.
Data → decisions. If a Google Ads campaign does not convert — you pause it and reallocate the budget. If a landing page has low conversion — you change it, not watch quietly from the side. But without correctly set-up measurement, you have neither a stop signal nor a change signal.
The most important thing is to focus on revenue, not clicks. 1000 clicks with zero conversions is just cost. 10 clicks that bring 3 requests is profit.
Analytics is not a one-time project — it is a continuous process. Every month we look at where clients come from, which channel is growing, which is shrinking, and adjust the budget accordingly.
Three real examples of how measurement makes visible what was thought to be missing:
The company was convinced the website was bringing in few requests and that the budget should go elsewhere. The form always showed "Message sent", but under load the emails were not delivered — a plugin update had quietly broken the function.
Of about 1000 requests, only ~750 arrived. The issue had persisted for three years. After tracking was set up, it surfaced on day one.
The budget was spread across five channels — "a bit of everything, just in case". After conversion tracking was set up properly, the data showed real results came from only one of the five. The other four were essentially wasted.
We redirected the entire budget into the channel that actually worked — the business started growing on the same spend.
The contact form got a redesign, a few WordPress plugins were updated, the theme got a new version. Visually everything works. In reality — the form no longer sends messages to the CRM, but the user sees "submitted successfully".
Without tracking, such a failure stays unnoticed for months — until an earlier client asks why they never got a reply.
And this is only a fraction of what proper analytics makes visible.
Each conversion below is classified across four levels — how essential it is in a given business model. The level is duplicated in both word and colour (readable for colourblind users too).
generate_lead What it measures. Someone submitted a request through the contact form — a new lead has been created.
Value. Primary conversion for a service website. Shows precisely which channel brings potential clients.
phone_click What it measures. Click on a phone number (tel:-link) — the user is starting a call.
Value. Often the main contact method on mobile. Without tracking, it stays invisible.
email_click What it measures. Click on an email address (mailto:-link).
Value. Direct email contact, lower psychological barrier than filling out a form.
Every way a potential customer takes the first step.
| Metric | What it measures | Value |
|---|---|---|
form_start Important | Form filling started — the first click inside a field. | Shows interest level before completion. High form_start with low generate_lead = the form has a problem. |
callback_request Important | A callback request submitted through the form. | Often a higher-quality lead than a standard request — the person wants to talk. |
chat_open Important | Live chat opened (Tidio, Drift, Intercom, etc.). | Active communication signal. Correlates with conversion rate. |
whatsapp_click Important | Click on the WhatsApp contact button. | Preferred channel for certain audiences, especially international clients. |
booking Essential | Time booked via calendar (Calendly, SimplyBook). | A concrete qualified lead — the person already committed to a slot. |
newsletter_signup Important | Newsletter subscription. | Warmer contact than an anonymous visit — the start of a long-term relationship. |
map_click Useful | Click on the Google Maps thumbnail or "Get directions" link. | For local businesses (shop, clinic, office) an important signal — the person plans to come over. |
The full e-commerce measurement chain — from cart to refund.
| Metric | What it measures | Value |
|---|---|---|
purchase Essential | Completed purchase with total amount, currency and product names. | Primary conversion for e-commerce. Without it, Smart Bidding and Meta optimization will not work. |
begin_checkout Essential | Customer entered the checkout flow. | Shows how many reach checkout and how many complete. Foundation for dropoff analysis. |
add_to_cart Important | Product added to cart. | Interest signal, the basis for remarketing and personalization. |
view_item Important | Product page view. | Viewed products power dynamic remarketing (Google Ads, Meta). |
add_payment_info Important | Payment details added at checkout. | Very close to a purchase. If purchase does not follow — there is a technical issue at checkout. |
add_to_wishlist Useful | Product added to the wishlist. | Pre-purchase signal, useful for planning seasonal campaigns. |
refund In-depth | Refunded purchase — full or partial. | Needed to measure clean revenue. Without refund, Smart Bidding optimizes on the wrong data. |
How users actually interact with your website.
| Metric | What it measures | Value |
|---|---|---|
cta_click Important | Click on a specific CTA button (e.g. "Get a quote", "Order"). | Shows which button and which placement works — the basis for A/B testing. |
file_download Important | A PDF, price list, guide or other file is downloaded. | Concrete interest in the material. Price-list downloaders are often warm leads. |
video_complete Useful | Video watched to the end (or at least 75%). | Deep engagement. Correlates with conversion rate and brand recall. |
scroll Useful | 75% of the page scrolled — the content was actually read, not just the headline glanced at. | Separates shallow visits from substantive ones. Important on blogs and long landing pages. |
site_search Important | Internal search — what the user is looking for on your site. | Shows what visitors expect but cannot find. Priceless data for content planning. |
outbound_click Useful | Click on an external link (e.g. to social media). | Shows where users leave your site. Helps you understand exit paths. |
Behaviour of registered users — higher LTV and repeat purchases.
| Metric | What it measures | Value |
|---|---|---|
sign_up In-depth | Account creation on a website or app. | Often the closest step to a purchase or loyalty. Especially important for SaaS and subscriptions. |
login In-depth | Sign-in with an existing account. | Returning user — often higher LTV. Foundation for loyalty and churn analysis. |
Conversions are the business outcome, but the full picture also comes from contextual indicators — where the traffic comes from, how long people stay, how actively they engage with the content.
How actively people really interact with your site.
| Metric | What it measures | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement rate | Users who spent ≥10 seconds on the site, viewed ≥2 pages or completed a conversion. | Quality indicator. Low engagement = the channel brings the wrong audience. |
| user_engagement | Actual time the user actively spent on the site (not in a background tab). | Separates interesting content from a shallow click. Foundation for the definition of "quality traffic". |
| Average session duration | Median time a user spends on your site. | Good proxy for content quality on blogs and service pages. |
Where people come from and how many of them.
| Metric | What it measures | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Source / medium | Where the user came from: Google search, Meta ads, direct, email, etc. | Foundation of analytics — which channels actually bring revenue. |
| Sessions | Each unique visit (the same user may have several sessions). | Traffic volume. Foundation for total budget math (CPC × sessions). |
| Users | Unique visitors over a given period. | Real audience size. The gap vs. sessions shows the level of repeat visits. |
| New vs returning | Ratio of first-time visitors to those who came back. | For setting a growth target (attract new) vs. loyalty (bring back). |
| page_view | Each page view — which pages are viewed most. | Foundation for content prioritization and optimization. |
What actually returns the money you spend on ads.
| Metric | What it measures | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Remarketing | People who already visited your site (but did not convert). | Bringing them back is often cheaper than acquiring a new customer. Requires view_item / add_to_cart tracking. |
| Google Ads linking | Conversions are sent to Google Ads for automated bidding (Smart Bidding). | Without correct linking, Google optimizes for clicks, not revenue. |
| ROAS / CPL / CPA | Return on ad spend (ROAS), cost per lead (CPL), customer acquisition cost (CPA). | The final economic metric. Each channel's real answer to "is it still worth spending here". |
| UTM parameters | Special URL parameters that tell analytics the channel, campaign and creative. | Foundation for answering "which specific campaign brought this client". |
| Attribution | How a conversion is split between channels (first click / last / data-driven). | Affects budget allocation. Common mistake: all credit goes to the last channel. |
All measurement we set up complies with GDPR and EU privacy requirements. Before collecting data we ask the user for consent — if there is none, we operate in anonymous mode (Consent Mode v2 cookieless ping), which sends Google statistical modelling data without personal cookies.
This is not surveillance of a person — it is understanding how your website actually works. The difference is large and legally meaningful.
We can help — let’s review your website and business goals together and put together a precise measurement plan.
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