Measuring the results of your content marketing campaign gives you a clear understanding of the return on investment (ROI) for your marketing efforts. It also helps you identify trends in consumer behavior and allows you to adjust your strategy accordingly.

Yet, measuring the results of your content marketing campaign comes with challenges. First, you must determine which metrics to use and then ensure your data sources remain consistent. After that, you must decide if you need further analysis.

In this guide, we start by defining the key metrics of audience engagement. Then, we list the free tools available to track the health of your website and social media content. Last, you’ll discover how to monitor your content marketing results in real time using Google Analytics.

Content Marketing Metrics 101 

Content marketing metrics are data points that measure the performance of a content marketing campaign. These key indicators provide insights into how an audience is engaging with your content and how effective it is at driving desired outcomes, such as: 

• Lead generation  
• Conversions  
• Sales 
• Brand awareness  

Collecting and analyzing content marketing metrics over time provides valuable insights into how your copy performs. Then, you can adjust your strategy to maximize its impact.

Types of Content Marketing Metrics  

• Website visits. Also known as web traffic, website visits measure the volume of people visiting your site in a given period. It also gives you an idea of where your visitors come from and how long they stay on each page.
• Page views. Page views refer to the number of times a specific page on your website has been viewed. As with website visits, this metric provides information about how many people are visiting and engaging with your content. The difference here is that it narrows the data to each page visited.
• Time on page. This often-overlooked metric measures the average time a website visitor spends viewing a particular web page. It determines how engaging and compelling your content is. For example, if visitors spend more time on a specific page, your content is interesting and valuable to them. Conversely, visitors leaving quickly or not spending much time on the page signals that your content is not resonating with them or providing enough value.
• Social shares. A social share is the act of sharing content, typically through a social media platform such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Social shares are a vital part of digital marketing campaigns since they increase visibility and engagement with your content.
• Search engine rankings. Search engine rankings measure your website’s performance on organic search engine results pages (SERPs). Specifically, they show the position of your website when a user searches for a keyword related to your content, making this the most sought-after metric by marketers. Still, it is not wise to focus solely on search rankings while ignoring other indicators.
• Leads generated. Many companies use their content to generate sales leads. Knowing how many leads you generate with your content gives you an idea of what is working and what you may need to adjust.
• Email open rate. The email open rate tells you the percentage of emails you send that were opened by the recipients. For example, if you send 500 emails and 200 people open them, your email open rate is 40 percent. By analyzing your open rates, you can determine if your subject lines, calls-to-action (CTAs), and email content resonate with your audience. It also allows you to refine your email marketing strategies so that they can become more effective over time.
• Click-through rate (CTR). To get your click-through rate, divide the number of clicks on an advertisement, CTA, or product link by the number of impressions (the number of times someone viewed it). A higher click-through rate indicates that more people are clicking your links, making them more effective.

5 Strategies for Optimizing Your Content Marketing Metrics 

1. Track your content performance.

Utilize analytics tools like Google Analytics to track the performance of your content marketing efforts. This initial step will help you identify which pieces of content are performing well and which need improvement.

2. Set goals and objectives.

Establish clear goals and objectives for your content marketing strategy, such as increasing organic traffic or boosting engagement. This strategy will help you measure the success of your efforts and adjust them as needed.

3. Monitor engagement metrics.

Monitor key engagement metrics, such as likes, shares, comments, and clicks to gauge how well your content engages with your target audience.

4. Leverage social media analytics.

Take advantage of social media analytics tools to measure the reach and engagement of each piece of content across different channels.

5. Focus on quality over quantity.

Quality matters more than quantity regarding content marketing metrics. Focus on creating high-quality, valuable information that resonates with your target audience instead of simply churning out large volumes of low-quality content.

5 Free Tools for Measuring Content Marketing Performance 

There are several marketing platforms available to track your latest content marketing campaign.

Below is a list of the top five available for free:

1. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a marketing platform that provides detailed insights into website traffic, user behavior, and conversions. It helps you measure the performance of your content marketing efforts, including page views, time on page, and bounce rate.

2. Buzz Sumo

Buzz Sumo is a tool that allows you to analyze the performance of your content across various social media platforms. It identifies popular topics and influences in your industry to target your content marketing efforts.

3. Moz

Moz is an app that provides comprehensive SEO (search engine optimization) analysis of your website and content. It helps you identify areas to optimize your content for search engine rankings and improve performance.

4. Social Mention

Social Mention is a tool that tracks mentions of your brand across social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. You can use it for real-time insights into how people are talking about your brand online.

5. Bitly

Bitly is a link-sharing service that tracks how many clicks you get on links shared through social media or email campaigns. Use it to measure the success of specific campaigns or pieces of content. It allows you to track how many people clicked through from each link shared online or in emails sent out.

Any reputable content creation agency will utilize one or more of these tools. However, the most trusted platform for measuring results of content marketing campaigns is Google Analytics.

Measuring Content Marketing Using Google Analytics 

Google Analytics is a free tool for measuring content marketing performance. It provides detailed insights into website activity, visitor behavior, and user engagement. This data helps you determine how well your content performs and how to improve it.

To start using Google Analytics, you will need to follow these steps: 

1. Create a Google Analytics account. To get started, go to google.com/analytics and click the “Sign Up” button. Then, provide your website’s URL, the industry category for your business, and the time zone.

2. Add tracking code to your website. Once you create an account, you will need to add a tracking code snippet to your website to begin collecting data. You can find the tracking code in the admin section of your analytics account. Copy the code and paste it into every page of your website before the </head> tag.

3. Set up goals. Use goals to track specific user actions on your website; for example, when they sign up for a newsletter or make a purchase. Set up goals in the admin section of your analytics account by selecting “Goals” from the left-hand menu and then clicking “+ New Goal.” 

4. Configure site search settings. If you have a search function on your website, you can track how users search by setting up Site Search Settings. Do this by going to Admin > View > View Settings > Site Search Settings, checking the box beside the “Do Track Site Search” option, and entering your query parameter.

5. Enable e-commerce tracking. If you have an e-commerce site, you can enable e-commerce tracking, which will allow you to track sales and other metrics related to customer purchases on your site. Go to Admin > Ecommerce Settings > Enable Ecommerce Tracking and set up an e-commerce transaction goal.

6. Create custom reports. Custom reports provide data related to specific metrics or dimensions important for understanding how users interact with your site or app. You can create these reports within Google Analytics. Go to Customization > Custom Reports > + New Custom Report and select the relevant metrics & dimensions for inclusion in the report.

Google Analytics Dashboard 

With Google Analytics Dashboard, you can measure and analyze website traffic, all on one page. It provides data about the number of visitors, page views, time spent on pages, and other metrics related to website performance.

The dashboard has sections that provide an overview of the data collected from Google Analytics. It includes a summary of all the key metrics discussed above. It also has visuals, such as graphs and charts, that provide insights into website performance trends over time.

Audience Dashboard 

The Google Analytics Audience Dashboard is a comprehensive view of the people who visit your website. It provides a detailed breakdown of their demographics, interests, and browsing behavior.

The Audience Dashboard has four main sections:  

Overview. The Overview section shows vital metrics, such as total visits, new visits, pageviews per visit, average session duration, bounce rate, and conversions. These key variables help you determine how many people are coming to your site and how engaged they are with your content.

Demographics. The Demographics category helps you understand the age range and gender distribution of your visitors. You can also see the countries they come from and the languages they speak. Use this information to tailor content to specific audiences or target certain markets effectively.

Interests. The Interests section reveals the topics that your visitors are interested in. Use it to inform content strategy and target ads more accurately.

Behavior. The Behavior portion gives insights into how people use your website. This section also includes the pages they are visiting, their time on each page, and the paths they take through your website. This information helps you create a better user experience by improving navigation and highlighting relevant content.

Conversion Dashboard 

The Google Analytics Conversion Dashboard provides data on the number of site visitors who convert to customers (conversion). It gives a comprehensive view of how visitors interact with your website, allowing you to identify areas of improvement and optimize the overall user experience.

The dashboard includes several key elements, such as: 

• Funnel Visualization. A visual representation of your user’s paths from entering your website to completing a conversion action. This section lets you see where visitors drop off and identify ways to improve their experience.

• Goal Flow Report. A report that shows how users progress through each step in your conversion funnel. This information identifies any bottlenecks or areas that need improvement.

• E-commerce Report. An overview of how much revenue you generate from each conversion action. This data identifies which products or services generate the most revenue.

• Multi-Channel Funnels Report. A report showing which channels drive the most conversions. This data shows which channels work best and focuses your efforts on those that generate the most value. 

• Attribution Model Comparison Tool. This tool allows you to compare different attribution models to see which drives the most conversions. The data helps you identify the impact of each channel on your overall performance.  

Using all these elements, you determine how users interact with your website. It also allows you to make data-driven decisions about improving performance and increasing conversions. 

Behavior Dashboard

The Google Analytics Behavior Dashboard helps determine how visitors interact with your website or app. For example, it provides information about the number of visitors, their geographical location, and their behavior on your website or app.

The Behavior Dashboard has four primary sections: 

• The Overview section gives you an overall picture of your website or app user activity. It includes the total number of visits, unique page views, average time spent on the site, and bounce rate.
• The Site Content section allows you to view data related to the content on your website or app. For example, you can see which pages are most popular and have the highest bounce rate. It can even track individual page performance over time. Use this tool to optimize content and ensure that users engage with it as you intended.
• The Site Speed section provides data on how quickly your website or app is loading. This information is vital for ensuring users are not leaving due to slow loading times. In addition, you can use this data to optimize your website or app to make sure that it loads quickly and efficiently.
• The Events section helps you track user interactions with specific elements on your website or app. It includes clicks, downloads, form submissions, and video plays. This data shows how users engage with your website or app and their actions while visiting.

Acquisition Dashboard 

The Acquisition Dashboard provides detailed insights into the sources of user visits, the performance of different channels, and how visitors interact with your website. It tracks user behavior and identifies trends.

The Acquisition Dashboard features several key elements:  

1. Channels. Displays the primary traffic sources to a website, such as organic search, direct visits, referral websites, and social media. It also shows how many users are coming from each source and what percentage of total sessions they represent.

2. Campaigns. Provides information about campaigns set up in Google Analytics and their performance regarding visits and conversions.

3. Landing Pages. Shows which pages users land on when they first arrive at a website and how they move through it. As a result, you get insights into the website structure and navigation utility.

4. Keywords. Displays keywords visitors use to find a website and how effective they are in terms of visits and conversions. This information helps boost your overall SEO efforts.

5. Cohort Analysis. Shows how users behave collectively regarding your site, giving you an idea of user retention and loyalty. 

6. Acquisition Reports. These reports provide detailed information about user acquisition, including the number of new users, their geographic distribution, their device type, and the sources from which they came. 

A Few Final Tips  

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of how to measure the results of your content marketing campaign. Here are a few more tips and tricks to help you get started: 

1. Start by setting up goals. Goals should be measurable, achievable, and specific to the objectives of your content marketing strategy.
2. Familiarize yourself with the metrics available on whatever platform you choose. The time investment will pay off since you will better understand user engagement with your content.
3. Utilize segmentation and filters to analyze data more effectively and identify trends or patterns in user behavior.
4. Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as page views, time on page, bounce rate, and conversions to measure the results of your content marketing campaign.
5. Set up alerts for any unexpected dips or spikes that may indicate a problem or opportunity with your content strategy.
6. Use the available dashboards to track progress against your goals without manually searching for data.
7. Analyze the performance of individual pieces of content from both an organic and paid perspective. This strategy helps you understand how users engage with content across multiple channels and platforms.
8. Compare the performance of different channels (email, social media, SEO) to determine which drives the most traffic and conversions.