September 2025
Written by
Abbie Mason
E-commerce
Marketing strategy
Product launch
Tech
Decoding Your Website: A Data-Led Playbook for You
How to actually understand your metrics — and what to do with them
Your website is more than just a homepage. It’s your storefront, sales pitch, reception desk, and sometimes your entire customer experience.
It’s where people come to get a feel for you — and decide if they’re staying.
But unless you understand what’s going on behind the scenes — who’s visiting, what they’re doing, and where they’re dropping off — you’re flying blind. This isn’t about vanity stats. This is about behaviour. It’s about clarity. And it’s about conversion.
This guide breaks down the metrics that matter, how to interpret them together, and what patterns to look for — with trusted tools and references throughout to help you dig deeper.
The Metrics That Matter
Sessions vs Unique Users
Sessions = how many times your site was visited
Unique users = how many individuals visited
If one person visits your site twice in a day — that’s two sessions, one user.
Check these metrics in Google Analytics 4 under “User” and “Traffic acquisition.” They’re useful for measuring reach (users) vs engagement (sessions).
Extra reading: Understanding sessions and users – Analytics Help
Bounce Rate
A bounce happens when someone lands on your site and leaves without doing anything else — no click, no scroll, no engagement.
In GA4, bounce rate is available via Engagement Rate (inverse of bounce). Learn more about how this works in GA4 here.
Bounce rate might spike due to:
Slow load times (Test yours on PageSpeed Insights)
Poor mobile UX (Run a mobile usability test)
Misleading ad copy or links
A one-page experience (which isn’t always bad — context is key)
Read more: Hotjar on what bounce rate really means
Session Duration & Pages Per Session
Session Duration = how long someone spends on your site
Pages per Session = how many pages they visit
In GA4, find this under “Engagement > Pages and screens.” High page counts and time on site usually signal interest — unless the visitor is confused or stuck.
Pair these with scroll-depth tools like Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity to see how users actually move through your pages.
Useful insight: Crazy Egg's breakdown of time-on-site
Traffic Sources
Knowing how people find you is essential. In GA4, head to “Acquisition > Traffic acquisition.”
Common sources:
Direct – URL typed manually
Organic search – unpaid Google/Bing traffic
Referral – links from other websites
Social – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn
Email – from campaigns or flows
Paid – from Google Ads or Meta campaigns
If one source is underperforming (high bounce, low conversion), investigate the journey. Are you overpromising in the ad? Is the landing page slow or misaligned?
Read more: Understanding traffic sources – Analytics Help
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate = the percentage of visitors who complete a defined goal.
That could be:
Purchase
Booking
Sign-up
Contact form submission
In GA4, set these up under “Events” or “Conversions.” A conversion rate of 2–4% is considered strong across industries — but this report from Ruler Analytics shows how wildly this varies based on sector and objective.
Helpful tool: GA4 Conversion Setup Guide
Seeing the Bigger Picture: Reading Metrics Together
The power comes when you connect the dots.
High sessions, low conversion?
You’re visible but not persuasive. Look at:
Page speed (Google PageSpeed)
Call-to-actions (A/B test with Google Optimize)
Landing page content and structure
Mobile flow (check behaviour on Clarity)
High bounce rate from Instagram?
Maybe the page didn’t match the post. Or it wasn’t mobile-optimised. Try:
Better URL tracking with Google's Campaign URL Builder
Testing Story vs Bio links
Creating custom mobile landing pages
High time on site, low conversions?
They’re interested — but something’s in the way. Look at:
Payment/shipping details
Booking UX
Missing trust signals (returns, reviews, FAQs)
Where Are People Dropping Off?
Your exit pages tell you when someone decided they’d seen enough.
Find this in GA4 under “Engagement > Pages and screens.” Combine with:
If you’re losing people:
On product pages → look at clarity, delivery info, social proof
In the cart → check for surprise fees, forced account creation, payment options
On contact pages → test shorter forms or direct booking buttons
Further reading: Baymard Institute’s research on checkout abandonment
Your Monthly Metrics Checklist
Weekly checks:
Sessions and users (in GA4: Acquisition > Traffic)
Bounce rate (in GA4: Engagement overview)
Top-performing pages
Conversion rate
Source breakdown
Monthly audits:
Mobile vs desktop behaviour
Exit pages and scroll maps
SEO performance (in Search Console)
Funnel visualisation (via GA4 or Hotjar)
Site speed (via PageSpeed Insights)
Tools to Support You
Google Analytics 4 — for all web and app data
Search Console — for SEO insight
Google Tag Manager — to track form fills, video plays, and more
Google Looker Studio — to visualise your analytics clearly
And Finally — Start Testing, Not Guessing
Every metric offers a hypothesis. Your job is to test it.
Is the bounce rate high on mobile?
Are users abandoning cart at the same point?
Does adding delivery time reduce hesitation?
Does moving the CTA increase click-throughs?
Small shifts often unlock big results. Metrics guide the questions — your job is to explore the answers.
Need Help Turning Metrics Into Momentum?
At La La Communications, we help brands read the digital room properly. No unnecessary reporting, no bloated dashboards — just practical insight and clear next steps. Whether you’re reviewing performance post-campaign, preparing for a relaunch, or trying to understand why traffic isn’t turning into revenue — we’ll help you decode the signals. Let’s talk.