Website Metrics: Are High Pageviews Good or Bad?

When thinking about your website traffic, it's obvious that more pageviews is a good thing, right?
Well, it depends. Pageviews that intuitively guide your users to the exact place they want to go fast is not just good – it’s great.  Unfortunately, poorly designed websites that deliver high page views by sending users to an irrelevant page, or turning them away with slow and long load times is not just bad – it can drain your revenue streams.
 
Recent case studies from the website intelligence company Ezoic reveal that poorly designed websites are often perceived as successful due to what they refer to as ‘Fake UX’.  Fake UX results in artificially inflated page views because users can find what they are specifically looking for.  Users click pages but leave as unsatisfied as your dwindling revenue stream.  Companies are slow to react because the marketing team is relying on misleading metrics.
 
In one example, a digital publisher wanted to measure user experience and relate it to advertising revenue.  Internal page bounces (aka navigation bounces), engagement time, engaged page views per visit and revenue per session were selected as the KPI’s. The publishers employed traditional website analytics and multi-variate analytics.  The results revealed a 28% drop in internal page bounces.  Further analysis also revealed that when a user bounced to an irrelevant page, had been turned away by long load times or annoying ads, revenue per visit dropped accordingly.
 
Successful website design and metrics demand consistent testing, evaluation and adjustment.  It’s all about great user experiences that intuitively guide users to what they’re looking for fast.  
 
If you’re uncertain about how to give your online customers an overwhelmingly wonderful experience that consistently drives revenue, contact Grey Partners today.   

---

Chris Lowers is a frequent contributor helping us better understand the technology that drives our ever-evolving world of marketing communication. 
He is the founder and president of Grey Partners, a full-service advertising firm.  

When he isn’t building strong brands, you’re most likely to find him alongside his girlfriend Julie training for their next triathlon, relaxing on a mountain trail or traveling someplace warm and sunny