Can you count on what you measure?

are the numbers good? They focus on easy-to-gather quantities and neglect any measure of quality.

I just want to stand and clap at everything in here.

Average time on page; bounce rates; sessions with search; page depth etc. Which of these are important for you to know? And for each metric, what number is a sign of success?

If you want to make something transformative, look where nobody else is looking.

In setting any metric it’s important to benchmark where you are, where you want to get to, and by when. This information prevents panic and helps track progress.

Imagine a maze for a minute. Heading towards your “goal” isn’t going to help. In fact, you have to do the opposite to get there. You have to do something your metrics will tell you is wrong: you have to move in a direction that, when measured, looks like failure. You move away from your goal to get to it. How do you justify that? Not everything is as clear cut as numbers make it seem.

Numbers aren’t intrinsically good or bad. They’re just indicators to help you understand a situation and take a sensible course of action. They aren’t written in stone to be slavishly followed forever.

A good set of meaningful metrics should be personal to your situation. The numbers you track should be one of many inputs, both quantitative and qualitative. What you measure will benefit from regular review and should be changed if the measurements no longer help you chart a course into your desired future.