In today’s digital age, web traffic plays a pivotal role in the success of businesses. While sales have always been the ultimate indicator of business performance, it’s time for business owners to recognize that web traffic is a close second in terms of importance. In fact, in a recent survey of business and marketing leaders web traffic was ranked as the second most important KPI to track behind only sales. 
By tracking and analyzing web traffic data, entrepreneurs can unlock valuable insights, make informed decisions, and propel their businesses to new heights.
In its basic definition web traffic simply represents the number of visitors coming to your website. It is a direct reflection of your online presence and brand visibility. Increased web traffic indicates that your marketing efforts are working, your content is resonating with your target audience, and your website is attracting potential customers. Moreover, higher web traffic can lead to increased brand recognition, customer engagement, and ultimately, sales. Therefore, tracking web traffic provides invaluable insights into the effectiveness of your online marketing strategies and the overall health of your business.
To track web traffic effectively, it’s crucial to measure both sales and traffic simultaneously. By aligning these two metrics, you can identify patterns and correlations that help you optimize your marketing strategies. One popular method is to plot sales and web traffic data on a scatter plot. This graphical representation allows you to visualize the relationship between the two variables. Ideally, you should observe a positive correlation, indicating that as web traffic increases, sales follow suit. Additionally, you should draw a line of best fit on the scatter plot to further analyze the trend. Calculating the R-squared value can provide a measure of how well the line fits the data, though it’s important to note that it may not be perfect in all cases. The higher the R-squared value the stronger the relationship is between sales and web traffic. Below is an example from one of our clients. 
If you analyze this data for your own business (and I highly suggest you do) and you find that there isn’t a relationship between sales and web traffic there are two common possibilities.
- Consumer behaviour (sales) could be delayed. Meaning that their buying cycle takes longer to convert into actual sales. In this case, it’s essential to be patient and observe the long-term effects of increased web traffic. Below is a client of ours that is a fitness based business. When we first analyzed the data we actually found a negative relationship! However, if we shifted sales by one month we found a strong positive relationship. Web traffic was still a strong predictor of sales but consumers needed time to make their purchasing decisions.
- Secondly, it’s possible that your website is not effectively converting visitors into customers. This could be due to issues with user experience (UX) or low conversion rates. It is advisable to have your website evaluated by professionals to ensure it is optimized for UX and conversions.
As business owners, it is crucial to recognize the importance of web traffic as a key performance indicator. Tracking and analyzing web traffic data provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your online marketing efforts, brand visibility, and potential customer engagement. By understanding the relationship between web traffic and sales, you can develop strategies, models, and projections for future growth. Remember, if you don’t initially observe a direct correlation between sales and web traffic, it’s essential to consider delayed consumer behaviour and evaluate your website’s conversion optimization. Embrace web traffic as a vital KPI, and unlock the potential for driving success in the digital landscape.