How to Tell Whether Your Website Is Working: 5 Simple Metrics

Short answer: a website works if the right people arrive, they get as far as contacting you, and you can see where they came from. You don't need complicated reports for that. Five metrics and a few free tools are enough: Google Analytics, Search Console, and, if you like, Microsoft Clarity.

1. How many people arrive, and from where

In Google Analytics, look at how many visitors you had in a week and which sources they came from: search, social media, direct visits, advertising. It's not only the number that matters but the variety. If all your traffic comes from one source, the site depends on it.

2. How many of them leave an enquiry

This is the key metric. Count the enquiries over a period and divide by the number of visitors. Even 1–3 enquiries per hundred visitors is a fair start for a new site, while zero enquiries with decent traffic means something is wrong with the offer, the trust signals, or the form.

3. What people do on the page

The free Microsoft Clarity tool shows session recordings and click maps. You'll see where people scroll, what they tap, and where they leave. Often it's something simple: the button wasn't noticed, the form is too long, or the text is cut off on a phone.

4. Whether Google can find you

Google Search Console shows which searches your site appears for and how many people click. On a new site this is almost empty for the first weeks and months, which is normal: a search engine needs time to index the pages.

5. How fast it opens

Check your site in PageSpeed Insights for the mobile version. A slow site loses people before they've seen anything. More on this in why a slow website loses customers.

How to avoid wrong conclusions

• Don't judge by a handful of visits. Ten visitors prove nothing; wait for at least a few dozen.
• Separate the sources. Visitors from ads on broad queries behave differently from those who came looking for a specific service.
• Exclude your own visits from analytics so they don't distort the picture.
• Look at the trend, not a single day: week against week.

If there are visitors but no enquiries, start with why your website isn't bringing clients. It also helps to run through the checklist of what a small business website needs.

Frequently asked questions

Which tools do I need to track my website?

Free ones are enough to start: Google Analytics for visitors and enquiries, Search Console for search, and Microsoft Clarity for session recordings.

How many visitors do I need before drawing conclusions?

A few dozen visits give a first impression, but confident conclusions come from around a hundred. Ten visits prove nothing.

What if there are visitors but no enquiries?

Check whether the first screen makes clear what you offer, whether there are reviews and examples of work, whether the form is simple, and whether the site opens well on a phone.