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Quick Summary:
- Start by checking the reporting period and which previous period the results are being compared with.
- Individual figures must be reviewed together, one increase or decrease does not show the full picture.
- Google Analytics shows how visitors find, use and interact with a website.
- Google Search Console shows how visible a website is in unpaid Google search results.
- Google Ads measures the performance, cost and results of paid advertising campaigns.
- The quality and relevance of website traffic are often more important than the total number of visitors.
- Conversions show whether visitors completed valuable actions such as enquiries, bookings or purchases.
- Longer-term performance trends are more reliable than judging results from a single week or month.
For a more detailed explanation of each metric, continue reading:
A digital marketing performance report brings important online marketing information together in one place
The information may come from tools such as:
- Google Analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Ads
Each tool measures a different part of a business’s online marketing activity.
Google Analytics shows how people interact with a website.
Google Search Console shows how a website performs in unpaid Google search results.
Google Ads shows how paid advertising campaigns perform.
The report may focus on one service or combine information from several services. The purpose of this guide is to explain the most common figures, graphs and terms in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Start With the Reporting Period
The reporting period is the date range covered by the report.
For example:
1 June 2026 to 30 June 2026
This means the figures shown in the report were recorded during June 2026.
Most monthly reports compare the selected month with the previous month. Some reports may use a different comparison period, such as the same month during the previous year.
Understanding Percentage Changes
A percentage shown below a figure usually explains how much the result increased or decreased compared with the previous reporting period.
For example:
Total users: 1,000
Increase: 15%
This means the website received 15% more users than during the comparison period.
An increase is not always positive, and a decrease is not always negative.
Examples include:
- More website users can be positive.
- More conversions can be positive.
- A higher advertising cost may be acceptable if it produces more sales.
- A lower bounce rate can indicate stronger engagement.
- A lower average Google ranking number usually means an improvement.
- Lower traffic may be expected during a seasonal or quieter month.
The figures should therefore be viewed together rather than judged individually.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics measures activity that takes place on a website.
It can help explain:
- How many people visited
- How often they visited
- Which pages they viewed
- How long they stayed
- Where the traffic came from
- Which devices they used
- Whether they completed important actions
Total Users
Definition:
The number of individual users who visited the website during the reporting period.
Example:
A person who visits the website three times during the month may still be counted as one user.
Why it matters:
Total users provide an indication of the overall size of the website’s audience.
A higher number can mean the website is reaching more people. However, the quality of those visitors is just as important as the number.
New Users
Definition:
People who visited the website for the first time during the reporting period.
Example:
A person who has never previously visited the website may be counted as a new user.
Why it matters:
New users can show whether marketing activities are introducing the business to a wider audience.
Returning visitors are also valuable. A person may visit more than once while comparing products, researching services or deciding whether to make contact.
Sessions
Definition:
A session is a visit to the website that includes one or more interactions.
One user can create several sessions.
Example:
A person visits the website in the morning and returns later that afternoon.
This may be counted as:
- One user
- Two sessions
Why it matters:
Sessions show how often people visit or return to the website.
Views
Definition:
The total number of pages viewed, including repeat views of the same page.
Example:
A visitor opens the home page, services page and contact page.
This creates three page views.
If the visitor opens the services page again, another view is recorded.
Why it matters:
Views help show how much website content visitors are exploring.
Views are normally higher than users because one person can visit several pages.
Average Session Duration
Definition:
The average amount of recorded time visitors spend during a website session.
Why it matters:
This can help show whether visitors are spending time reading and exploring the website.
However, longer is not always better.
A visitor may quickly find a telephone number and leave the website to make a call. That visit may be short but still valuable.
A detailed article may require a longer visit because more time is needed to read the information.
The purpose of the page should always be considered.
Engaged Sessions
Definition:
Visits where the user showed a meaningful level of activity.
An engaged session generally:
- Lasts longer than 10 seconds
- Includes at least two page or screen views
- Records an important event
Why it matters:
Engaged sessions help separate meaningful visits from visits where someone opened a page and left almost immediately.
Engagement Rate
Definition:
The percentage of sessions that were considered engaged.
Example:
A website receives 100 sessions and 70 of them are engaged.
The engagement rate would be:
70%
Why it matters:
A higher engagement rate normally suggests that visitors are finding useful or relevant information.
The result should still be considered together with the type of website and the purpose of the page.
Bounce Rate
Definition:
The percentage of sessions that were not considered engaged.
Bounce rate is the opposite of engagement rate.
Example:
- Engagement rate: 70%
- Bounce rate: 30%
Why it matters:
A high bounce rate can sometimes mean that:
- The page did not match what the visitor expected
- The page was difficult to use
- The website loaded slowly
- The visitor did not find the required information
- The traffic source attracted the wrong audience
A high bounce rate is not always negative.
A visitor may open a contact page, find the telephone number and leave to make a call. The visit may appear as a bounce even though the page achieved its purpose.
Key Events and Conversions
Definition:
Important actions completed by visitors.
These actions may include:
- Submitting an enquiry form
- Clicking a telephone number
- Clicking an email address
- Completing a purchase
- Making a booking
- Adding a product to a basket
- Downloading a document
- Requesting directions
The actions recorded depend on how measurement has been configured.
Why they matter:
Website traffic shows how many people arrived. Conversions show whether those visitors completed a valuable action.
For example:
A website with 500 visitors and 20 enquiries may produce better business results than a website with 2,000 visitors and no enquiries.
E-commerce Purchases
Definition:
The number of completed online purchases recorded on an e-commerce website.
Why it matters:
Purchases show whether website visitors completed the buying process.
Purchase information can be viewed together with traffic, product views and basket activity to understand how well the online shop is performing.
Add to Baskets
Definition:
The number of times visitors added products to an online shopping basket.
Why it matters:
A high number of basket additions but a low number of purchases may suggest that visitors are leaving during checkout.
Possible causes can include:
- Unexpected delivery costs
- Limited payment options
- A complicated checkout process
- Technical problems
- Customers comparing prices before purchasing
Understanding Traffic Channels
Traffic channels explain how visitors reached the website.
Organic Search
Visitors who arrived through unpaid search results, usually on Google.
This traffic is commonly associated with search engine optimisation, or SEO.
Organic Search traffic can increase when pages begin appearing more often or ranking more strongly for relevant searches.
Paid Search
Visitors who clicked a paid search advertisement.
These advertisements commonly appear near the top or bottom of Google search results.
Direct
Visitors for whom Google Analytics could not identify another clear source.
Direct traffic can include people who:
- Typed the website address into a browser
- Used a saved bookmark
- Clicked an untracked link
- Opened a link in an email or document without tracking information
Direct traffic does not always mean that the website address was manually typed.
Referral
Visitors who clicked a link from another website.
Examples may include links from:
- Business directories
- Supplier websites
- News websites
- Industry websites
- Partner organisations
Organic Social
Visitors who arrived from unpaid social media activity.
This may include links shared through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Paid Social
Visitors who arrived through paid social media advertising.
AI Assistant
Visitors referred by an artificial intelligence platform or assistant when the source can be identified.
Not all visits from AI services can be tracked or identified, so this figure may represent only part of the website’s AI-related traffic.
Cross-network
Traffic from advertising campaigns that run across more than one Google advertising network.
A cross-network campaign may appear across search results, websites, apps, maps or other Google platforms.
Paid Other
Paid traffic that does not fit into one of the main advertising categories.
Unassigned
Traffic that Google Analytics could not place into a recognised channel.
A small amount of unassigned traffic is common. A large amount may indicate that links or campaigns have not been labelled correctly.
Monthly Traffic Graphs
Traffic graphs show how website activity changed during the reporting period.
They can help identify:
- Busy and quiet periods
- Traffic increases
- Traffic decreases
- Marketing campaign activity
- Seasonal changes
- Changes in visitor engagement
- Possible tracking problems
A sudden increase in traffic may be caused by:
- A paid advertising campaign
- A social media post
- An email campaign
- A popular article
- A media mention
- Improved Google rankings
A sudden decrease does not automatically mean that the website is performing poorly.
It may be caused by:
- Seasonal demand
- A shorter reporting period
- Reduced advertising
- Public holidays
- Changes in customer behaviour
- A tracking problem
Traffic Share
A traffic share chart shows the percentage of users contributed by each channel.
For example:
- Organic Search: 60%
- Direct: 20%
- Paid Search: 15%
- Referral: 5%
This helps show which sources are bringing the most visitors to the website.
A website that relies heavily on one channel may be more affected if that source of traffic changes.
A wider combination of search, advertising, referrals, social media and direct visits can create a more balanced traffic profile.
Landing Page Performance
A landing page is the first page a person visits when entering a website.
A landing page can be:
- The home page
- A service page
- A product page
- A location page
- A blog article
- A contact page
- A dedicated advertising page
The landing page table may include:
- Users
- New users
- Sessions
- Views
- Average session duration
- Bounce rate
- Key events
Interpreting Landing Page Results
High traffic and strong engagement
The page is attracting visitors and appears to match their needs.
High traffic and weak engagement
The page is attracting attention, but visitors may not be finding what they expected.
The page content, layout, loading speed or traffic source may need to be reviewed.
Low traffic and strong engagement
The page appears useful to the visitors who find it, but it may need more visibility.
This could be improved through:
- SEO
- Internal links
- Advertising
- Social media
- Email marketing
High traffic and strong conversions
The page is attracting visitors and encouraging them to complete valuable actions.
High traffic and few conversions
The page may attract interest but may not provide a clear next step.
The contact details, enquiry form, product information or call to action may need improvement.
Device Information
Device information shows whether visitors used:
- Mobile phones
- Desktop computers
- Tablets
Why it matters:
A website should work well on the devices most commonly used by its audience.
If most visitors use mobile phones, important elements should be easy to use on a smaller screen.
These include:
- Menus
- Buttons
- Contact forms
- Telephone links
- Product pages
- Checkout pages
Mobile and desktop visitors may also behave differently.
A person may research a service on a mobile phone and later complete a detailed form on a desktop computer.
Geographic Information
Geographic information shows the approximate countries, provinces or regions from which visitors accessed the website.
This can help show:
- Where interest is coming from
- Whether the intended market is being reached
- Which regions produce the most traffic
- Whether advertising is reaching unsuitable areas
- Where future opportunities may exist
Location data is approximate and may not always represent the visitor’s exact physical location.
Age and Gender Information
Some reports display estimated age and gender information.
This information is not available for every visitor.
Data may be limited because of:
- Privacy protections
- Consent settings
- Browser restrictions
- A small number of users
- Limited information available to Google
Audience data should therefore be treated as an estimate rather than a complete description of all website visitors.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console measures how a website performs in unpaid Google search results.
It focuses on what happens before a person reaches the website.
Search Console can show:
- How often the website appeared in search results
- How many people clicked
- Which searches displayed the website
- The website’s average ranking
- Which pages appeared in Google
- Which devices searchers used
- Which countries generated search activity
Impressions
Definition:
The number of times a link to the website appeared in Google search results.
An impression does not mean that someone visited the website. It means the website was displayed as a possible result.
Why it matters:
Impressions help show the website’s visibility in Google Search.
An increase in impressions can mean that:
- The website is appearing for more searches
- Existing pages are becoming more visible
- New pages are being discovered
- Search demand has increased
Clicks
Definition:
The number of times someone clicked a Google search result and travelled to the website.
Why it matters:
Clicks show how much traffic Google Search delivered.
More impressions create more opportunities for clicks, but the search result must still appear relevant and attractive.
Click-Through Rate
Click-through rate is usually shortened to CTR.
Definition:
The percentage of impressions that resulted in a click.
The calculation is:
Clicks ÷ Impressions × 100
Example:
- Impressions: 1,000
- Clicks: 50
- CTR: 5%
Why it matters:
CTR helps show whether people chose the website after seeing it in the search results.
CTR can be influenced by:
- Ranking position
- Page title
- Search description
- The words used in the search
- Competing search results
- Brand awareness
- Images, maps or other Google features
A lower CTR does not always indicate poor performance. Pages appearing lower in the search results will usually receive fewer clicks.
Average Position
Definition:
The average ranking position of the website across the searches included in the report.
With average position, a lower number is normally better.
For example:
- Position 1 is near the top
- Position 5 is usually on the first page
- Position 15 is usually further down the results
Why it matters:
Higher positions can create more opportunities for people to see and click the website.
Average position combines information from many searches. It should therefore be viewed together with individual keyword results.
Ranking Keywords
Definition:
The number of search terms for which the website appeared in Google results.
Why it matters:
This helps show how widely the website is appearing across different searches.
A growing number of relevant ranking keywords can show that the website is becoming visible for a broader range of topics.
The quality and relevance of the keywords are more important than the total number alone.
Indexed Pages
Definition:
Pages that Google has stored in its search index and may be able to display in search results.
Why it matters:
A page normally needs to be indexed before it can appear in Google Search.
More indexed pages are not automatically better. Only useful, accurate and valuable pages should normally be available in the search index.
Keyword Performance
The keyword performance table shows the search terms that caused the website to appear in Google.
A query is the actual phrase entered into Google.
Examples include:
- “accountant near me”
- “pizza delivery”
- “industrial painting company”
- “wealth management Durban”
- “paint shop near me”
The table may include:
- Impressions
- Clicks
- CTR
- Average position
High Impressions and High Clicks
The keyword is visible and is successfully bringing visitors to the website.
High Impressions and Low Clicks
The website is appearing often, but few people are clicking.
Possible reasons can include:
- A low ranking position
- An unclear page title
- An unappealing search description
- Strong competing results
- The page not matching the search closely enough
Strong Position and Low Impressions
The website ranks well, but the search may not be used very often.
A high ranking does not always produce a large amount of traffic when search demand is low.
Positions Near the First Page
Keywords ranking near the bottom of the first page or near the top of the second page may offer useful optimisation opportunities.
Small improvements can sometimes make these pages more visible and increase clicks.
Search Console Landing Pages
The Search Console landing page table shows how individual website pages performed in Google Search.
It may include:
- Impressions
- Clicks
- CTR
- Average position
This is different from the Google Analytics landing page table.
Search Console measures how the page performed before the visit.
Google Analytics measures what happened after the visitor arrived.
Example
A service page may have:
- 5,000 Google impressions
- 100 clicks
- A 2% CTR
- An average position of 8
Google Search Console shows how visible the page was and how often it was selected.
Google Analytics can then show whether those visitors stayed, explored the website or completed an enquiry.
Google Ads
Google Ads reports show the performance of paid advertising campaigns.
They can include:
- Advertising cost
- Daily budget
- Impressions
- Clicks
- Click-through rate
- Average cost per click
- Conversions
- Click share
- Keywords
- Search terms
- Device performance
- Location performance
- Age information
Cost
Definition:
The amount spent on advertising during the reporting period.
Why it matters:
Cost should be compared with the results generated.
A higher cost may be worthwhile when it produces more:
- Enquiries
- Telephone calls
- Bookings
- Sales
- Store visits
- Other valuable actions
Lower spending is not automatically better if it also leads to fewer useful results.
Budget Per Day
Definition:
The average daily amount assigned to an advertising campaign.
The actual amount spent may vary from one day to another depending on search demand and available advertising opportunities.
Advertising Impressions
Definition:
The number of times an advertisement was shown.
One person may see the same advertisement more than once.
Why it matters:
Impressions help show how much exposure the advertisements received.
Advertising Clicks
Definition:
The number of times people clicked an advertisement.
Why it matters:
Clicks show how much traffic the advertising campaign generated.
Clicks should be viewed together with cost and conversions to understand whether the traffic produced useful results.
Advertising Click-Through Rate
Definition:
The percentage of advertising impressions that resulted in clicks.
The calculation is:
Clicks ÷ Impressions × 100
Example:
- Impressions: 10,000
- Clicks: 500
- CTR: 5%
Why it matters:
A stronger CTR can suggest that the advertisement is relevant to the people seeing it.
A high CTR does not always guarantee strong business results. An advert can attract many clicks but still reach the wrong audience.
Average Cost Per Click
Average cost per click is usually shown as Avg. CPC.
Definition:
The average amount paid for each advertising click.
Example:
- Advertising cost: R1,000
- Clicks: 500
- Average CPC: R2.00
Why it matters:
A lower CPC can allow a campaign to receive more clicks from the same budget.
However, a cheaper click is not always more valuable. A higher-cost click may be worthwhile when it is more likely to produce a sale or enquiry.
Conversions
Definition:
Valuable actions completed after someone interacted with an advertisement.
Conversions may include:
- Calls
- Contact form submissions
- Online purchases
- Bookings
- Downloads
- Direction requests
- Other important actions
Why they matter:
Conversions help show whether advertising activity is producing meaningful results rather than only website visits.
All Conversions
Definition:
A wider total that may include several types of tracked conversion actions.
The exact meaning depends on how the advertising account has been configured.
The figure should be understood together with the individual conversion actions being measured.
Click Share
Definition:
An estimate of the percentage of available advertising clicks that the campaign received.
Example:
A click share of 60% suggests that the campaign received approximately 60% of the clicks it may have been eligible to receive.
A lower click share can sometimes be influenced by:
- Budget
- Advertising bids
- Competition
- Advert quality
- Targeting
- Campaign coverage
Click share is not the same as the business’s overall market share.
Search Keywords and Search Terms
Search keywords and search terms are related, but they are not the same.
Search Keyword
A keyword is a word or phrase selected for an advertising campaign.
It helps Google decide which searches may be relevant to the advert.
Example campaign keyword:
“paint shop”
Search Term
A search term is the actual phrase entered by the person using Google.
Example search term:
“paint shop near me open today”
Why the Difference Matters
Search term information can help identify:
- Relevant searches
- New keyword opportunities
- Searches that are too broad
- Irrelevant searches
- Advertising budget being spent on unsuitable traffic
- Negative keywords that should be added
A negative keyword prevents an advert from appearing for an unsuitable search.
Advertising Performance by Device
Advertising reports may show performance across:
- Mobile phones
- Desktop computers
- Tablets
- Other supported devices
This helps show where advertisements are being displayed and clicked.
If most advertising traffic comes from mobile devices, the advertising landing page should be quick and easy to use on a mobile phone.
Advertising Performance by Location
Location information shows where advertising impressions and clicks were recorded.
This can help determine whether the campaign is reaching the intended geographic market.
Unexpected activity from outside the target area may indicate that location targeting needs to be reviewed.
Advertising Performance by Age
Advertising reports may show estimated results for different age groups.
Some users may be listed as Undetermined because Google does not have enough information to place them into an age category.
This information should be treated as an estimate rather than a complete record of every person who saw or clicked an advert.
Why the Numbers Do Not Always Match
Google Analytics, Google Search Console and Google Ads measure different parts of the online journey.
For example:
- Search Console records a click from an unpaid Google search result.
- Google Ads records a click on a paid advertisement.
- Google Analytics records activity after the website loads and tracking begins.
A click may not always become a recorded Analytics session.
Possible reasons include:
- The visitor left before the page finished loading
- Analytics tracking was blocked
- Website consent was not granted
- A browser restricted tracking
- The same person clicked more than once
- The tools processed the information differently
- Different attribution methods were used
Small differences between the platforms are normal.
The figures should be treated as related indicators rather than expected to match exactly.
What Makes a Good Result?
There is no single result or benchmark that applies to every website.
Performance depends on:
- The type of business
- The purpose of the website
- The target audience
- The size of the market
- Seasonal demand
- Advertising investment
- Competition
- The value of each enquiry or sale
- Whether the website sells online
- Whether the website mainly provides information
A specialist business may only need a small number of highly valuable enquiries.
A restaurant, retailer or online shop may need a much larger number of visitors and purchases.
The most useful comparison is usually the website’s own performance over time.
Looking at the Full Picture
A website report is most useful when the figures are viewed together.
For example:
More traffic and stronger engagement
The website is attracting more visitors, and those visitors appear interested in the content.
More traffic and weaker engagement
The website is reaching more people, but the new visitors may be less relevant.
Fewer visitors and more conversions
Traffic decreased, but the visitors who arrived were more likely to take action.
More Google impressions but fewer clicks
Search visibility increased, but titles, descriptions or ranking positions may need improvement.
More advertising clicks but fewer conversions
The advertisements attracted traffic, but the search terms, targeting or landing page may need review.
Higher advertising cost and more sales
The campaign cost more but may still have produced a positive result if the additional sales were valuable.
Quick Website Report Checklist
When reviewing a website performance report, focus on five main questions:
- Was website traffic higher or lower?
- Where did the visitors come from?
- Which pages attracted the most visitors?
- Did visitors engage or complete valuable actions?
- What changed compared with the previous period?
The most important information is not always the largest number.
The goal is to understand whether the website is attracting the right audience and helping that audience take meaningful action.
Final Summary
Google Search Console explains how a website appears in unpaid Google Search results.
Google Analytics explains what visitors do after arriving on the website.
Google Ads explains how paid advertising campaigns perform.
Together, these tools can show:
- How people discover a website
- Why they visit
- Which pages interest them
- Whether they take action
- Which marketing channels are producing results
- Where improvements may be needed
Website performance should be measured over time. One week or one month may be affected by seasonality, advertising activity, public holidays, market demand or other short-term changes.
Longer-term trends provide a more reliable understanding of overall progress.