Let’s be honest ... terms like “bounce rate,” “impressions,” and “engaged sessions” can feel like confusing tech jargon. (Is “impression” good? Are people bouncing away because they're afraid?!) It’s a lot. But don’t worry, we’re not here to make your eyes glaze over.
At Fishhook, we believe digital ministry doesn’t have to be overwhelming or boring. In fact, tracking your digital data can actually be energizing (dare we say … fun?).
When you understand your numbers and let them guide your next steps, you can make more strategic and meaningful connections with your audiences. It's not just about stats ... it’s about stories, impact and serving your people well.
As you make your way through this fall ministry season, here are some key metrics and fresh insights your church can gather on an ongoing basis:
Website Analytics and What's Important to Keep an Eye On
Page Views
- Definition: The number of views on a website (and screen views on an app) in a set period of time.
- Why it's important: This metric is useful for identifying popular content and potential areas for improvement. It can show you what webpages people are finding valuable on your site. This can inform content strategy as it shows what webpages have the highest traffic (and which content resonates most with your audience).
Engagement Rates
- Definition: The number of engaged sessions divided by total sessions. An engagement is defined as a web visitor interacting with a piece of content like clicking on a link, filling out a form or spending a significant amount of time on a page. (A session that's a "significant amount of time" is one that lasts longer than 10 seconds.)
- Why it's important: This metric reveals how committed your web audience is to your content once they arrive on your site. This metric measures real connection. Think of it as the bridge between "we got them to our site" and "they took a meaningful step!"
Social Analytics and Understanding Your Impact
Views
- Definition: The number of times your content was played or displayed on a social media platform. The content its tracking includes videos (on Facebook), reels (Instagram), posts, stories and ads.
- Why it's important: This metric gives an indication of brand awareness by showing how many people your content is being exposed to. It also is the very first indicator of content's success because views capture audiences' attention at the earliest stage. Before people can click, like or share ... they have to see the content. This metric is also a vital benchmark for tracking your engagement rates on social media.
Content Interactions
- Definition: The amount of likes, reactions, saves, comments, shares and replies on your content, including ads. The content types can include a variety of formats (posts, stories, reels, videos and more).
- Why it's important: This metric shows overall engagement health for your digital platforms. It tells whether people are actively responding or just scrolling past. Because social media platforms use interaction levels as a key ranking factor, the higher your content interaction rates are, the broader your organic content can reach.
Tracking analytics, refining goals through A/B testing, adjusting in real time and monitoring progress allows a church's digital marketing efforts to have a bigger impact and to continue growing into a better resource for its audiences!
At Fishhook, we often say, "facts are friends." We believe that tracking data on an ongoing basis is important for your digital ministry's success. Having a pulse on what's working, what's not working and how you can adjust accordingly is imperative for strategic digital ministry.
Not sure where to start with your digital analytics process? Needing additional digital marketing support? We'd love to support! Click here to start the conversation together.