5 Content Marketing Success Metrics You Should Track

Content marketing and marketers are under constant pressure to justify every rupee or dollar spent. It’s no longer enough to produce good content; you need to prove it performs.

But what does “better performing content” really mean?

It’s not just about high traffic or viral shares. 

Better-performing content drives measurable action, sustains audience engagement, supports the sales funnel, and ultimately contributes to business outcomes. 

It attracts the right audience, holds their attention, and moves them forward, whether that’s signing up, downloading, booking a demo, or becoming a brand advocate.

The challenge? Traditional content marketing KPIs like traffic, bounce rate, or conversion often don’t tell the full story. That’s where deeper, more surprising metrics come in.

In this blog, we’ll discuss five lesser-known yet powerful metrics that can help you optimise your content marketing efforts, make smarter decisions, and better align your spending with results.

These content marketing success metrics provide the more profound insight marketing managers need to optimise campaigns that connect and convert.

Track Engagement Time: A Deeper Content Marketing Success Metric

Engagement time is like that friend who always shows up at the party and stays to help clean up afterwards. It’s the metric that tells you not just who visited your content, but how much they cared while they were there. Unlike page views, which can feel hollow, engagement time dives into the heart of user experience.

When you measure engagement time, you’re gauging how long users linger on your content, an indicator of interest and value. If visitors are spending several minutes reading your articles or watching your videos, it suggests that your content marketing strategies are hitting the mark. They’re not just passing by; they’re taking the time to digest what you’ve created!

You’ve probably noticed the bounce rate in your dashboards, but it doesn’t tell you much about actual user engagement. Engagement time, on the other hand, measures how long users actively spend reading or interacting with your content.

Why It Matters 

Engagement time reveals your content’s quality and relevance to the target audience. It shows whether your message is resonating or if readers are tuning out halfway through. Unlike pageviews or bounce rate, this metric focuses on quality over quantity, an increasingly important lens as content competition grows. This also aligns with Google’s EEAT framework, which prioritizes relevance over everything else. 

If a key blog post has strong SEO but low engagement time, it’s time to reassess the structure, clarity, or value offered. You might need better formatting, richer visuals, or a more compelling narrative. Short paragraphs, bullet points, storytelling, and embedded multimedia like videos or infographics can increase time spent.

How to Improve Engagement Time

If you’re looking to amp up that engagement time and keep your readers glued to their screens, consider these tips:

Create Interactive Content:
Quizzes, polls, and infographics can significantly boost engagement by encouraging users to interact rather than passively consume.

Tell a Story:
Incorporating brand storytelling methods into your content engages emotions and makes information stick.

Add Multimedia Elements:
Videos and images break up text and make it easier for readers to digest information while keeping them engaged longer.

Create Clear CTAs:
End each piece of content with compelling calls-to-action that guide users on what to do next, whether exploring more related articles or signing up for a newsletter.

So next time you look at those analytics reports, remember this essential metric. After all, it might just be the secret sauce behind successful content marketing plans.

Scroll Depth Is a Hidden SEO Power Metric

Scroll depth tells you how far down the page users are scrolling. Are they getting to your call-to-action? Are they reading your thought leadership pieces in full or skimming the intro?

Scroll depth is the digital equivalent of asking your friends how deep they dive into a pool: are they just dipping their toes, or are they going all in? 

This metric tracks how far down the page users scroll before they leave, offering remarkable insights into content engagement that traditional metrics often miss. If your readers scroll like there’s a prize at the bottom, it’s an excellent sign that your content is engaging and captivating.

Why It Matters

This metric helps you pinpoint content fatigue and optimise structure. It’s beneficial when you’re trying to understand why users aren’t converting, maybe they never even reached the CTA.

Scroll depth also helps diagnose content gaps and structural issues. If visitors consistently drop off at the same section, it’s a red flag worth investigating.

How to Enhance Your Scroll Depth

If you’re ready to turn those casual scrollers into dedicated readers, consider these strategies:

Add Visual Breaks:
Incorporate images, infographics, and videos throughout the text. Not only do they break up large chunks of text, but they also provide visual stimulation to keep readers engaged.

Create Compelling Subheadings:
Well-placed and intriguing subheadings can pique curiosity and encourage readers to scroll down for more—think of them as digital breadcrumbs leading toward deeper insights.

Use Interactive Elements:
Quizzes or polls throughout your article can give readers reasons to continue exploring. Plus, who doesn’t love a good quiz?

Tell Engaging Stories:
Infuse your articles with relatable anecdotes or case studies. Engaging storytelling can hook readers at every scroll!

Your content should feel like an engaging journey rather than a tedious trek. Scroll depth provides valuable insights about audience engagement and can guide future iterations of your content marketing plan. After all, the deeper they go, the more likely they will convert from casual browsers into loyal fans. 

Platform-Specific Social Shares: Optimise Content Distribution

Social shares are the life of the party in the world of content marketing! They’re like your content’s high-five from the internet, signalling that someone found your work worth passing along. 

But wait, before you do a happy dance over those pretty little share counts, let’s dig into the specifics. Not all social shares are created equal, and understanding where those shares are coming from can give you valuable insights into your content marketing strategies.

Imagine you’ve got a killer blog post that’s racked up 100 shares on Facebook, but only 5 on LinkedIn. Does that mean it’s a fantastic piece? 

Well, maybe on certain platforms, Facebook audiences love fun, relatable content, but your LinkedIn audience might be more business-focused. By analysing social shares by platform, you can tailor your messaging and delivery to effectively fit different audiences.

Social media shares also validate content resonance. High shareability often signals alignment with trends or emotional triggers.

Strategies to Boost Shares Across Platforms

If you’re itching to sprinkle some share-worthy magic across various platforms, consider these actionable strategies:

Create Platform-Specific Content:
Tailor your messages for each platform’s style and audience expectations. A witty meme might shine on Twitter but flop on LinkedIn. 

Add Share Buttons:
Integrate easy-to-find social share buttons directly onto your page. This will make it effortless for readers to spread the word without scrolling back up.

Encourage Engagement:
Invite readers at the end of your articles to share if they enjoyed it or found it helpful. Sometimes a gentle push is all they need. 

Create Shareable Visuals:
Graphics or quotes from your content can be easily shared as standalone posts, increasing network visibility.

Diving into social shares by platform enhances your understanding of audience engagement and refines your overall content marketing plan. 

So next time you glance at those metrics, don’t just count the numbers, analyze them. 

Each platform tells a story about who values what you create and how you can keep giving them more of it.

How Email Segmentation Boosts Content Marketing KPIs

Email is still one of the highest ROI marketing channels. But the magic lies not in the overall open rate, but in ‘who’ is opening your emails and ‘why’.

After all, not all subscribers have the exact needs, and understanding their behaviour can help you tailor your messaging more effectively.

Imagine you have a list of subscribers: some are super engaged while others barely crack open an email. By segmenting these groups based on their open rates, you can customise content that speaks directly to each audience’s preferences. It’s like throwing a themed party where everyone feels included instead of sending everyone the same generic invitation.

This segmentation also reduces unsubscribes and enhances the long-term health of your list.

Strategies for Effective Email Segmentation

Utilise Behavioural Data:
Track which emails subscribers open and engage with. This data can guide future content decisions and help identify trends over time.

Create Custom Landing Pages:
Direct different segments to landing pages that cater specifically to their interests. This not only enhances user experience but also boosts conversion rates.

A/B Test Subject Lines:
Experiment with different subject lines across segments. See which styles resonate more effectively; sometimes a sprinkle of humour or urgency can make all the difference. 

Simplify Subscription Preferences:
Allow subscribers to choose their preferences during sign-up. This proactive approach gives them ownership over what types of content they receive.

Email open rate segmentation is an opportunity to enhance your overall content marketing plan. By understanding your audience’s behaviours and preferences, you’re creating better emails and stronger relationships. 

Here are some more tips to help you with email marketing. 

Content Pathing Analytics: Improve User Journey and Conversions

Content pathing is like the GPS for your audience’s journey through your website. Imagine a user lands on your blog post and then… what?

Do they hop around like a grasshopper or follow a well-trodden path deeper into your site? Understanding content pathing helps you visualise how readers navigate through your different pieces of content, allowing you to optimise their journey and keep them engaged.

Think of it as a sneak peek into how engaged visitors are with your content marketing strategies. Are they clicking the links you’ve placed at the end of articles, or are they dropping off faster than a hot potato? Tracking these paths can reveal the intricacies of user behaviour that traditional metrics often overlook.

How to Analyse Content Pathing

Utilise Analytics Tools:
Google Analytics provides tools for tracking user flow through various pages on your site. Look for paths that lead to high engagement or conversions and replicate those success stories elsewhere.

Create Internal Links Strategically: By linking relevant posts within your existing articles, you guide readers along desired paths while keeping them engaged longer. Think of it as breadcrumbs leading them deeper into the forest of your content.

A/B Test Different Paths: Experiment with different layouts and link placements to see how they affect user navigation. Sometimes, a small tweak can lead users down an entirely different—and more fruitful path. 

User Feedback Loops: Encourage feedback directly from users about their experience navigating through your content. Ask them if they found what they were looking for or if something was missing in their journey.

Diving into content pathing lets you map out what works and how effectively it guides users along their unique journeys.

Pulling It All Together: Metrics That Speak to Strategy

As marketing budgets tighten and expectations rise, content marketers must shift from volume-driven to value-driven strategies. That means measuring not just how much content you’re producing or promoting, but how well each piece is truly performing.

Better-performing content is content that drives action and outcomes. It’s content that people read, share, return to, and act upon. And to find out which pieces are doing that, you need to look beyond the basics.

These unconventional metrics provide far more than surface-level insights. They help answer the fundamental questions that marketing managers are asking:

• Which content formats hold audience attention?
• What topics drive deeper engagement?
• How do we personalise content for different segments?
• Where are the content gaps in our funnel?
• What’s the actual path from blog reader to pipeline lead?

Getting lost in a sea of conventional metrics like traffic, shares, and leads is easy. But let’s be real: Focusing solely on these traditional indicators can feel like watching paint dry. Sure, they’re essential, but they often leave you asking questions without answers. 

The world of content marketing can be confusing. Traditional content marketing KPIs like traffic and conversions still matter, but when paired with these deeper metrics, they unlock a more strategic, user-centric approach.

Want to see how your content marketing stacks up and where you could optimise spending?

Book a free content strategy review.