For the last few months Mo and I have been pushing the concept of engagement rather than numbers when it comes to website statistics / analytics. One of the main pieces of that engagement puzzle has been time spent. In talking with some peers over the past few days I noticed that most viewed time spent on page as a good thing. However, I wonder what the other site of that argument is...if someone is spending a substantial amount of time on a page does that mean they cannot find what they are looking for? Is more time spent always a positive (good) metric, or can it be a indication of an issue with the site?
Has anyone encountered this issue? Thoughts?
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Random Thoughts: Time Spent
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1 comment:
I've actually heard this argument from a few of our DMO partners.
While I totally see the POSSIBILITY that someone could be surfing around looking for stuff and bumping up "time spent on site," here is why I don't think this is likely:
1- The 'time spent' stat you report out is an average of all users per month; this theory assumes that the vast majority of your users are confused by the site and are surfing around looking for information.
In an age of instant gratification and TIVO, I just don't buy the proposition that someone (the majority of users no less) will take the time to keep digging for information. If you site is terrible and the information architecture doesn't make sense, they will leave you.
2-"Time spent" is a data point...a data point is not a trend. Couple "time spent" with the goals (or engagement points as Troy and I call it) of your site. Are folks ordering guides? Are they subscribing to the e-newsletter? Are they using the search function? Are folks coming back to the site?
Weaving together all these data points of your site over time will tell you the story of your site.
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