Data you don't need makes your analyses worse - not better

Web analytics often feels like a race for more and more. More events, more dashboards, more metrics - as if every additional number means a piece of control.

But in reality, it's often the other way round:
The more you measure without knowing why, the less you recognise.

The fallacy of "more"

Just because we can measure doesn't mean we should.

A packed tracking setup looks professional - until you realise that although you measure everything, you don't really need any of it.

And then it happens: People discuss scroll depth and button colour, while nobody realises that the real problem is not optimisation - but in the offer itself.

What data can really tell you - if you use it correctly

Data helps when it answers a question. Here are some questions that will really help you:

• Why do users drop out at this point?
• Which channels bring buyers, not just visitors?
• Which keywords lead to conversions - and which only lead to traffic?

If you know this, you can react sensibly: Improve landing pages, Funnel reorganising, streamlining forms, redistributing the budget. So far, so classic.

But sometimes the data also tells you something else. Something that is rarely addressed openly in the analysis dashboard.

Maybe your product just isn't right.

Because if many users come, look at everything, but do nothing - then it's not due to a lack of events.

Perhaps the benefit is simply missing. The incentive to buy. The trust. Or the need.

Then the analytics report is not your control tool - but a wake-up call.

And that's exactly why web analytics is so important. Not to show where you could click more, but to recognise whether anyone wants to click at all.

SEO: Visibility ≠ Relevance

Elaborate blog articles are often created to attract as many people as possible to the site. 

At best, it works because - to put it provocatively - the keyword has search volume, the search results pages are not yet saturated with offers for this search query and Google does not provide an AI answer via Gemini that makes further clicking on a potential result obsolete. But if we ignore all that and say everything works, then it is still often said:

Visitor numbers are rising - the Conversions not.

And this is almost always due to a simple misunderstanding. 

Speaking on our own behalf: Just because someone googles "What is a session cookie?" doesn't mean they want a tracking tool or are ready to switch from their current tool to ours.

So if you realise that your best content isn't bringing in the right visitors, it's time to rethink the keyword focus theme. 

SEO is not a visibility competition.

The point is, the right users with the right intention to reach. 

As we all know, less can sometimes be more.

What web analytics can do - and what it can't

Data can do a lot. It shows where users jump off, what they click on, how long they stay.
They show where your funnel is leaking and where your content is wearing.

But they can't tell you whether your product is good. They can't measure whether someone feels the benefit or has confidence. They do, however, give you clues - the decision is up to you.

But what data are the right?

Good question. And the most honest answer is: it's the data that you can use to make a decision.

Here are a few examples:

1. behavioural data around your conversion goals

If you see that many users land on your product page, but hardly anyone clicks the "Buy now" button, you have a clear signal: maybe the button is too inconspicuous, maybe there is a lack of trust, maybe the price structure is annoying - maybe the product isn't right.

➡ Optimisation potential: Layout, content, CTAs, trust elements
➡ Entrepreneurial decision: Investment in UX, content or product optimisation

2. channel-related performance data

If you recognise that visitors from organic search stay significantly longer and convert more often than from paid social, for example, then you know where your budget is better spent. The same applies to the entry points: Do your blog articles lead to conversions? And if so, were the articles the entry point or is the content usually only the second or third stage in the funnel?

➡ Optimisation potential: Channel management, campaign budget, SEO strategy
➡ Entrepreneurial decision: More focus on sustainable channels, less wastage

3. jumps at critical points

Are users regularly cancelling in the second step of the checkout? Perhaps the process is too long, the shipping costs appear too late or the login forces a diversion.

➡ Optimisation potential: Checkout process, transparency, technical simplification
➡ Entrepreneurial decision: Involve product team, release resources for remodelling

4. recognise technical barriers

If 20 % of users on mobile devices fail on a particular form because it doesn't load correctly, that's not a UX problem - that's revenue lost due to technical gaps.

➡ Optimisation potential: Responsive design, form validation
➡ Entrepreneurial decision: Prioritise technology, commission agency or dev team if necessary