Turning Analyze Data Into Decisions
Worked examples connecting common Analyze patterns to the likely cause and the change worth testing.
Reading a report is the easy half. This article covers the patterns that show up most often on CAS.org and what each one suggests doing. Each pattern is a hypothesis to test, not a diagnosis.
High Traffic, High Bounce, Short Time on Page
What it suggests. Visitors arrive expecting something the page does not deliver in its first screen.
What to check. The traffic sources for that page, and the page title and meta description that set the expectation.
What to try. Align the opening content with what the incoming link promises, or correct the promise. See SEO and URL Management.
Deep Scrolling, Very Few Clicks
What it suggests. The content is working and the next step is missing or invisible.
What to check. Where the call to action sits relative to the average page fold, and whether the clickmap shows any competing element taking the clicks.
What to try. Add or move a call to action to the point where scroll depth is still strong, rather than only at the end.
The Call to Action Sits Below the Average Fold
What it suggests. Most visitors never see the action the page exists to drive.
What to check. The fold line in Analyze Mode, on mobile as well as desktop.
What to try. Raise the action, shorten what sits above it, or repeat it higher on the page.
Strong Desktop Performance, Weak Mobile
What it suggests. A layout or content length problem that only appears on small screens.
What to check. The device split on the page report, then Analyze Mode filtered to mobile.
What to try. Reduce the content above the action on mobile and confirm tap targets are reachable.
Next Page List Full of Homepage and Search
What it suggests. Visitors could not find their next step and went back to look for it.
What to check. Whether the page links to the obvious next destination at all, and whether that link is prominent.
What to try. Add direct internal links to the pages visitors are hunting for. See Navigation and URL Conventions.
Good Engagement, Almost No Traffic
What it suggests. A page that works but that nobody can find.
What to check. How many internal links point to the page, and whether it appears in navigation or in related content.
What to try. Link to it from the higher traffic pages that share its topic.
A Sudden Traffic Drop on One Page
What it suggests. A technical change rather than an audience change.
What to check. Whether the URL changed, whether a redirect is in place, and whether the page is still in the sitemap.
What to try. Raise it with a Web Developer before treating it as a content problem.
How to Keep This Honest
- Change one thing at a time, so the next month can attribute the result.
- Write the expected outcome down before making the change.
- Give the change a fair window, usually a full month on lower traffic pages.
- Accept the result even when it contradicts the original idea.