Key Marketing KPIs: what they are, why they are important and how to measure them

Marketing KPIs are the key marketing performance indicators that help to monitor and analyze marketing results in a digital environment, such as conversion rate, engagement rate, website traffic and lead generation. Proper selection and analysis of the right marketing metrics and digital marketing KPIs, depending on your business marketing objectives, improves marketing ROI, boosts sales growth and provides meaningful insights for B2B and B2C KPIs. Read how to define, track and leverage marketing KPIs in 2026 for dynamic growth, avoiding common mistakes and basing your decisions on reliable data.

Measuring the success of a digital plan is never a simple task. This is exactly where marketing KPIs, the so-called marketing performance indicators, come to the rescue, which are now the cornerstone of making good decisions, tracking progress and maximising marketing ROI. In an ever-evolving business environment, understanding which are the right marketing KPIs to track, and how to leverage their results, can make all the difference for every business owner and professional online store.

What are marketing KPIs and why they are important

Marketing KPIs are the specific, measurable indicators that allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Marketing performance indicators help track the marketing goals you set, whether they are to increase sales, improve brand awareness, or increase your engagement rate with your audience.

Choosing the right marketing KPIs depends on the overall goals of the business. According to a survey by Semrush, 66% of marketing professionals say that tracking the right KPIs dramatically improves decision making. In addition, regular KPI measurement helps significantly in analyzing marketing results, providing meaningful data on what's working and what's not in digital marketing campaigns or other activities.

Key KPIs in digital marketing with practical examples

At digital marketing, there are dozens of marketing metrics available that you can track. Let's look at some of the most important ones, with examples to better understand how to use them in practice.

engagement rate: The degree of audience interaction with your content in social media or email marketing campaigns. For example, if you publish a Facebook post that receives 200 likes, 40 shares and 10 comments in 2,000 impressions, the engagement rate is calculated as (250/2000)*100=12.5%.

conversion rate: Measures the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (purchase, newsletter subscription, etc.). If 1,000 people visit your e-shop and 30 make a purchase, the conversion rate is 3%.

traffic website: Refers to the number of visits to your website. Increased website traffic can lead to more sales or lead generation if combined with quality content and optimized landing pages.

lead generation: The number of new potential customers you collect through your actions, e.g. contact forms or downloads.

Defining B2B KPIs or B2C KPIs is also very important, depending on whether you are targeting businesses or end consumers. For example, in a B2B environment, lead quality or cost per lead might be more important KPIs, while in B2C you might give priority to order value and customer lifetime value.

How to set the right marketing KPIs for your business

Choosing the most appropriate marketing KPIs always starts with clearly articulating your goals. Whether the priority is to increase sales, enter a new market or boost loyalty, each goal requires different KPIs. For example:

Objective: Increase in sales by 20% in 12 months.
Key KPIs: Total sales, average shopping cart, conversion rate.

Objective: Improve engagement rate on social media.
Key KPIs: Engagement rate per post, number of shares, dwell time.

Objective: Lead generation for new B2B products.
Key KPIs: New leads per month, lead quality score, lead acquisition cost.

To track marketing results it is important to define both quantitative KPIs (measurable numbers) and qualitative KPIs (qualitative metrics such as customer satisfaction). Digital marketing KPIs vary by channel - for SEO we focus on organic traffic, for PPC on cost per conversion, while for email marketing an important indicator is open rate.

Step-by-step guide to measuring and analysing KPIs

  • Choose strategic KPIs: evaluate all available marketing metrics and select those that are directly related to your business goals.
  • Set benchmarks: check historical data or industry standards to set realistic benchmarks.
  • Monitoring: use tools such as Google Analytics, Semrush, Hubspot or social media analytics platforms to collect real-time data.
  • Results analysis: interpret your data, identify trends and focus on the cause behind changes in marketing performance indicators.
  • Optimize actions: tweak your strategy based on the findings to improve your overall results.

Common mistakes in the use of marketing KPIs and how to avoid them

One of the key mistakes is focusing on metrics that are not clearly linked to business goals - also known as vanity metrics. For example, the total number of impressions without correlating to conversion rate or sales can give a false sense of success.

Also, many brands neglect to revisit marketing KPIs as the environment or business priorities change. It is good practice to conduct an evaluation of KPIs at regular intervals to ensure relevance and flexibility in their strategy.

According to the latest data from Hubspot, 75% of businesses that consistently measure KPIs manage to achieve higher marketing ROI than those that don't. In addition, using automated KPIs analysis tools speeds up decision-making processes by 30%, reducing risk and increasing revenue.

Proper monitoring and analysis of marketing KPIs is not just a tool but a necessity for continuous development. With the right marketing metrics you can objectively evaluate the performance of your digital marketing activities, enhance marketing and sales coordination and drive your business to continuous improvement and growth.

Take full advantage of the power of marketing KPIs, identify the right marketing performance indicators and evolve your strategy with measurable, reliable data that will set you apart from the competition.

Fill in the contact form to receive your offer.

20%

Discount on all our packages
Aenean leo ligulaconsequat vitae, eleifend acer neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, tempus.