Marketing Dashboards 101: What to Track and What to Ignore

In the world of digital marketing, data is everywhere. But more data doesn’t always mean better decisions—especially if you're drowning in dashboards filled with numbers that don’t actually tell you much. A well-built marketing dashboard should simplify things, not complicate them. It should spotlight the metrics that matter and help you take action.

So, how do you know what to track and what to ignore? Let’s break it down.

Why Dashboards Matter

A marketing dashboard is your real-time snapshot of how your marketing is performing. It consolidates data from different platforms—Google Ads, social media, email campaigns, website analytics—and turns it into something you can use. A good dashboard should answer essential questions quickly: What’s working? What’s underperforming? Where should we focus next?

But many dashboards fail because they try to track everything. That’s a recipe for overwhelm. The key is to focus on actionable insights.

Metrics You Should Be Tracking

1. Traffic Sources
   Knowing where your website visitors are coming from (organic search, paid ads, social media, referrals, etc.) helps you understand which channels are driving the most interest—and where to invest more effort.
   

2. Conversion Rates
   Tracking how many visitors are completing a desired action (like filling out a form or making a purchase) gives context to your traffic. A high-traffic page that never converts might need a content or UX overhaul.
   

3. Cost Per Lead (CPL) or Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
   These metrics tie your marketing performance directly to spend. They help answer a big-picture question: Are we getting good value from our investment?
   

4. Engagement Metrics (for Social and Email)
   Think click-through rates, open rates, and post interactions. These tell you if your content is resonating with your audience and where there’s room to improve.
   

5. Return on Investment (ROI)
   Ultimately, you want to know whether your marketing efforts are paying off. ROI is where all your other metrics come together. Just be sure your tracking is set up correctly to calculate it accurately.

What You Can Probably Ignore

1. Vanity Metrics
   Impressions, likes, or followers might feel good to see, but unless they directly tie to your goals, they can be distracting. Focus on metrics that reflect behavior and results, not just visibility.
   

2. Bounce Rate (in isolation)
   This metric can be misleading without context. A high bounce rate isn’t always bad—maybe the visitor found exactly what they needed right away. Dig deeper before drawing conclusions.
   

3. Platform-Specific Metrics That Don’t Tie to Strategy
   Don’t track something just because a tool makes it available. If a number doesn’t inform a decision, it doesn’t need a place on your dashboard.

Build With Purpose

A dashboard should be a decision-making tool—not a data dump. Before building one, ask yourself: What do I need to know to do my job better? Keep it simple, relevant, and focused on your goals.

When done right, a marketing dashboard becomes less of a report and more of a roadmap.