In case you haven't noticed, there sure are a lot of tools that can help you measure marketing efforts online. From free platforms like Google Analytics to more enterprise marketing dashboard systems like Domo, it's easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of digital measurement tools that are at your fingertips. So, we've compiled a quick list of 5 free (or close to free) tools that can help you track, benchmark and measure your marketing efforts.
1) Track your website's inbound links with Moz.
It's no secret that inbound links are the secret sauce for SEO. With everchanging keyword strategies, the one thing that remains constant is having high-quality backlinks from sites with authority. See what sites are already linking to yours and how your site is doing with the free tool from Moz.
2) See how your emails stack up against others with HubSpot's open-rate benchmark tool.
While it's great to know if your email open rate is improving over time, it's even better to know how you compare against industry standards. That's why HubSpot has a free tool. Simply select which industry you're in, and compare your open rate to others.
3) Compare your website against others with SimilarWeb.
Like HubSpot's benchmark tool for email, SimilarWeb allows you to see how your website is performing against others. Just enter your URL and the URLS of your competitors and prepare to be amazing as you compare web traffic, engagement, and a suite of other stats. They offer a free and paid version.
4) Watch how users interact with your page designs using Hotjar.
Hotjar is an easy-to-use UX tool that allows you to capture heat-mapping on your web pages (among other things, like including polls and surveys on your website). Use it to see how deep users are scrolling down your page (to see if you need to move important information up), or where users are clicking. There are both free and paid versions as well.
5) Monitor your data in one place with Cyfe.
With so many tools, it can be time-consuming when it comes time to reporting. Cyfe is a very simple, very cost-effective dashboard tool that aggregates hundreds of data sources so you can view all of your metrics in one place.
There are lots of options out there when it comes to digital measurement tools. While these can help you track your marketing efforts, it's important to know what you need to track in the first place. That comes from having clear objectives and a metrics plan in place. Need help with that?
