Should we celebrate visitors spending longer on a website? Not always. “Average time spent on site” is still used as a key performance metric, but it can miss the point. The real question is whether visitors were successful, or simply stuck.
Steps that lead to goals
The real measure of success is not how long someone stays on a site, but whether they achieved what they came for. A well-designed journey helps visitors reach their goal in the fewest possible steps.
This might include:
Moving from homepage to product or service pages with minimal friction
Understanding your company’s values and offering before making an enquiry
Finding pricing, FAQs or sign-up information at the right moment
Completing a purchase or booking without unnecessary steps
Each of these outcomes reflects a site that respects visitors’ time.
Design that leads the way
Clear, efficient websites help visitors get what they need and move on, which is exactly what people want from good UX (user experience). UX and design shape how visitors understand and interact with your site. When the foundations are right, with typographical hierarchy, content structure and a thoughtful flow of information, visitors can navigate with ease.
Strong visual hierarchy helps visitors scan and orient themselves quickly. Layouts that prioritise what matters most, such as product categories, value propositions or key content, build trust and momentum.
Purposeful, pared-back content reduces effort and speeds up decisions. Whether visitors are evaluating your services, checking credentials or comparing options, well-structured design and copy guide them forward with clarity.
Better experiences, lower impact
Designing clear journeys also supports accessibility and sustainability. Accessible features such as logical navigation, high colour contrast and well structured content ensure your site works for everyone, including those with disabilities. These enhancements make experiences faster and smoother for all visitors.
Reducing digital clutter improves sustainability too. Fewer assets and more streamlined pages mean less data transfer, which lowers the carbon footprint of each visit. Accessible and sustainable design make sites faster, simpler and better for both visitors and the planet.
Metrics that matter
Instead of focusing on time on site, ask the following questions:
Did the visitor find what they were looking for in the fewest possible steps?
Was the outcome of their visit what they hoped, or did they leave before finishing? Did the site meet their needs?
The answers show whether your site is delivering what visitors need, and define a positive experience.
A website that helps visitors reach their goals with ease is doing what it should. When design, content and journeys work together, time on site becomes a reflection of success, rather than a target in and of itself. Focus on your business goals and what visitors want to achieve and you create a site they trust, return to and recommend. That is a website that delivers results.
If you'd like to discuss your next web project, please get in touch here.