Given the myriad ways that users can choose to sample a site's content, absolute metrics of page views and unique visitors don't tell the whole story when it comes to a site's overall health. But
neither do the number of feed subscribers or widget uploaders.
In fact, Ruud Hein argues that if a Webmaster only focuses on any of those concrete, absolute metrics, he or she could
actually be grossly misinformed on the site's effectiveness. It's about looking at the trends -- from traffic growth to conversions, to user engagement times -- and even abstracts like how many times
a product, article or campaign gets mentioned in forums and blogs.
Read the whole story at Search Engine People »