Your 20-Minute Monthly Marketing Report: 5 Metrics Every Small Business Owner Needs to Check

Do you log into Google Analytics, immediately feel overwhelmed by the dashboard, and close the window without ever really knowing what you just learned? You're not alone.

Most small business owners know they should check their data, but they struggle to extract real, actionable insights from the sea of numbers. A full marketing report can take hours, but most of that data is irrelevant to your day-to-day operations.

The truth is, you only need to focus on five key performance metrics to gain 80% of the clarity you need. By checking these five numbers once a month, you can clearly see what’s working, what’s failing, and where to invest your precious time next month.

This report is designed to take just 20 minutes, giving you a clear, data-driven strategy to move forward. Log in to your various dashboards, grab a coffee, and let’s make sense of your marketing!

The 20-Minute Report: 5 Metrics That Drive Action

Metric #1: Overall Site Traffic & Source (5 Minutes) 

Before you worry about what people are doing on your site, you need to know who’s arriving and where they’re coming from. This metric reveals the health of your promotional efforts.

• Where to Look: Google Analytics (GA4) $\to$ Acquisition $\to$ Traffic Acquisition.

• What to Check:

  1. Users/Sessions: Is the overall number going up, down, or staying flat?

  2. Top Channels: Which source is sending the most traffic? (e.g., Organic Search, Direct, Social).

• The Takeaway: If Organic Search is lagging, you know your focus for next month needs to be on SEO or content creation. If Social is strong, you should double down on those platforms.

Metric #2: The Website Conversion Rate (5 Minutes)

This is arguably the most important number in your entire business, yet many small business owners don't track it. Your Conversion Rate measures how many visitors actually become leads, customers, or goal completions (e.g., download a checklist, fill out a contact form).

• Where to Look: Google Analytics $\to$ Conversions (assuming you have goals set up).

• What to Check:

  1. Total Conversions: The raw number of goal completions.

  2. Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors who completed a goal.

• The Takeaway: If you had 1,000 visitors and only 10 conversions (1% rate), you need to improve your website experience or messaging. A low conversion rate means you need to prioritize website fixes over driving more traffic.

Metric #3: Top Performing Content (5 Minutes)

Your blog and service pages are content assets, but are they working? Identifying your most-read and most-converting pages tells you exactly what content resonates with your audience and what topics you should focus on next.

• Where to Look: Google Analytics $\to$ Engagement $\to$ Pages and Screens.

• What to Check:

  1. Views: Which content pieces have the highest views?

  2. Top Exit Pages: Which pages are people leaving from most often? (If it's a key service page, it's a huge problem).

• The Takeaway: If your "Guide to Pet Grooming" post is getting 80% of your traffic, you know that's where your audience is hungry for information. This insight should fuel your next three blog posts. Use the data you found here to drive your future content ideas.

Metric #4: Local Search Visibility (3 Minutes)

If you are a local business, your Google Business Profile (GBP) is where customers are making decisions. Checking these simple metrics tells you if you're showing up when people need you most.

• Where to Look: Your Google Business Profile Dashboard $\to$ Performance.

• What to Check:

  1. Total Searches: How many times did your profile show up in Search or Maps?

  2. Actions: The number of calls, website visits, or direction requests initiated from your profile.

• The Takeaway: High searches but low actions means your profile isn't compelling enough (bad photos, old description). This check is a powerful complement to optimizing your Google My Business insights. 

Metric #5: Social Engagement Health (2 Minutes)

Finally, check your social media engagement—not vanity metrics like followers. Engagement shows the quality of your audience and whether your content is truly connecting.

• Where to Look: Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn Insights $\to$ Content Performance.

• What to Check:

  1. Average Engagement Rate: Clicks, comments, and shares divided by reach.

  2. Best Performing Post: Which post had the highest saves or shares?

• The Takeaway: Saves and shares are more valuable than likes. If your engagement rate is less than 2-3%, your content isn't resonating, and you need to adjust your strategy.

Conclusion: Don't Just Report—ACT 

In 20 minutes, you’ve gathered the five numbers you need to steer your business for the next month. Now, you must act on the findings.

Ask yourself: "Which of the five metrics is the weakest?" That metric should be your priority for the next four weeks.

• If Metric #2 (Conversion Rate) is the weakest, focus on improving your website forms and messaging.

• If Metric #1 (Traffic) is weak, dedicate your time to content creation and SEO.

By committing to this quick monthly check, you take back control of your marketing strategy, ensuring every 20 minutes you spend on marketing is guided by real data, not guesswork.

Ready to take your Digital Marketing beyond the 20-minute fixes?

If you found these steps helpful, imagine what you could do with a full framework for your small business. Our flagship course, The 20 Minute Marketing System, teaches you exactly how to implement and audit your SEO, Social Media, and Email Marketing using the same time-saving principles.