Documentation Metrics¶
Metrics demonstrate documentation value and guide improvement. Without measurement, you're relying on intuition rather than evidence.
Why Metrics Matter¶
Business Case¶
Metrics help you:
- Justify documentation investment
- Prioritize improvement efforts
- Demonstrate ROI to stakeholders
- Make data-driven decisions
Quality Improvement¶
Measurement enables:
- Identifying content gaps
- Finding usability problems
- Tracking improvement over time
- Benchmarking against goals
Types of Metrics¶
Usage Metrics¶
How people interact with documentation:
| Metric | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Page views | Traffic volume |
| Unique visitors | Audience reach |
| Time on page | Engagement depth |
| Bounce rate | Content relevance |
| Pages per session | User exploration |
| Return visitors | Documentation value |
Search Metrics¶
What people look for:
| Metric | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Search queries | User intent |
| Click-through rate | Result relevance |
| Zero-result searches | Content gaps |
| Search exits | Failed searches |
| Query refinements | Findability issues |
Quality Metrics¶
Content effectiveness:
| Metric | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Feedback scores | User satisfaction |
| Task completion | Documentation effectiveness |
| Error rates | Accuracy |
| Content freshness | Maintenance status |
| Coverage | Completeness |
Business Impact Metrics¶
Value to the organization:
| Metric | What It Measures |
|---|---|
| Support ticket deflection | Support cost reduction |
| Time to first value | Onboarding efficiency |
| Feature adoption | Documentation influence |
| Customer satisfaction | Overall experience |
Setting Up Measurement¶
Analytics Implementation¶
# Analytics Setup Checklist
## Basic Tracking
- [ ] Page view tracking
- [ ] Session tracking
- [ ] Search query capture
- [ ] Event tracking (downloads, clicks)
## Enhanced Tracking
- [ ] Scroll depth
- [ ] Time on page (accurate)
- [ ] Navigation paths
- [ ] Cross-domain tracking
## Custom Events
- [ ] Code copy events
- [ ] Feedback submissions
- [ ] External link clicks
- [ ] PDF downloads
Feedback Collection¶
Implement feedback mechanisms:
## Page-Level Feedback
"Was this page helpful?"
[Yes] [No]
If No: "What were you looking for?"
[Text field]
## Detailed Feedback
"How can we improve this page?"
- [ ] More detail needed
- [ ] Too much detail
- [ ] Outdated information
- [ ] Confusing explanation
- [ ] Missing example
- Other: [Text field]
Survey Design¶
## Documentation Survey Questions
1. How often do you use our documentation?
○ Daily
○ Weekly
○ Monthly
○ Rarely
2. How easy is it to find what you need? (1-5 scale)
3. How helpful is the documentation? (1-5 scale)
4. What would improve our documentation most?
[Open text]
5. What topics need more documentation?
[Open text]
Analyzing Metrics¶
Identifying Issues¶
High bounce rate + low time on page: Users aren't finding what they need.
High search exits: Search results don't match user intent.
High traffic + negative feedback: Content found but not helpful.
Zero-result searches: Missing content or labeling issues.
Trend Analysis¶
Track metrics over time:
## Monthly Dashboard
| Metric | Jan | Feb | Mar | Trend |
|--------|-----|-----|-----|-------|
| Unique visitors | 10K | 12K | 15K | ↑ +25% |
| Avg. time on page | 2:30 | 2:45 | 3:00 | ↑ +20% |
| Feedback score | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.9 | ↑ +11% |
| Support tickets | 500 | 450 | 400 | ↓ -20% |
Segmentation¶
Break down by:
- User type (new vs. returning)
- Content type (tutorials vs. reference)
- Entry source (search vs. direct)
- Device type (desktop vs. mobile)
Key Performance Indicators¶
Define Success¶
Set clear targets:
## Documentation KPIs
### User Engagement
- Target: 75% of users find helpful
- Metric: Feedback score ≥ 4/5
- Status: Current 3.8/5
### Content Coverage
- Target: All features documented within release
- Metric: % features with documentation
- Status: 95% coverage
### Support Impact
- Target: Reduce support tickets by 20%
- Metric: Ticket volume for documented topics
- Status: 15% reduction achieved
### Search Effectiveness
- Target: 90% search success rate
- Metric: Searches with clicks / total searches
- Status: 85% success rate
Balanced Scorecard¶
Consider multiple dimensions:
| Dimension | Metric | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Monthly visitors | 50,000 |
| Engagement | Avg. pages/session | 3.5 |
| Quality | Feedback score | 4.0/5 |
| Impact | Support deflection | 25% |
Reporting¶
Stakeholder Reports¶
Tailor reports to audience:
Executive Summary: - High-level metrics (reach, satisfaction) - Business impact (cost savings, adoption) - Key wins and challenges
Team Reports: - Detailed metrics by section - Content performance - Improvement opportunities
Technical Reports: - Search analytics - Navigation patterns - Technical issues
Report Template¶
# Documentation Monthly Report
# January 2024
## Executive Summary
Documentation traffic grew 15% while maintaining high
satisfaction scores. Support ticket volume decreased
10%, correlating with new troubleshooting content.
## Key Metrics
| Metric | This Month | Last Month | Change |
|--------|------------|------------|--------|
| Page views | 150,000 | 130,000 | +15% |
| Unique visitors | 45,000 | 40,000 | +12% |
| Feedback score | 4.1/5 | 4.0/5 | +2.5% |
| Search success | 88% | 85% | +3% |
## Highlights
- New API documentation launched (+5,000 views)
- Troubleshooting section reduced related tickets 25%
- Mobile traffic increased to 30% of total
## Challenges
- High bounce rate on installation pages (65%)
- "Deployment" searches have low success rate
- Version 2.0 documentation backlog
## Action Items
1. Revise installation guide structure
2. Add deployment troubleshooting content
3. Prioritize v2.0 documentation
## Next Month Focus
- Complete v2.0 migration guide
- Implement in-page search
- Launch user survey
Using Data for Improvement¶
Prioritization Framework¶
Use data to prioritize work:
## Content Priority Matrix
| Page | Traffic | Feedback | Business Impact | Priority |
|------|---------|----------|-----------------|----------|
| Installation | High | Low | High | 1 |
| API Reference | High | Medium | High | 2 |
| Advanced Config | Low | Low | Low | 4 |
| Troubleshooting | Medium | High | Medium | 3 |
A/B Testing¶
Test improvements:
## A/B Test: Installation Guide
**Hypothesis**: Adding screenshots will improve task completion.
**Metrics**:
- Time on page
- Next page (success indicator)
- Support tickets
**Results**:
- Version A (text only): 45% success
- Version B (with screenshots): 62% success
**Conclusion**: Implement screenshots across guides.
Summary¶
Effective documentation metrics:
- Measure what matters to users and the business
- Enable data-driven decisions
- Demonstrate documentation value
- Guide continuous improvement
Start with basic metrics and expand as you learn what drives improvement.