5 Key Metrics to Measure Knowledge Base Content Effectiveness Right Now

Beyond setting up your knowledge base and publishing a ton of articles, how do you prove this goldmine of information is actually useful and significantly improves your customer experience? 

What metrics can you track to get meaningful insights on performance and how users interact with your knowledge base? 

Keep reading. We’ll break down the essential metrics you need to measure knowledge base content effectiveness so you know exactly what you’re looking for the next time you review your analytics.

The Importance of Tracking Knowledge Base Performance

Before you take on any new task or project, it’s necessary to define your “why.” Knowing your why in this scenario keeps you laser-focused on what matters as you analyze your data and refine your content strategy. These are the four primary reasons why you need to track your knowledge base content performance:

• To determine usability and adoption. Tracking performance reveals whether or not people actively use your knowledge base and the extent to which they rely on it as a go-to resource. For example, as opposed to raising tickets or contacting support, do they visit your knowledge base to look for solutions on their own? If not, how can you promote it and make it easier for people to access it?

• To gauge user satisfaction and problem-resolution rate. You need to know how efficiently your knowledge base content helps users resolve their issues. Are they satisfied with the solutions provided or do they struggle to find answers? Are there common issues that are yet to be addressed? Armed with insights from customer feedback, you can make informed decisions to update your content and increase satisfaction.

• To identify gaps and areas for improvement. One of the significant advantages of measuring knowledge base content effectiveness is identifying potential gaps in existing information. It sheds light on areas where your knowledge base is lacking and unveils opportunities for improvement. For instance, if people are still raising tickets for issues you’ve covered in your knowledge base articles, then maybe those specific topics require more detailed coverage with additional examples or step-by-step tutorials. You can find insights on this by examining your search analytics and user feedback.

To maintain an accurate and updated knowledge base. A decline in the performance of an article can be an indication of several issues which you won’t be able to identify if you don’t regularly assess your content. New features or changes in technology can affect the relevancy of the information in your articles. Measuring effectiveness enables you to assess the quality and accuracy of content in your knowledge base. This, in turn, ensure users have the right information that enables them to solve their problems effectively.

Ultimately, analyzing performance helps you deliver value, improve content for users, and demonstrate the success of your knowledge base. 

5 Essential Knowledge Base Content Metrics to Track

There are several metrics that play a significant role in showcasing the impact of your knowledge base and providing valuable insights to help you and your team improve. We’ve put them into five key groups.

Each group can be measured using a web analytics tool like Google Analytics or the built-in analytics feature of your knowledge base software. 

1. User Engagement Metrics

• Article Views. This indicates the number of times an article is loaded and shows you what topics are being viewed the most. By monitoring this, you can pinpoint the topics that are most relevant and valuable to users. 

• Average time on page. This shows the time users spend on a specific page or the average time spent across multiple pages. A significant amount of time on a page suggests that the user is engaged and the information provided meets their expectations.

• Exit rate. In conjunction with the average time on the page, this metric measures the percentage of users who leave your knowledge base after viewing a particular page or article. A high exit rate may indicate that the article fails to address the user’s issues, is poorly structured, or lacks relevant information.  Track exit rates across different articles to identify patterns and determine potential issues that may be causing users to leave.

• Click-through rate (CTR). This provides insights into how users interact with search results or links within your knowledge base and helps determine the effectiveness of these elements in guiding users to relevant resources. It informs content optimization efforts such as A/B testing different titles, snippets, or metadata.

2. Search Metrics

• Search success rate. This indicates the percentage of times that users are able to find relevant content when searching for specific terms or phrases. It can be calculated by dividing the number of successful searches by the total number of searches. 

• Failed search rate. This is the percentage of search queries that do not return any results.  It gives you an idea of the information users are looking for that is currently unavailable in your knowledge base. 

• Popular search queries. This is a qualitative metric you can use to track search trends and analyze popular keywords. It highlights user priorities and provides insights into the types of information that users are most interested in.

3. Feedback Metrics

• Article voting ratio. This specifies the ratio of positive votes (e.g., thumbs up) to total votes received on individual articles. It clearly shows which articles have been helpful or unhelpful. Positive votes signify user satisfaction and act as an endorsement of the article’s usefulness. Although not always accurate, it can show when users have been able to solve problems on their own based on the article. 

• Support ticket feedback. This involves analyzing the feedback received through support tickets related to the knowledge base content. User comments, suggestions, or expressions of frustration can reveal reasons why they opened support tickets despite having access to your knowledge base.

4. Self-service Resolution Metrics

• Ticket deflection ratio.  This tracks the percentage of users that are able to resolve their issues without the assistance of a customer service representative. You can determine self-service resolution rates by tracking the number of inquiries users resolve compared to the total number of support tickets raised for information already in your knowledge base.

• Escalation rate. This measures the percentage of inquiries that cannot be resolved through your knowledge base content and requires escalation to a higher level of support. A high escalation rate could indicate that users are struggling to find satisfactory solutions within your knowledge base and can be used to make informed decisions on content updates or optimization.

5. Adoption Metrics

• Unique Users. This is the number of distinct individuals who have interacted with your knowledge base over a specific period of time. It is particularly useful in assessing visibility and reach, as well as improving the user onboarding experience. 

• Frequency of Usage.  It shows the extent to which your knowledge base is being utilized and the number of times individual users access the knowledge base within a specific timeframe. It helps quantify the level of engagement by tracking the number of times users visit and the number of pages they view. 

• Access Point Effectiveness. This involves analyzing user data to understand how they access your knowledge base content. You can determine this by tracking CTR  or monitoring internal referral sources and how well they perform in terms of driving traffic to your knowledge base.

Best Practices for Tracking Knowledge Base Content Effectiveness

Maintaining a successful knowledge base is a work in progress and plays a huge role in increasing customer satisfaction and retention. To better equip yourself for the difficult task of measuring knowledge base content effectiveness, we suggest you follow these best practices. 

Identify goals and objectives

Based on what you want to achieve, choose the metrics that will show your knowledge base performance in relation to those goals. 

For example, if your goals include increasing self-service resolution rates, use metrics such as ticket deflection ratio and escalation rate as a benchmark to measure your effectiveness.

Perform gap analysis 

To accurately perform gap analysis, set up tracking tools to collect data that align with your goals. Ideally, your knowledge base software should have built-in analytics and you can find supplementary data using Google Analytics. 

• Review your analytics. Look at knowledge base metrics like average time on page, search success rate, and article voting ratio. Analyze the data to identify trends and patterns. 

• Take note of FAQs. Find the questions or common issues that come up frequently in customer queries via chats or support emails. Confirm those that are yet to be addressed in your knowledge base, and then create articles based on them. This can also reveal potential topics to fuel your content marketing efforts.

• Run a user test.  Watch a few users navigate your knowledge base and identify areas where they encounter friction and then optimize to improve the experience.

Assess the key pillars of your knowledge base

Lastly, explore the essential components of your knowledge base. These pillars encompass various elements that contribute to its overall performance and impact.

• Content relevance. Conduct a content audit to verify that your content is updated and accurate, then develop a content plan to ensure your knowledge base actually provides answers to the questions that customers tend to ask. 
• Information architecture. Ensure that your knowledge base information is browsable and findable. Use proper categorization, keywords, and tags to group topics and sub-topics. As Hubspot suggests, you should have no more than four sub-categories two to three levels deep. 
• Discoverability. The primary reason for a knowledge base is that people need answers to their questions. If they can’t find it, it becomes useless. Make sure your knowledge base articles are easy to find. You can boost discoverability by integrating it into customer support processes or promoting it through various internal channels.
• User Feedback. Include feedback surveys such as article upvotes at the end of each page or provide an email that users can contact if they have additional questions.

Conclusion: Optimize Your Knowledge Base for Better Performance 

Throughout this article, we have emphasized the importance of tracking knowledge base content effectiveness and the potential benefits it offers. Now it’s time for you to take action by leveraging these metrics to drive improvements, optimize content, and demonstrate the value your knowledge base brings to both users and your organization. Work with our team of SEO experts and talented writers to reach your goals faster.