Social media refers to platforms where users create, share, and discuss content in public or semi-public feeds (posts, stories, comments, DMs). In web analytics, “social” is a traffic source and a channel that drives visits, shapes brand demand, and influences conversion paths alongside email, search, and direct. You’ll often split it into paid, owned, and earned activity to understand impact on acquisition and retention.
Why analysts care: social traffic affects top-of-funnel awareness and mid-funnel engagement, and frequently assists conversions rather than closing them. That’s why clean UTM parameters on links and a clear attribution model matter. Expect measurement gaps from “dark social” (shares via messengers) and walled-garden reporting—always reconcile platform-reported metrics with on-site data like sessions, unique visitors, and conversions.
Core metrics for social media analytics
| Metric | What it tells you | Common pitfall |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions / Reach (unique) | Visibility of a post or ad | Double-counting reach vs impressions |
| CTR — Click-Through Rate | Link effectiveness to your site | Comparing CTR across formats without context |
| Engagement Rate | Content resonance on-platform | Inflated by vanity reactions |
| Social Sessions / Users | On-site traffic from social | Missing UTMs → misattributed to “direct” |
| Assisted Conversions | Influence in multi-touch paths | Last-click bias hides social’s impact |
Engagement Rate (simplified): ER=Reactions + Comments + Shares + Link ClicksImpressions\text{ER}=\frac{\text{Reactions + Comments + Shares + Link Clicks}}{\text{Impressions}}ER=ImpressionsReactions + Comments + Shares + Link Clicks
Mini-example: A post gets 80 reactions, 20 comments, 10 shares, 90 link clicks, and 10,000 impressions.
ER = (80+20+10+90) / 10,000 = 2%.
How to analyze social as a web analyst
- Treat social as a channel in acquisition reports and segment by paid vs organic.
- Standardize UTM parameters (source=platform, medium=social / social_paid, campaign=clear name).
- Evaluate landing pages with Engagement Rate and CTR to debug content–audience fit.
- Use pathing/attribution to surface assisted conversions and quantify social’s upstream value.
- Track shareability: add copy-ready links, preview images, and measure secondary traffic from referrals.