The 7 KPIs that really count – and how to measure them accurately
Many teams are drowning in metrics and still manage "by gut feeling." The key isn't more data, but measurement quality : a few, stable KPIs directly linked to revenue – consistently collected via GA4/GTM , form/UTM standards , and your CRM .
In this article, we prioritize 7 KPIs , provide formulas , target value guidelines , typical sources of error – and a 10-step checklist for a clean setup (including server-side option).
The 7 KPIs (definition, formula, practice)
Note: Phrases for B2B/services and e-commerce; choose the appropriate ones.
1) Qualified Opportunities per week (QO/W)
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Why: Your North Star in B2B/Service. Only opportunities fill the pipeline, not "leads".
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Definition: Number of opportunities that meet your qualification criteria (e.g., budget, need, authority, timing) per calendar week.
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Formula:
QO/W = #SQO in Woche n -
Target: Rising & stable; volatility < 20% week-to-week.
2) Lead-to-Opportunity Conversion (L→O)
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Why: It demonstrates the quality of traffic, funnel, and nurture.
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Formula:
CR L→O = SQO / Leads -
Target range: B2B 10–25% (depending on qualification hurdles), E-Com (high-ticket) 5–12%.
3) Opportunity to Customer (O→C)
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Why: It measures sales efficiency (pitch, offer, fit).
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Formula:
CR O→C = Neukunden / SQO -
Target: 20–40% in well-managed pipelines.
4) Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
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Why: Foundation for ROI management.
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Formula:
CAC = (Paid Media + MarTech + Agentur/Team) / Neukunden -
Tip: Proportional MarTech/Team costs on a monthly basis.
5) Customer Lifetime Value (LTV/CLTV)
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Why: Without LTV, CAC is worthless.
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Formula (simplified model):
LTV = Durchschnittsmarge pro Kauf × Käufe pro Kunde × Retention-Faktor -
Orientation: Target:
LTV/CAC ≥ 3(E-Com more like 3–5, B2B varies greatly).
6) Time-to-First-Lead (TtFL)
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Why: Early indicator after campaign launch.
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Formula:
TtFL = Tage vom Launch bis zum ersten validen Lead -
Guideline: < 14 days (Search faster than Social).
7) Repeat/Retention Rate (E-Com) or SQL Rate (B2B)
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E-Com Repeat:
Repeat-Rate = Kunden mit ≥2 Käufen / alle Käufer -
B2B SQL rate:
SQL-Rate = SQL / MQL(Sales-Accepted Leads in relation to Marketing Leads) -
Why: To make binding or quality sharpness visible.
Measurement architecture: "Less, but clean"
A) Event standard in GA4/GTM
Define a few stable events + parameters:
| Event | When to fire? | Important parameters |
|---|---|---|
lead_submit
|
Form/quiz submitted (DoI optional) |
form_name , lead_type , value
|
booking
|
Appointment booked |
meeting_type , value
|
pricing_view
|
Price/plan page viewed | plan |
case_download
|
Case/Asset loaded | asset_id |
purchase
|
E-Com Checkout |
value , currency
|
signup |
SaaS Trial/Account | plan |
Principle: Only include events that you will use to your advantage . Remove everything else.
B) UTM & Form Hygiene
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Mandatory:
utm_source,utm_medium,utm_campaign, optionalutm_content,utm_term. -
Hidden fields in the form:
utm_*,gclid,fbclid,landing_page,referrer. -
Naming convention: lowercase,
-instead of_, no special characters.
C) CRM mapping (HubSpot/ActiveCampaign/Pipedrive)
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Objects/Stages: Lead/MQL → SQL/SQO → Offer → Won/Lost.
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Auto-Stamp: Transfer form/UTM data to CRM fields (First-Touch, Last-Touch).
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Sync: Daily; Duplicate rules & Lead enrichment (optional).
D) Dashboard
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Core charts: QO/W, CR L→O, O→C, CAC, TtFL, LTV (or SQL Rate/Repeat Rate).
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Drill-downs: Channel, Campaign, Persona, Landing page.
Server-side tracking: Yes or no?
It offers advantages if:
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Paid spending > 8–10k CHF/month ,
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stricter browser/IT policies,
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Exact attribution is critical (multi-channel, high iOS share).
Advantages: more stable tracking, better cookie lifetimes, less ad-block impact.
Disadvantages: Setup effort + ongoing costs.
Decision: Useful from Pro / Scale level upwards; often optional in Core .
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
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ROAS tunnel vision: Without LTV/CAC you'll miss the target.
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Event inflation: 40 events, but no KPI improves. → 7–10 are sufficient.
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Inefficient UTM: Inconsistent capitalization, typos, missing standards → data garbage.
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CRM without tiered logic: No clear definition of MQL, SQL/SQO.
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No data QA: Events fire twice, parameters are missing.
10-step checklist for clean measuring
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Fix the KPI set (the 7 above, including definitions).
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Write the event plan (name, trigger, parameters).
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Define UTM standard + sheet for all.
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Form hidden fields (UTM, gclid/fbclid, landing_page, referrer).
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Building & testing GTM tags (Preview, DebugView in GA4).
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CRM fields for First/Last-Touch + Stages (MQL/SQL/SQO).
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Mark goals/conversions in GA4 (only the important ones).
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Dashboard in Looker/Data Studio with 6-8 core tiles.
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QA ritual: weekly data review (sampling, deduplication).
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Alerting: Slack/email when KPI drops (e.g. QO/W −30% WoW).
Mini sample calculation (B2B)
Assuming in the month:
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Leads: 200
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SQO: 30 → CR L→O = 30/200 = 15%
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New customers: 9 → CR O→C = 9/30 = 30%
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Spend & costs: 25,000 CHF → CAC = 25,000 / 9 = 2,777.78 CHF
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LTV (Contribution Margin): CHF 10,000 → LTV/CAC ≈ 3.6 ✅
Conclusion
Growth requires measurement quality , not data quantity.
If you consistently measure 7 KPIs , keep events/UTM clean, and clarify CRM levels, you will make decisions that work – from the first lead to the customer.
Next Steps:
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Adopt the KPI template for your team (definitions + formulas).
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Arrange a no-obligation initial consultation and have your measurement setup checked.