The right tool depends on your goal
A fast site, good UX, strong SEO. You want to know how your site is performing. But then what? Which tool should you use? And for what exactly?
A marketing analyst wants insights into visitor flows. A developer wants to understand why the LCP score is lagging. Product teams want data to support their design decisions.
This blog brings structure. We outline the key platforms by measurement type. And we explain when to use each tool, with a look at how we approach this at Forge.
What do we mean by "measuring your website"?
Measuring is not a single activity. It covers everything from pageviews to input latency, from keywords to layout shifts.
We group the main goals into four categories:
- Behavior
How do users navigate your site? What do they click? Where do they drop off? - Performance
How fast does your site load and how stable is the experience? - SEO
How well does your site rank and why? - Accessibility
Is your site usable for everyone, including those using screen readers or with impairments?
Depending on your goal, the right tools vary. Some are broad. Others are highly specialized. Often, the best setup is a mix.
Tools in three categories
Behavior and visitor data
- Google Analytics (GA4)
The standard for quantitative user data. Sessions, events, funnels. With some configuration, you get deep insights, though the interface takes getting used to. - Matomo
Open-source alternative to GA4. Offers similar metrics, without third-party data sharing. Ideal for privacy-conscious teams. - Hotjar / Microsoft Clarity
Qualitative insights via heatmaps, session recordings and simple polls. Great for UX research and early hypotheses.
Performance and Speed
- Lighthouse
Open-source audit tool from Google, built into Chrome. Checks performance, accessibility, SEO and more. - WebPageTest
Extremely detailed. Visualizes load steps and performance bottlenecks using waterfall diagrams. - SpeedCurve
Combines synthetic testing with real-user monitoring. Ideal for continuous optimization.
SEO and accessibility
- Ahrefs / SEMrush
Track keywords, backlinks, competitors and run technical SEO audits. - Sitebulb
Crawls your site like a search engine. Excellent for visualizing structure and internal linking quality. - axe DevTools
A browser extension for developers. Makes WCAG issues visible and understandable.
What to use when
Most teams use multiple tools. That makes sense. You need different insights at different moments.
During development
Use Lighthouse and axe DevTools in-browser to catch technical issues early. Combine with WebPageTest for deep analysis of performance bottlenecks.
After launch
Monitor real-user data with SpeedCurve or GA4. Use Hotjar to flag unexpected friction. Run Sitebulb for structural SEO checks.
For optimization or redesign
This is where insights come together. Heatmaps and funnels (Hotjar, GA4), performance dashboards (SpeedCurve) and crawl data (Ahrefs, Sitebulb) shape the roadmap for improvements.
For reporting and stakeholder communication
Choose tools with export or visualization capabilities. Think GA4 dashboards, WebPageTest visual breakdowns or clear SEO summaries from Ahrefs.
Our approach: measurement with purpose
At Forge, measurement is always tied to improvement. Tools are a means, not the end.
We always begin with one question: what are we trying to improve? That could be faster load times, higher conversions or better accessibility. From that goal, we select the right tools and pair them with the right expertise.
That means:
- No generic dashboards but contextual insights
- No technical fixes without UX validation
- No over-optimizing lab scores without real-user data
We connect measurement to action. Tooling feeds directly into design and development sprints. With room for hypotheses, validation and iteration.
Summary
Measuring your website starts with understanding what you want to learn. Then you select the tools, or the mix, that fits that goal.
At Forge, we do more than just set up tools. We turn measurement into momentum. Because data without direction is like a compass without a map.
Wondering what tools fit your situation? We're happy to explore it with you.