Tracking patient-flow: The 5 metrics every clinic owner should watch

Most clinic owners check Google Analytics once a month, see "traffic is up," and assume everything's fine. But traffic doesn't pay the bills; bookings do. Here are the metrics that actually matter.

The 5 metrics that matter

1. Conversion rate (visitors → leads)

This is the percentage of visitors who take a desired action: submitting a form, clicking to call, or booking directly. For most clinics, a healthy conversion rate is 2 to 4%.

How to track it: Set up goal tracking in Google Analytics 4 for form submissions and phone clicks. Monitor monthly trends.

2. Form submission completion rate

Of the visitors who start filling out your contact form, how many actually complete it? If you're losing more than 30% during form fill, your form is too long or broken.

How to track it: Use GA4 form interaction events or tools like Hotjar to see where users drop off.

3. Click-to-call rate (mobile)

On mobile, how many visitors click your phone number? This is often the fastest path to booking, especially for urgent or high-consideration services.

How to track it: Set up phone number click tracking as a custom event in GA4.

4. Traffic source performance

Not all traffic is equal. Organic search, Google Ads, and direct traffic typically convert better than social media. Know which sources drive actual leads, not just pageviews.

How to track it: In GA4, compare conversion rates by source/medium. Double down on what works.

5. Page-level conversion rates

Which pages drive the most bookings? Your homepage, service pages, and "about" pages often perform very differently. If a page gets lots of traffic but zero conversions, it's a leak.

How to track it: Use GA4's landing page report filtered by conversions.

What to do with this data

• If conversion rate is below 2%, audit your CTAs, form design, and mobile experience
• If form completion is below 70%, simplify your form
• If click-to-call rate is low on mobile, make your phone number more prominent
• If a traffic source brings visitors but no conversions, either improve the page they land on or reduce spend on that source

Bottom line: Tracking these five metrics will give you a clear picture of where your website is working and where it's leaking patients. More importantly, it tells you exactly what to fix first.