12 Traction Metrics Every Startup Must Track (+ Benchmarks 2025)
Growth Marketing
Bastiaan van Mastrigt
12 mins
November 15, 2025
You're running ads. You're posting content. You're building features your users might love. But here's the question that keeps you up at night: Is any of this actually working?
Most founders chase growth blindly. They spend money on Google ads without knowing the cost per customer. They publish blog posts without tracking organic traffic. They test new channels without measuring which ones bring real users.
And then they wonder why their startup feels stuck. The frustration is real. You're working harder than ever. But you can't tell if you're moving forward or just spinning your wheels.
But here's the truth: When you measure the right traction metrics, everything changes. You gain control. You stop guessing and start knowing. You see what works and what doesn't.
The 12 Essential Traction Metrics
1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), The Number That Controls Everything
This is how much you spend to get one customer.
Simple math. If you spend $500 on ads and get 10 customers, your CAC is $50. That's it.
But here's why it matters: Your CAC tells you if your growth is sustainable. If it costs you $200 to acquire a customer who only pays you $50, you're burning money. Fast.
2. Cost Per Click (CPC), What Your Visibility Actually Costs
CPC measures how much you pay each time someone clicks your ad.
And here's the thing founders miss: Low CPC feels good. But cheap clicks from people who'll never buy aren't a win. They're a waste. What you want is efficient CPC, paying reasonable prices for clicks that convert.
3. Conversion Rate, The Metric That Separates Winners from Pretenders
Ten people clicked your ad. Two became customers. That's 20%. That's your power number.
Conversion rate shows how well your offer matches your audience. It reveals if your messaging works. It tells you if your product actually solves the problem you claim it solves.
But here's what matters more than the number: Is it improving? If your conversion rate climbs month over month, you're learning. You're getting better.
If it's flat or falling, something's broken.
4. Organic Traffic Growth Rate, The Compound Interest of Startups
Organic traffic is people finding you without paid ads.
They search for something. You show up. They click. They become customers.
And it compounds. Every blog post you publish keeps working for months. Every backlink you earn keeps sending traffic. Every keyword you rank for keeps bringing visitors while you sleep.
5. Keyword Rankings, Your Visibility Score in Google's Eyes
Where do you show up when someone searches for what you sell? Page one means visibility. Page two means invisibility.
Keyword rankings matter because they predict traffic. Rank in the top three positions, and you'll get 50–60% of all clicks. Drop to position 10, and you're fighting for scraps.
6. Time to First Customer, The Momentum Metric
How long did it take to get your first paying customer after launching a new channel?
Under 30 days is fast. You've found product-market fit in that channel. 60–90 days is okay. You're learning, iterating, getting closer. More than 90 days? You're stuck. Pivot.
7. Channel Contribution %, Where Your Growth Really Comes From
Which traction channels bring you the most customers? Is it SEO? Paid ads? Referrals? Partnerships? Content marketing?
You need to know. Because the channel that brings 60% of your customers deserves 60% of your attention. Most startups spread themselves too thin. They test 10 channels at once. They do everything poorly instead of one thing brilliantly.
Want to know which traction channels to test first? Read our breakdown using the Bullseye Framework.
8. Payback Period, The Cash Flow Reality Check
Here's a question that keeps CFOs awake: How long does it take to earn back what you spent acquiring a customer? If you spend $300 on ads to get a customer who pays $100 per month, your payback period is three months.
This metric protects your cash flow. Short payback periods mean you can reinvest profits quickly. Long payback periods mean you need more runway.
9. Search Impression Share, The Opportunity You're Missing
This shows how visible you are in search results compared to how visible you could be. If you have 30% impression share, you're showing up for 30% of relevant searches. You're missing 70% of potential traffic.
It's a wake-up call metric. It tells you there's more growth available if you invest more or optimize better. In paid search, 50–60% impression share is solid for competitive industries. Above 70% means you're dominating. Below 30% means you're barely visible.
10. Click-Through Rate (CTR), Does Your Message Land?
People see your ad or search result. Do they click?
CTR measures message-market fit. If people aren't clicking, your headline doesn't grab them. Your value proposition doesn't resonate. Your offer doesn't match what they want.
11. Quality Score (for SEA), The Money-Saving Metric
Google rates your ads on relevance. That rating is your Quality Score. Higher scores mean lower costs. Lower scores mean you pay more for the same clicks. It's Google's way of rewarding good ads and punishing bad ones.
A Quality Score of 7 or above is good. 8–10 is excellent. Below 5 means you're wasting money. This metric can cut your CPC in half. That's the difference between profitable and unprofitable campaigns.
12. Domain Authority Growth, Your Long-Term Brand Strength
Domain Authority is Google's trust score for your website. It's measured on a scale from 1 to 100. Higher means more trust, better rankings, and more organic traffic.
New startups start around 10–20. Established companies sit at 40–60. Industry leaders hit 70+. What matters isn't the number today. It's the trend. Is your authority climbing month over month?
Benchmarks by Stage - What Good Looks Like
At pre-seed, you're chasing patterns. You're testing channels. You're looking for signals in the noise.
Your CAC might be high, $500 or more. That's okay. You're learning. Your organic traffic might be tiny, 100–500 visits per month. That's fine. You're building.
At seed stage, you're validating systems. You've found one or two channels that work. Now you're optimizing them.
Your CAC should be dropping, $200–$400. Your organic traffic should be growing, 1,000–5,000 visits per month. Your conversion rates should be improving with every test.
By Series A, you're optimizing for scale. You know your numbers. You know what works.
Measure progress. Not perfection. Every stage has different targets. Know where you are and what good looks like for your level.
When a Channel Is Working vs. Failing
Here's how you know a channel is working: Your CAC is dropping or stable. Your conversion rate is climbing. Your volume is growing. That's momentum. That's a signal to invest more.
Here's how you know a channel is failing: Your CAC is rising faster than your revenue. Your conversion rate is flat or falling. Your volume has plateaued. That's friction. That's a signal to pivot.
And here's the thing most founders miss: Some channels start slow and explode later. SEO is like that. Content marketing is like that. You invest for months before you see results.
Know Your Numbers. Grow Your Traction.
Metrics aren't just math. They're the story of your growth. They tell you what's working and what's not. They show you where to invest and where to cut. They turn uncertainty into confidence.
Track these 12 traction metrics every month. Compare them to the benchmarks. Watch for trends.
And remember: You're not chasing perfection. You're chasing progress. Every improvement compounds. Every optimization adds up. Every test teaches you something.
Want help tracking your traction metrics and building a system that actually scales? Book your free 30-minute traction audit. We'll show you exactly where your growth is stuck, and how to fix it. Now get out there. Measure your traction. And build something that grows.
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