Everyone agrees that documentation is critical to a product’s success. In this section, we asked our respondents what metrics they use measure the their documentation’s performance, and how it impacts their business.
believe their docs generate at least as many leads as their marketing sites
don’t track metrics or measure the success of their documentation at all
Measuring documentation’s success
Our survey showed that teams use all kinds of different methods to measure success — but many don’t track anything at all.
How teams measure the success of their user-facing docs
[Select all that apply]
A surprising number of companies don’t track any docs metrics at all. And there’s a clear gap here. Respondents know that docs are important — but have no clear way to prove it.
When it comes to tracking business results — like sign-ups, leads, or revenue — even fewer teams measure these things. It’s clear that connecting documentation to real business outcomes is still a serious challenge.
How teams track their internal documentation metrics
Many companies also miss out on tracking internal metrics — like how fresh their content is, or how quickly they update docs.
Internal metrics tracked for documentation processes
[Select all that apply]
For teams that do track this, the focus is usually on keeping docs up-to-date and measuring how long it takes to publish changes. But plenty of teams aren’t measuring internal processes at all.
How documentation helps bring in new leads
We also asked if companies track whether their docs help generate leads or trial sign-ups. Most said no — but more than a quarter do track this, proving it’s possible when teams have the right setup.
Do you track inbound leads or trial activations from your user-facing docs?
Companies tracking lead gen from their docs, by size
Interestingly, smaller companies are more likely to track lead generation than mid-sized ones. This might be because small teams are more flexible, while mid-sized companies haven’t yet built the systems larger companies have.
Do docs or marketing sites bring in more leads?
When comparing their docs to their marketing site, more than half of respondents said their docs generate as many leads, and some said their docs generate more.
Do you think your user-facing documentation generates more or fewer leads than your product marketing site?
That’s a strong sign that docs are more than just a support tool — they can drive real business growth if companies take them seriously.
How teams measure their docs’ onboarding success
Most companies agree that good documentation is key to getting users started. But more than a third of teams don’t measure how effective their docs are at onboarding new users — which is a big missed opportunity.
For those that do measure it, customer feedback is the most common way to check if onboarding docs are working.
How do you measure the effectiveness of your user-facing documentation when it comes to onboarding new users?
Which types of docs help most with onboarding
When we asked which types of docs help most with onboarding, tutorials and step-by-step guides were the clear favorites. API references and integration docs came next.
How well do docs help end users solve problems on their own?
Helping users solve problems on their own is one of the best ways docs can reduce support costs. Nearly 80% of people said their troubleshooting docs are at least somewhat effective.
Current troubleshooting documentation effectiveness
But despite that confidence, almost half of teams don’t track success for troubleshooting docs — so have no way to measure it.
How do you measure the effectiveness of user-facing documentation in helping them troubleshoot?
For those that do measure it, the most common methods are tracking fewer support tickets and seeing how often customers can fix issues without needing help.
Even though teams know docs are valuable here, many still aren’t collecting data to prove it.
Strategic implications
Teams struggle to prove docs’ business value without better metrics
Even though everyone agrees docs are important, most teams can’t clearly show how documentation impacts business results. A lot of companies aren’t tracking metrics at all — which makes it hard to get credit for the value docs bring.
Three big problems stood out across the survey and our interviews:
– It’s hard to link docs to business outcomes — Few teams track things like conversions or revenue from documentation pages.
– There are no measurement tools in place — Many companies, especially smaller ones, don’t have systems to measure docs properly.
– There aren’t enough resources — Teams are so busy creating content that they don’t have time to track performance.
Rob Gray explained the challenges of finding solid data to back up the perceived value of docs:
And Gabor Szárnyas explained the difficulties of analyzing the metrics they can track — and then connecting them with business outcomes:
You need both quantitative and qualitative data to measure impact
Some teams only track numbers like page views. Others rely on user feedback. The best approach? Use both.
Mirna Wong described her team’s process at dbt Labs:
Numbers can show what’s happening, but feedback explains why it’s happening. Combining the two gives a clearer picture of how well your docs are working, why they’re working, and how they can improve.
Docs can make or break a sale — if you track their role
Docs don’t just help after someone becomes a customer — they also play a big part in the sales process:
– Helping prospects validate technical details and onboard themselves
– Letting users explore on their own before talking to sales
– Making it easier to find information than on marketing pages, and with more detail
– Standing out against competitors with weaker documentation
If you track how docs support sales, you can show they’re not just a support tool — they help close deals too.
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