How often should I look at my startup's numbers?
19 September 2026 · by Nordva, who make Nordva Launch
The short answer
Once a week, at a fixed time, for about half an hour. Look at the same few numbers in the same order (visitors by source, signups by source, what users asked for, who paid or cancelled) and end with one decision you write down. Daily checks mostly show noise at small numbers; monthly checks react too late.
Why weekly
With small numbers, days are noisy. Twelve visitors on Monday and thirty on Tuesday usually means nothing. A week smooths out the noise and still leaves time to act on what you see. Monthly is too slow early on: a broken signup form can cost you a month of signups before you notice.
The routine, in order
- Visitors by source. Which places sent people this week, and was anything new?
- Signups by source. Which places sent people who signed up? This ranking often differs from the first.
- What users asked for. Read the week’s feedback and support messages. Note repeats.
- Who paid, who cancelled. New customers and where they came from; cancellations and what they said before leaving.
- One decision. Write it down: “post in that forum again”, “fix the setup step”, “stop the ad”. Next week, start by checking whether you did it and what happened.
Half an hour is enough. If it takes longer, you’re looking at too many numbers.
Keep a log
A plain document with one entry per week: the four numbers and the decision. After two months it shows trends no dashboard does, and it keeps you honest about what you tried.
One week’s entry, as an example
Made-up, to show the size of it:
Week 38. Visitors 410 (forum post 180, search 90, direct 140). Signups 22 (forum 14). Feedback: three people asked for CSV export, two stuck at connecting data. Paid: 2 new (both forum), 1 cancelled (said setup was confusing). Decision: shorten the connect-data step before posting again.
Five lines. Next week starts by checking whether the setup change happened and what it did.
What not to do
- Don’t refresh the dashboard all day. It feels like work and changes nothing.
- Don’t add a number you won’t act on. Every number on the list should be able to change a decision.
- Don’t judge a change after a day. Give it a week or two at small numbers.
With Nordva Launch
Insights puts visitors by source, signups and, with Stripe connected (read-only, every plan), paying customers by source and cancelled subscriptions on one page; Feedback holds what people asked for (50 messages a month on Free). On Mondays Launch can email you a weekly digest, if you switch it on, so the routine starts in your inbox.
When Launch is the wrong tool
On launch day, or during a paid campaign with a daily budget, checking more often makes sense; this routine is for ordinary weeks.
- What metrics should I review every week?
- How often should I check my analytics?
- Should I look at my dashboard every day?