Tracking your SEO progress can be as tricky as teaching your grandparents how to use Snapchat (believe me, I’ve tried), but seeing actual results is essential.
So, why is SEO tracking so important? Well, it’s like navigating through a foreign country without a map – you might eventually find your way, but it’ll take a lot longer, and you might get lost along the way.
Tracking your SEO efforts helps you see what’s working, what’s not, and what you need to adjust to get the desired results.
But don’t worry; I’m here to help you understand everything! I’ve been through the trials and tribulations of SEO tracking myself, and I’m here to share my knowledge (and a few laughs) with you.
What Is SEO Tracking?
SEO tracking refers to monitoring and measuring the success of your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. In other words, it’s a way to track your website’s performance in Google results pages (SERPs) for various keywords and phrases.
SEO tracking involves analyzing metrics such as keyword rankings, organic traffic, click-through rates (CTR), bounce rates, and conversions.
By tracking these metrics, you can gain insights into what’s working and what’s not with your SEO strategy and adjust your tactics accordingly to improve your website’s visibility and performance in search results.
There are many tools available for SEO tracking, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz, to name a few. These tools allow you to track your website’s performance, specify areas for improvement, and stay up-to-date with the tardily SEO trends and best practices.
With tracking your progress, it’s easier to know whether your efforts are paying off and where to focus your attention to improve your website’s ranking and visibility in search results.
7 Most Important SEO Tracking Metrics You Should Know
Okay, now that we know what SEO tracking is, let’s talk about the most important metrics you should be tracking.
Organic Traffic
Organic traffic guides the number of visitors visiting your website through Google results pages (SERPs) without clicking on a paid ad. In other words, these people found your website by typing a search query related to your business or industry.
Tracking organic traffic is essential because it gives you an idea of your website’s visibility in search results and how many people find it through search engines.
The more organic traffic you get, the more potential customers will find your website and engage with your content.
You can use Google Analytics to track organic traffic, which allows you to see how many people visit your website through organic search and which keywords and phrases cause the most traffic.
This information can assist you in identifying areas for improvement and optimizing your content to target relevant keywords and phrases better.
Keyword Rankings
Keyword rankings refer to where your website ranks in Google results pages (SERPs) for targeted keywords or phrases. For example, if you have a bakery, you must rank on the first page of Google for keywords like ‘bakery near me’ or ‘best cupcakes in town.’
Tracking your keyword rankings is vital because it shows how good your website is optimized for specific keywords and phrases.
The higher your website ranks for suitable keywords, the more likely people are to click through to your website and engage with your content.
You can use various tools to track your keyword rankings, including Google Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz. These tools allow you to see where your website ranks for specific keywords and how your rankings have changed.
Tips that can help you rank your keywords at the first result:
- Conduct keyword research.
- Use your target keywords in your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and content.
- Optimize your website’s loading speed and ensure it’s mobile-friendly.
- Create high-quality and relevant content that’s optimized for your target keywords.
- Build high-quality backlinks from other websites to your website.
- Optimize your website’s pics with defining file names, alt tags, and captions.
- Encourage social sharing of your content to increase visibility and drive traffic to your website.
- Use internal linking to create a clear and logical site structure.
- Regularly update and add fresh content to your website.
- Monitor and analyze your website’s performance using SEO tracking tools and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Backlinks
Backlinks are an essential metric to track because they indicate how well other websites perceive your website and how authoritative it is in your industry.
The more high-quality and relevant backlinks you have, the more likely search engines are to view your website as a believable source of information, leading to higher rankings in search results pages.
Many strategies for building backlinks include guest posting, broken link building, and creating shareable content.
It’s important to state that not all backlinks are created similarly, and it’s more beneficial to have just a few high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites than numerous low-quality backlinks from spammy sites.
You can use various tools to track your backlinks, including Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz. These tools allow you to see how many backlinks your website has, where they are coming from, and how authoritative those websites are.
Here are some tips for building quality links:
- Create high-quality and relevant content that other websites will want to link to.
- Reach out to other websites and offer guest content with links to your website.
- Monitor your competitors’ backlinks and identify opportunities to obtain similar links for your website.
- Offer to exchange backlinks with other relevant websites.
- Participate in industry forums and online communities and add a link to your website in your signature or profile.
- Use social media to share your content and encourage others to link to your website.
- Create and publish original research or data other websites want to link to.
- Collaborate with other websites or businesses to create mutually beneficial content with links to both websites.
Click-Through-Rate (CTR)
CTR measures the ratio of people who click on your website’s link after seeing it in search results or on social media.
A high CTR indicates that your website’s title tags and meta descriptions are compelling and effectively communicate the value of your content to your audience. Conversely, a low CTR may indicate that your title tags and meta descriptions need improvement or that your content needs to meet the needs of your audience.
To improve your CTR, focus on creating engaging and relevant title tags and meta descriptions that accurately reflect the content of your web pages.
Include your target keywords in your title tags and meta descriptions, but avoid keyword stuffing, which can negatively impact your CTR and overall SEO.
You can use tools like Google Search Console to monitor your website’s CTR and identify opportunities for improvement.
Bounce Rate
The bounce rate measures the ratio of those who bounce your site after visiting only one page. If your bounce rate is high, it could suggest that your website needs to improve its user experience or that your content is not interesting or relevant to your audience.
To improve your bounce rate, focus on providing high-quality and relevant content that meets the needs of your audience. In addition, ensure your website is easy to navigate and that your pages load quickly.
You can also use tools like Google Analytics to identify the pages on your website with the highest bounce rates. Once you have identified these pages, review them to see if there are problems with the content or design that may be causing visitors to leave.
It’s important to note that some pages, such as blog posts or informational pages, may have a higher bounce rate than others, such as product or service pages. In these cases, it’s important to provide engaging content and clear calls to action that encourage visitors to explore other pages on your website.
Conversion Rate
The conversion rate is the ratio of website visitors who perform a specific chosen action, such as finishing a purchase or filling out a contact form. Tracking your conversion rate is essential as it directly impacts your bottom line.
To improve your conversion rate, provide clear and compelling calls to action throughout your website. Make it effortless for visitors to take the desired action by giving clear and concise instructions and reducing friction points in the conversion process.
You can also use tools like Google Analytics to identify the pages on your website with the highest conversion rates. Once you have identified these pages, review them to see what elements contribute to their success and replicate them on other pages.
It’s essential to regularly review and optimize your website’s conversion rate to ensure that you maximize your return on investment (ROI) and drive the most revenue possible from your website.
Here are some best practices to increase conversion rate:
- Provide clear, compelling, prominent, and easy-to-find calls to action (CTAs).
- Simplify the design of your website, ensuring that it is visually pleasing and effortless to navigate.
- Ensure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly, adapting to various screen sizes.
- Use high-quality pics and videos that display your products or services visually appealingly.
- Ensure that your website loads fast and efficiently to reduce bounce rates.
- Build belief and credibility with your target audience by utilizing social proof, such as customer reviews and testimonials.
- Offer incentives, such as gratis shipping or discounts, to encourage visitors to take action.
- Use personalization and segmentation to deliver targeted messaging and offers to your audience.
- Simplify the checkout process and reduce unnecessary steps or information the user requires.
- Regularly test and optimize your website’s design and messaging to improve its performance and conversion rate.
Pages Per Session
High pages per session metric can indicate that your website is engaging and providing value to your visitors. It can also increase conversion rates and revenue as visitors are more likely to explore your website and take action.
To improve your pages per session metric, focus on providing a website that is easy to navigate and provides value to your visitors.
Ensure that your website’s design and content are visually appealing and easy to find relevant information.
You can also use tools like Google Analytics to identify the pages on your website with the highest pages per session metrics. Once you have identified these pages, review them to see what elements contribute to their success and replicate them on other pages.
Final Thought
Tracking and analyzing these key SEO metrics can gain a valuable understanding of your website’s performance and identify improvement opportunities.
Improving your website’s SEO can increase traffic, higher search engine rankings, and, ultimately, more revenue for your business.
By implementing the best practices and tips outlined, you can improve your SEO metrics and drive more traffic, engagement, and conversions on your website.
