Search engine optimization (SEO) is an ongoing process with quick dynamics and updates. Due to the high competition and rapidly changing search engine algorithms and trends, the only way to succeed in this field is to constantly track your SEO performance and make wise improvements in your strategy.
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need about search engine optimization analytics and metrics that can help you measure your SEO results.
What Is SEO Performance?
Most often, when people think about SEO performance, they consider how high a specific site ranks in search engine result pages (SERPs) and how much organic traffic it attracts.
These are the two primary indicators search engine optimization aims for. Yet, there are also many other indicators that affect success and that you need to track in order to refine your strategy.
How to Measure SEO Performance?
The process of measuring your SEO performance is commonly called SEO tracking or analytics. Basically, this process implies analyzing quantifiable SEO metrics to see how they change under your optimization efforts, draw valuable insights, and make notable improvements to your strategy that can enhance the effectiveness of your approach.
Today, handling search engine monitoring is easier than ever. There are plenty of different analytical tools that give you a 360-degree outlook on all metrics that are important to you.
For example, NinjaReports is an all-rounded platform that lets you check your SEO ranking, analyze keywords, track backlink health, assess domain authority, and do much more. Platforms like this offer an easy and accurate solution to SEO tracking that can help you make the most out of your strategy.
Search Engine Monitoring 101: Top 7 Metrics to Focus On
Now that you know what SEO performance is and how to keep an eye on it without a hassle, one more thing you need to know is what SEO metrics you need to focus on in your analytics.
Here’s our checklist of the top 7 indicators you need to look at to assess your SEO success:
1. Organic Traffic
The very first indicator to use to measure SEO outcomes is the amount of organic traffic your site receives. In a nutshell, this metric represents the total number of visitors who land on your site organically from unpaid SERPs on Google.
Although this metric typically spans all search engines, the primary focus stays on Google as it covers as many as 90% of all searches performed on the web.
To assess your organic traffic, leverage a web analytics tool of your choice. When just getting started, you need to measure your current traffic, which will serve as a benchmark.
Then, you need to continuously track how your traffic changes as you implement your strategy, detect patterns of which approaches work best for you and find areas for improvement.
2. Keyword Rankings
Apart from organic traffic, the second ultimate indicator of SEO success is your position in SERPs for your target keywords. Eventually, all search engine optimization efforts are geared toward bringing you to the first spot in search results because the higher you get, the more traffic you receive.
So, this is another metric you should consistently keep an eye on.
If you’re wondering how to track search engine rankings, there are a few ways to do this. First, you can manually look up your target keywords in Google and check which spot you take in SERPs.
An easier way to do this is using web analytics tools, like Google Search Console, that show you a comprehensive overview of your rankings progress over time.
How to improve: If you notice your rankings stay low despite your efforts, consider making some strategic improvements. First of all, check the latest SEO updates to see if you're not missing out on any important requirements.
Also, you can conduct competitor SEO comparisons to see how other companies handle their optimization. And finally, adjust your keyword targeting approach.
Sometimes, when your competitors are too huge, for example, if you sell sports apparel and all first spots in SERPs are taken by large brands like Nike and alternatives, you may want to focus on low-competition keywords that are easier to rank for.
3. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
This metric measures the number of clicks your site receives compared to the total number of times it appears in SERPs. Basically, CTR indicates how effectively you use your meta title and description to encourage users to visit your site.
In order to assess your CTR, use a reliable SEO track tool. Also, check out the latest organic and paid CTR benchmarks by industry to see if your metric is high enough or if you need to make strategy adjustments.
If you notice a low CTR, consider changing your meta title and description by making them sharper and more engaging or by targeting another keyword. Then, recheck the result to see if there are any improvements.
4. Bounce Rate and Dwell Time
How many organic visitors you drive to your website is just one side of your SEO results. The second one stands for how effectively you use your on-page optimization and content to keep them engaged, and you need the following two metrics to measure this:
Bounce rate - The number of people quickly leaving your page without navigating to other parts of your site. If it’s too high, it can indicate technical, content, and on-page SEO issues that are holding you back from success.
Dwell time - This metric indicates the total amount of time people take to analyze a web page before returning to SERPs. A high dwell time could mean that your content is engaging and valuable enough that visitors tend to spend more time analyzing the page.
If it’s low, it’s a signal that your page and content don’t match the user’s search intent, and you need to optimize them. An industry benchmark for dwell time is 2-4 minutes, which is what you should strive for.
5. Backlink Health
Backlinks are signals of trust, credibility, and expertness you have in your niche. When they are high-quality, relevant, and come from reputable sites, they can significantly expand the audience you are reaching for and also boost your positions in SERPs.
But if your backlinks are toxic, they can lead to penalties and a significant drop in rankings, so monitoring backlink health is pivotal to assessing your SEO performance.
When you measure SEO backlinks using analytical tools, keep an eye on the total number of backlinks, relevance, domain authority, anchor texts, diversity, and spam score.
If you notice that your backlink health isn't as good as you’d wish, consider analyzing your competitors’ marketing strategies to see how they approach link-building and mimic their efforts for success.
6. Technical SEO Metrics
The next one on our list isn’t a single indicator but rather a set of important SEO metrics that speak for the technical performance of your site. The reason why you should be consistently tracking them is that technical performance greatly affects user experience and can affect how long people who come to your site stay on it, which also affects your rankings.
So here are the key technical indicators you should keep an eye on:
-
Mobile-friendliness
-
Page loading speed
-
Pages indexed
-
Crawl errors
Use suitable technical audit tools to assess your site’s performance based on the indicators mentioned above to identify if there are any mistakes and fix them.
7. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
The last one is also a set of SEO performance metrics that measure how well you handle conversion optimization. Basically, CRO metrics help you understand how well you convert site visitors (aka, make them perform your target action) and detect areas for improvement so that your SEO can fuel your business growth through conversions.
Some of the main CRO indicators to focus on in your SEO tracking include:
-
Average time on page
-
Pages per session
-
Form abandonment rate
-
Bounce rate
These indicators can give you a deep look into user engagement and help you see how to interact with them more efficiently.
Conclusion
SEO tracking is an integral part of search engine optimization. It enables you to set clear benchmarks, watch how your results change as you unfold your efforts, and, most importantly, make strategic improvements to achieve greater outcomes.
After reading this guide, you know the top 7 crucial indicators to help you measure SEO success and detect gaps. Start using the tips from this guide now to boost your rankings and get the most benefits from your search engine optimization strategy!
