You’ve invested time and money in SEO, expecting better results like more website visitors and higher search rankings. But the results aren’t meeting your expectations. Your SEO data feels like a mess, with numbers scattered everywhere. Your team or agency provides lots of confusing information, making it hard to know what to do next.
Leading your team confidently requires knowing which metrics matter to improving your search engine optimization strategy by defining and tracking SEO KPIs.
SEO is powerful because it drives business growth. Hubspot’s 2024 State of Marketing report found that marketing leaders voted SEO the highest return on investment, making it more effective than other marketing strategies.
To strengthen your SEO strategy:
- Keep Testing and Iterating: Regularly update your approach based on new data.
- Focus on Key Metrics: Identify which metrics truly matter.
- Guide Your Team: Use these insights to lead your team effectively.
But which metrics should you focus on? Organic traffic, leads, keyword rankings, or conversions? Knowing and focusing on the right metrics will give you the confidence to reach your goals and improve your SEO strategy.
Before you jump into the SEO metrics..
Ask yourself, “Which part of my SEO strategy needs the most impact?” You might want to boost organic traffic or drive more conversions.
Tracking every single SEO metric can feel overwhelming and confusing. Not every metric matters equally across all aspects of SEO, and without a clear system, it’s hard to understand everything.
It’s crucial to identify the right SEO KPIs to track. Measuring and analyzing various SEO metrics, such as organic click-through rate, keyword rankings, and historical performance, helps prove the value and ROI of SEO efforts, communicate effectively with clients, and enhance client satisfaction.
Fortunately, as a marketing leader, you’re not responsible for understanding everything.
You should understand the stages of the funnel that each primary section of your site addresses. When you combine that with these important SEO KPIs, you’ve got yourself a strategic framework.
SEO KPIs to Track that Matter
Each SEO metric is connected to concrete outcomes. By monitoring and evaluating them, you can confidently guide your organic search team (or yourself) to success.
Using a combination of Google Analytics 4 and SEO tools like Semrush and Ahrefs, you can track and analyze various SEO metrics to measure campaign performance and demonstrate ROI.
1. Revenue
What is Revenue?
- Definition: Revenue is your website’s money from all its activities, like sales or closed deals.
- Why It Matters: It shows how successful your SEO strategy brings in money, ultimately affecting the company’s bottom line.
- Funnel Stage: Middle to Bottom – Relevant for stages where you evaluate the financial success of your SEO strategy.
Why Measure revenue?
Financial Success: It shows the financial success of your SEO efforts by tracking and demonstrating SEO ROI.
Strategy Comparison: This helps you compare how different SEO strategies are performing.
3 Ways to Improve Revenue
- Optimize High-Value Keywords: Target keywords that attract visitors who are ready to make a purchase or convert.
- Improve Conversion Rates: Use CRO techniques to turn more visitors into customers.
- Enhance Product Pages: Make product pages more optimized, appealing, and informative to increase sales.
Site Sections
- Product Pages: Detailed descriptions, high-quality images, and clear CTAs.
- Checkout Process: Streamlined and user-friendly to encourage completion.
- Landing Pages: Optimized for targeted campaigns.
2. Conversions
What are conversions?
- Definition: Conversions are actions visitors take on your website, like purchasing or submitting a form.
- Why It Matters: Higher conversions mean more visitors are doing what you want them to do, which shows that your SEO is effective.
- Funnel Stage: Middle to Bottom – Relevant for stages where you want visitors to take specific actions.
Why conversions Matters
- Success Indicator: It shows how well your website persuades visitors to take action, which is a crucial aspect of SEO performance.
- Goal Achievement: Helps you see if you’re meeting your business goals.
3 Ways to Increase Conversions
- Use Clear CTAs: Make your calls-to-action obvious and compelling.
- Optimize Landing Pages: Ensure landing pages are relevant and persuasive.
- Improve User Experience: Make your website easy to navigate and use.
Site Sections
- Landing Pages: Focused content with clear CTAs.
- Forms: Simple and easy to complete.
- Call-to-Action Buttons: Prominent and persuasive.
3. Conversion Rate
What is the conversion rate?
- Definition: Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action on your website.
- Why It Matters: A higher conversion rate means more visitors become customers or leads.
- Funnel Stage: Middle to Bottom – Relevant for stages where you aim to convert visitors.
Why Measure Conversion Rate?
- Effectiveness: It shows how effectively your website converts visitors, which is crucial to SEO success.
- Optimization Insight: Helps you identify areas for improvement.
3 Ways to Improve Your Conversion Rate
- A/B Testing: Test different versions of pages to see what works best. The placement of your CTAs matters more than you think.
- Improve Page Load Speed: Faster pages can lead to higher conversion rates.
- Enhance Trust Signals: Use reviews, testimonials, and secure badges to build trust.
Site Sections
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- Product Pages: Optimized for performance and user engagement.
- Checkout Process: Fast and simple.
- Landing Pages: Tailored to specific high-intent keywords and audiences.
4. AOV (Average Order Value)
What Is AOV?
- Definition: AOV is the average amount of money each customer spends per order.
- Why It Matters: A higher AOV means more revenue per transaction.
- Funnel Stage: Bottom – Relevant for stages where you focus on maximizing sales.
Why Measure AOV?
- Revenue Insight: It helps you understand your revenue per customer.
- Sales Strategy: This shows how effective your upselling and cross-selling strategies are on your website.
3 Ways to Improve AOV
- Upsell and Cross-Sell: Suggest higher-priced items or related products.
- Bundle Products: Offer product bundles at a discount.
- Improve Product Descriptions: Make descriptions detailed and appealing to encourage higher purchases.
Site Sections
- Product Pages: Include upsell and cross-sell suggestions.
- Cart Page: Display bundled offers.
- Checkout Process: Highlight additional products or services.
5. SEO Traffic
What is SEO Traffic?
- Definition: Traffic is the number of visitors who come to your website.
- Why It Matters: More traffic means more potential customers and leads. It also is a strong signal search engines view you as an authority.
- Funnel Stage: Top – Relevant for stages where you want to attract visitors.
Why Measure Traffic?
- Visibility: It shows how visible your website is on search engines.
- Growth Potential: Helps you see if your SEO efforts are attracting more visitors.
3 Ways to Improve SEO Traffic
- Create High-Quality Content: Publish valuable and engaging content regularly. Search engines value consistency. Use Google Analytics to track and analyze website organic traffic, engagement, and keyword rankings.
- Build Backlinks: Get other reputable websites to link to your content.
- Optimize for Search Engines: Use effective SEO tactics to improve your rankings.
Site Sections
- Blog: Regularly updated with high-quality content.
- Home Page: Optimized for SEO with clear navigation.
- Resource Pages: Valuable content that attracts links and shares.
6. Search Market Share
What is Search Market Share?
- Definition: Search market share is the percentage of total searches in your industry that result in clicks to your website.
- Why It Matters: A higher search market share shows you are more visible and relevant in search results than competitors.
- Funnel Stage: Top to Bottom – Relevant across all stages to gauge overall performance.
Why Measure Search Market Share?
- Competitive Insight: It shows how you compare your competitors in search visibility.
- Growth Tracking: This helps you track your growth and presence in search engines over time. Using Google Search Console and SEO tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs, your team can track and analyze search visibility and performance.
3 Ways to Improve Search Market Share
- Target Competitor Keywords: Focus on keywords your competitors rank for.
- Enhance Brand Presence: Build a strong online presence through content marketing and social media.
- Improve User Experience: Ensure your website is optimized, user-friendly, and engaging.
Site Sections:
- Competitive Analysis Pages: Compare your offerings with competitors.
- Content Hub: Central location for industry-leading content.
- Customer Testimonials: Showcase customer success stories to build trust and authority. With the rise of AI, search engines are seeking more content that can only be written by you.
Focus on What Matters
As a marketing leader, your responsibility is to drive significant revenue growth for your company. Concentrate on the crucial SEO metrics outlined above, as they directly impact your financial outcomes.
Ranking on the first page of search engine results pages (SERPs) is crucial as it significantly impacts organic traffic from top search engines.
Avoid getting bogged down in details like click-through (CTR) and bounce rates. Your team should manage these elements and provide insights on how they affect your SEO key performance indicators (KPIs). Your role is to allocate resources and shape strategies based on their analysis and the performance outcomes.
Focusing on these essential SEO metrics can enhance your strategy and achieve a higher return on investment. This approach will empower you to oversee your SEO efforts and confidently lead your team.
Need some help with prioritizing what matters to your SEO plan? Take a look at our Free SEO Diagnostic. 👇🏼
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