Analytics & SEO: 5 Insightful Metrics You Need to Know

Do you know how to show the ROI on your SEO strategy? It’s more than keyword ranking. Discover five other metrics you need to start tracking today!

Putting together a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is vital, but how do you know if it’s working? You need to measure the results of your campaign to make sure you’re getting the results you want.
When you know exactly what your SEO strategy is producing, it’s easier to show the positive return on investment and help your company’s leaders understand the benefits it brings. But do you know what to measure?
It’s not just about page or keyword rank. Here are five metrics to keep track of so you can measure returns, track additional leads, and double down on your most successful strategies.

Growth in Organic Search Traffic

You don’t want to measure your web traffic as a whole, you want to measure organic traffic in particular. How can you tell the difference? If you go to your traffic report in Google Analytics, you can click on the “Channels” subheading. You can also use paid SEO tools like SEMrush for a more detailed review.
This will show you how much of your traffic is organic vs. other types. Click on “Organic” to get a more detailed report. As you track this over time, you’ll be able to show that your SEO strategy is working to bring in new leads.

Increase in Engagement Metrics

One of the things that has a big impact on how highly your website ranks in search engine results is how long (and how well) your readers interact with your site. You want to optimize your site to be highly engaging and provide a lot of value.
Be sure to track statistics like bounce times, page views, and time on page. If these numbers are going up, not only are you delivering more value to your reader and building a relationship, you’re gaining authority in the eyes of search engines as well.
To find this information in Google Analytics, go to Behavior --> Overview. When you view the full report, you’ll see the number of page views, time spent on each page, bounce rate, and more. When you find a page that’s doing really well, analyze what’s working and implement those best practices across your site.

Quality and Number of Backlinks

One way that people discover your website is through search. Another way is through links on other sites. Backlinks are not only a great way to gain visitors, they are a top ranking factor for search engine results.
You can use a program like Monitor Backlinks to keep track of what links you have and whether or not they are high-quality. This software will show you whether the incoming links are from sites with a high trust, quality, and domain authority.
If you don’t have many backlinks, you may want to work on strategies like media outreach, finding mentions and asking for links, and guest posting. All of these will improve your profile both in the eyes of Google and your potential customers.
Don’t have time to do outreach? You can also work with an online marketing company to help you build your online profile.

Mobile Traffic

Google consistently rewards sites that are optimized for mobile devices, and people use mobile devices more than they use traditional computers. You have to make sure your website looks good on a small screen while loading quickly and providing great value.
Mobile rankings can differ from desktop rankings, although Google has moved to mobile-first indexing. If you’re doing well with mobile traffic, it’s a great sign for your overall traffic and means you’re ranking for mobile-specific keywords as well.
To look for this, go to Google Analytics under Audience --> Mobile --> Overview. This report will show you how your mobile site stacks up and what percentage of your traffic is from mobile devices.

Click-Through Rate

As your website shows up in search results, are people actually clicking to come visit you? If not, all the SEO work you’re doing is in vain, so this is a very important metric. Google may or may not use click-through rate (CTR) as a ranking factor, but it doesn’t matter. You need traffic!
You can find these results in the Google Search Console. Go to Search Traffic --> Search Analytics. You’ll see boxes for clicks, CTR, and impressions. Selecting the CTR box will show you the average click-through rate of your website, along with your top-performing pages.
If your CTR is disappointing, take a look at your page titles, meta descriptions, and other content that shows up in search results. Are they designed to draw people in? Do they create curiosity? If not, it’s time to rework them until your CTR improves.

Get the Results You’re Looking For

You may have noticed we didn’t mention keyword rankings, which are the first thing many companies consider when it comes to SEO. It’s not that these aren’t important – they are – but they aren’t the only important element.
These five metrics matter as well and help you get the whole picture you need. So get started tracking and improve your strategies today!