SEO is an ongoing and long-term effort and, when done correctly, produces incredible and sustainable results. Monitoring, tracking, and analyzing performance are required to not only understand progress and successes but to also be aware of any dips in performance or improvement opportunities as well. Because SEO involves so many moving parts, it is helpful to understand which metrics are most important to track. Below you will find the data that matter most when it comes to SEO.
Traffic Attributed to Organic Search
First and foremost, the most important data to actively monitor and review is the amount of traffic that comes from the Organic Channel. If metrics such as New Users and Sessions show increases, this is a strong indication and actual proof that SEO efforts are working.
Where can I find this?
The quick way: In Google Analytics, within the Universal Analytics property, navigate to the “Acquisition” report on the left-hand menu and click on “Overview.” This will give you a quick look at channel performance and metrics.
The advanced way: Segments. Towards the top of the dashboard, click “+Add Segment.” Check the “Organic Traffic” Segment, and then click Apply. You will then see the original dashboard update to reflect the new segment.
Bonus: Check your Referral traffic as well. Why? Traffic from Referral websites can indicate that backlinking strategies are working. More information on backlinking, and how it impacts your overall SEO performance, is below.
Organic Conversions
The next piece of data to review is the number of conversions earned. While an increase in the number of Organic Users is positive, the ultimate goal is to get these users to become customers. Plus, Organic traffic that converts means you are attracting the right users.
Where can I find this?
Same as above, this data can be acquired within the Acquisition report or through the utilization of segments.
Page Speed
The longer a page takes to load, the less likely a user is to stay, revisit, or convert. Furthermore, rankings ultimately suffer because longer page speeds present a negative user experience. Page speeds should be regularly monitored so that instances of longer times can be fixed.
Where can I find this?
Historical Data: In Google Analytics, within the Universal Analytics property, navigate to the Behavior Report and then click Site Speed. Note, while data across all browsers should be monitored, you should pay special attention to the most common browsers that bring users to your site.
Realtime: Visit Google’s PageSpeed Insights which will score any webpage as Google experiences it at that very moment. The report will show where improvements can be made, both on desktop and mobile.
Core Web Vitals
In addition to page speed, search engines also want to ensure that web pages are easy to use. Google’s Core Web Vitals measure: how long it takes for the largest element to load; how much time passes until a user can interact with site elements; how visually stable the web page is. The Core Web Vitals scores are impacted by a wide variety of factors, such as image size, JavaScript, and image attributes, and the scores can fluctuate when revisions are made. Google will start using the Core Web Vitals scorers as ranking signals; sites that pass will get a boost.
Where can I find this?
Historical Data: Google Search Console has Page Experience and Core Web Vitals reports that you can check to see which Core Web Vitals scores need improvement and which web pages need improvement.
Realtime: As mentioned above, Google’s PageSpeed Insights will score your webpage as Google experiences it in real-time. In addition to page speed scores, you will also get the individual Core Web Vitals scores.
Impressions and Clicks
Two important metrics to check frequently are impressions and clicks. Impressions are the number of times your website was shown to a user on Google while the number of clicks is anytime a user clicked on your result to navigate to your website. The goal with impressions is to see a consistent increase over time which means that your site is becoming more visible on search engines. However, if users see your results but do not click, Google could take that as a sign your website was not what users were looking for, which negatively impacts rankings.
Where can I find this?
In the performance report within Google Search Console.
Non-branded Keyword Rankings
One of the main purposes of search engine optimization is to increase the visibility of a website on a search engine. Typically, branded keywords are the easy wins; branded keywords typically have higher rankings because search engines understand you are looking for results specific to the company. Where the real work lies is within non-branded terms that do not include any company information. Higher rankings for non-branded terms are a clear indication of successful SEO work.
Where can I find this?
The best place is within Google Search Console. If you have linked your Google Analytics Account to Google Search Console, this information can also be obtained from Google Analytics. Navigate to the Acquisition Report, click “Search Console” and then “Queries”.
Domain Authority
Search engine algorithms strongly consider the trustworthiness of the website when it comes to rankings. One way to prove that your site is trustworthy is to earn high-quality, relative backlinks which contribute to your website’s Domain Authority score. Although increasing your Domain Authority score takes a long time, the ongoing effort rewards you with sustainable results.
Where can I find this?
There are two popular platforms that provide this information. Moz offers a Link Profile tool that shows your current score, and you can compare your Domain Authority score to your competitors. SEMrush has a Backlink Analysis report that offers the same functionality, but you can see the individual components impacting your score.
Backlinks and Linking Domains
As mentioned above, a website’s Domain Authority score is dependent on the site’s number of total backlinks and the number of linking domains or the number of individual websites that link to your website. A higher number of linking domains is more impactful as it shows more websites have trust in your site. A crucial detail here is that high-quality links are preferred. High-quality links are from websites with a higher Domain Authority score and a low spam score.
Where can I find this?
The Linking Analytics tool in SEMrush will provide a full list of total backlinks and total linking domains. You should regularly monitor these numbers to be aware of any lost links or any links that are of lower quality.
Looking for guidance on your Google Analytics setup to ensure proper tracking and performance monitoring? Anvil’s SEO team can review and offer specific instructions to maximize insight, KPIs, and other meaningful points of information that best support your digital marketing initiatives. For more information, or to get your questions answered, contact Anvil today.