You have poured hundreds of hours into perfecting your SEO strategy. But how do you know if it’s working?
That’s where the SEO KPIs come in. These are key data points that offer you a deep peek into the viability of your SEO strategy.
In short, SEO KPIs offer you a way to measure the success of your SEO efforts. Moreover, SEO KPIs also enlighten the path for further optimization.
Want to learn more about the essential SEO KPIs and how to measure them?
Well, don’t fret over it; Growth Vive Solutions, one of the best and trusted SEO services providers in Vancouver has got your back. We have compiled this in-depth post to help you master the art of evaluating SEO success. Let’s get to it then!
Concise Overview of the Key SEO Matrices and Tools to Evaluate Them
SEO matrices are varied; therefore it is better to have a little overview of them before we delve deeper. We have compiled the most essential SEO KPIs in the tabular format to offer you a concise summary of each of them;
| S.No. | SEO KPI | Meaning | Tools To Measure |
| 1. | Organic Traffic | Total Number of Visitors from Search Results | Google Analytics, Ahrefs, Semrush |
| 2. | Keywords Ranking | Position of your Targeted Keyword in SERP | Google Search Console, Moz |
| 3. | Click-Through Rate (CTR) | Percentage of Users Clicking Your Search Results | Google Search Console, Ahrefs, Moz |
| 4. | Bounce Rate | Percentage of Visitors Leaving your site after one page | Google Analytics |
| 5. | Backlinks | Number of Quality External Site Linking to Your Domain | Ahrefs, Semrush |
| 6. | Page Load Time | Time your website’s pages take to load | Google Pagespeed Insights, GTmetrix |
| 7. | Average Session Duration | Average amount of time users spend on your site | Google Analytics |
| 8. | Conversion Rate | Percentage of users who completed a desired action | Hubspot, Ahrefs |
Overview – The 8 Key SEO KPIs to Measure
We have already given you quick insights into essential SEO KPIs. Now let’s explore them in detail;
1. Organic Traffic
Organic traffic is one of the core SEO matrices. Almost every SEO strategy involves tracking organic traffic. In fact, 53% of all online traffic is organic, therefore, tracking it is a reliable indicator of your SEO performance.
Tools To Track Daily Organic Traffic?
- Google Analytics gives a clear overview of your website’s organic traffic.
- Paid tools like Ahrefs and Semrush also provide a pretty accurate estimate of organic traffic.
2. Keyword Ranking
One of the core SEO principles is keyword ranking. It’s no secret that the higher your website ranks for a particular search term, the better its visibility. Once you attain a higher search position, it ultimately leads to more traffic, better leads, and conversions.
Tools to Track Keyword Ranking?
- Google Search Console is a free tool to track keyword ranking.
- Semrush has an in-built position tracking tool to track all your ranking keywords.
- Moz also has a reliable rank tracker.
3. Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Organic CTR is a critical performance matrix that indicates the total number rod clicks you receive from search results. Needless to say, higher CTR equals higher traffic. Besides, CTR is an important ranking factor. Lower CTR is detrimental to your SEO ranking.
Tools To Track Organic CTR?
There’s no better tool than Google Search Console to track website CTR.
4. Bounce Rate
The bounce rate indicates the total number of users leaving your website without performing an action. It’s an important matrix that showcases the reliance of your website and its content to users. Depending on the industry the average bounce rate remains around 40%. Anything above indicates issues with your website.
Tools to Track Bounce Rate
- You can find your website’s bounce rate in the Analytics Overview report in Google Analytics.
- SimilarWeb also offers an accurate overview of the bounce rate.
5. Backlinks
Backlinks from authority websites showcase the reliability and trust factor of your website. As per Ahrefs, Google considers backlinks as an important ranking factor. Therefore monitoring websites for quality backlinks should be a priority in SEO audits.
Tools to Track Backlinks
- Ahrefs is the #1 tool to track backlinks.
- Semrush is another favorite SEO tool to track backlinks.
6. Page Load Time
Page load time directly impacts user experience. Sluggish websites have high bounce rate. Besides, Google considers page load time as a direct ranking factor. Therefore it must be in your list of essential SEO KPIs.
Tools to Track Page Load Time
- Google Page Speed Insights gives an accurate overview of load time.
- GTMetrix is also a reliable tool for tracking website loading time.
7. Average Session Duration
User engagement is another key SEO indicator. It denotes the viability of your website’s content and its helpfulness to the users. You can track the average session duration to identify the quality of your site. Needless to say, longer session duration results in better conversions.
Tools to Track Average Session Durations
Use Google Analytics
8. Conversion Rate
For commercial websites like e-commerce stores, the conversion rate is in an indispensable SEO matrix. It gives a direct overview of how much sales or lead you are generating.
Tools to Track Conversion
- Hubspot has a pretty accurate conversion rate tracker.
- Google Analytics to track website conversions.
Are The SEO KPIs the Same For Every Website?
SEO KPIs are many, indicating different data points. You might wonder whether it’s necessary to track them all. The answer is No, you don’t. The SEO audits must involve matrices based on the kind of website you have.
Let us give you a practical overview;
A blog and an e-commerce website might have different KPIs to track.
For a blog, traffic matric takes precedence since most of the revenue is generated through banner ads. Other important KPIs can be average session duration and bounce rate since the goal of a blog is that users consume content. A high bounce rate coupled with a low average session duration indicates that the content is not catering to the user intent.
In contrast, conversion could be a more important matrix for an e-commerce website than session duration. High traffic is useless in the case of an e-commerce store if people are not making a purchase.
Did you know?
A high bounce rate can also be a sign of targeted content. A blog post that answers user questions quickly can experience a high bounce rate.
How To Pick the Right KPIs for Your Online Businesses?
Now you know that essential SEO KPIs differ based on the nature of the online business. You have to focus on matrices that align with your business goals. Let us give you some pointers to pick the most critical SEO KPIs for your website;
Be Clear about Your Business Goals
What kind of online presence do you have, is it a website, a blog, an e-commerce site, a service page, etc. Now, pick KPIs that directly contribute to your business objective.
Example – If your business goal is to boost revenue on your e-commerce website, conversion rate optimization should be your priority matrix.
Availability of Data
Data is the key when evaluating SEO success. However, you might gather irrelevant data that is not beneficial to your online business. That’s why you must pick data points that are relevant and reliable to your business objectives.
Example – If social shares are not relevant to your website, gathering data through associated KPIs is a waste of time for you.
Balance Short and Long Terms Matrices
When tracking SEO performance, you have to measure both short-term and long-term impacts. Therefore you must pick a balanced mix of SEO KPIs that measures immediate impact as well as sustained long-term growth.
Example – Organic traffic metrics measure immediate impact. On the other hand, the domain authority matrix is a long-term indicator.
Should You Track Essential SEO KPIs on Your Own?
Should you track your website’s KPIs yourself? The shorter answer is that it depends. Tracking KPIs yourself gives you a deeper understanding of your website performance. However, it’s time-consuming and requires in-depth SEO knowledge.
Therefore, the recommended answer is to trust an expert when it comes to measuring SEO success. Let us give you more clarity on why hire an expert for measuring KPIs;
- Data collection and analysis is highly time-consuming.
- Understanding the insights in the data needs advanced SEO knowledge.
- You might overlook important information.
- Experts have access to the necessary tools and know how to use them.
- Experts can timely implement the necessary actions based on the insights at hand.
- Effective SEO tracking ultimately leads to better ROI.
Did you know?
Businesses that invest in SEO achieve an average ROI of 275%.
If you are in search of the best SEO services in Vancouver, Growth Vive Solutions offers a one-stop shop for all your SEO needs. You trust us as your reliable SEO partner that prioritize your online success always.
Wrapping UP
Search engine optimization is becoming more challenging with each passing day. Reaching the top of SERP and maintaining the position is nothing short of a battle. Incidentally, the latest Google SEO updates have made the job more cumbersome.
Therefore, you need to be on your toes ever and have a bird’s eye view on all your essential KPIs. Continually tracking your SEO performance is the only way to sustain organic growth in 2024 and beyond.
If it appears too complex or daunting to you, reach out to those who are experts in the SEO domain. Growth Vive Solutions gives you control of your website’s SEO and keeps you in the loop about its performance. Contact Us Now!