7 essential SEO metrics that can assist in evaluating SEO performance

Position in Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs)

To evaluate SEO performance, the first aspect to monitor is your website’s position in the SERPs for relevant search queries. The top result on the first page is represented position 1, while a result halfway down is reported as 5. Your goal is to appear as high as possible on the page, preferably among the 10 organic blue links.

Your website position in SERPs

You can track various aspects using reports, such as your average overall position (though rankings for less relevant keywords may impact this metric), your website’s ranking for specific important keywords, the comparison between branded and unbranded keywords, and the distribution of your rankings. The ultimate aim is to improve your rankings on the first and second pages.

Google Search Console helps monitor SEO performance

Google Search Console is a valuable free tool to monitor your SEO performance by tracking keyword positions over time. However, keep in mind that it only displays keyword positions at specific points in time. To compare groups of keywords, you might need to manually download and group the data using Excel or Google Sheets.

For those seeking an automated solution to gather extensive keyword data, paid tools like SEMRush, MOZ, and Ahrefs offer features that can streamline data analysis, allowing you to focus more on interpreting the results rather than collecting the data manually.

Impressions

Impressions are another metric you might wish to track. Every time you appear in a user’s search results, an impression is recorded. This metric can be useful in assessing the effectiveness of the keywords for which your website is showing up.

A common misconception about SEO is that you should aim for the highest rankings possible. This is not entirely true as you are striving for these positions to improve your chances of being seen.

There is no doubt that a first-page ranking is valuable. However, if it does not generate a significant number of impressions, the keyword might have low search volume and may not be the most valuable for your website.

Improving opportunities of being seen by users

You can measure various aspects related to impressions. Pay attention to the total impressions, impressions for a targeted group of keywords, for branded versus unbranded keywords, and for terms that are relevant to your brand.

Google Search Console offers a convenient way to monitor this metric. However, if you are measuring impressions for a specific group of keywords, you may need to collect this data manually.

Organic Search Traffic

After achieving a high position and getting impressions, the next step is focusing on getting users to visit your website. Organic search traffic is a crucial metric for tracking SEO performance, which includes clicks, users, or sessions.

Google Analytics daily sessions graph

You have the option to measure overall traffic, from specific keywords, branded versus unbranded keywords, or relevant search queries. Google Analytics is a popular tool for assessing this metric, offering advanced segmentation options for in-depth analysis. However, users must consent to the cookie policy to be tracked in Google Analytics.

If cookie consent policies pose challenges in data collection, you can use Clicks in Google Search Console. Additionally, depending on your website’s content management system (CMS), you may find internal reports like HubSpot’s Traffic Analytics useful for this metric.

Hubspot traffic analytics

Comparing your organic search traffic with your competitors can provide valuable insights. Third-party tools like SEMRush and MOZ offer features like SEMRush’s Organic Research Tool, giving you a glimpse into competitor’s keyword rankings and common keywords between websites. While the traffic data from these tools are estimates, they can still offer valuable insights regarding competitor’s SEO performance.

SEMRush competitor analytics table

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

The percentage of individuals who visited your website after seeing it on the SERPs is called “click-through rate” (CTR). The title tag and meta description of your page will have significant impacts on this particular metric.

Google Search Console click through rate graph

Monitoring CTR is essential for SEO performance assessment as it basically tells you how attractive your site is to users. This will also show you the impact of any changes you implemented.

You can choose to track the overall CTR of your website, specific pages, or particular terms using Google Search Console, depending on your objectives.

Engagement Rate

The percentage of visitors who connect with your website by remaining for more than 10 seconds, clicking on something, or completing a form is known as engagement rate. Unlike the bounce rate, which measures immediate exits from a page, engagement rate shows user interest and involvement.

Having a high engagement rate, ideally between 60% to 70%, is desirable as it signifies user satisfaction and relevance of the content. Conversely, a low engagement rate suggests that users found the page irrelevant and were not motivated to explore further.

It’s crucial to achieve a high engagement rate as a low rate can negatively impact your search engine ranking. Thus, when evaluating SEO performance, engagement rate becomes a key metric.

Similar to other metrics, engagement rate can be used to assess SEO performance across your entire website, specific pages, or targeted keywords. Google Analytics 4 offers a range of engagement rate reports that can be customized and filtered based on your specific objectives.

Domain Authority

Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank. It takes various factors into consideration like backlinks, content quality, and website performance. The higher the score, the more likely your website will achieve a higher ranking.

MOZ Domain authority report

Technical Site Health

Technical site health demonstrates the overall performance and technical aspects of your website. It includes factors like page loading speed, mobile responsiveness, crawl errors, and sitemap health. A technically sound website is essential for good user experience and search engine rankings.

Measuring these essential SEO metrics can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of your strategies. With that information, you can make data-driven decisions to improve online visibility, attract more organic traffic, and achieve business objectives.

Keep in mind that SEO is a long-running process, and results will not be immediate. Consistency, quality content, and adaptation to search engine algorithms are key to great SEO performance.

Read more: Key offpage SEO optimization that businesses need to understand.

Final thoughts

These seven essential metrics provide valuable insights and play a crucial role in evaluating SEO performance. Insights obtained from these metrics can help businesses optimize their strategies, improve search engine rankings, and ultimately achieve their goals. Understanding and leveraging these metrics will empower website owners to stay competitive and successful in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Are you looking for an agency that can help you improve the SEO performance of your website? On Digitals is a Digital Agency that can assist you in addressing SEO-related issues on your website. Feel free to contact us to further discuss the information you need assistance with.