Search Engine Optimisation is a long-term approach. But like any good long-term approach, you need to measure and report back often, so you can check whether you are on the correct path. It is important for all of us, whether we are working for in-house marketing teams, agencies or running our own business, to know how to report on and measure SEO performance, so we can leverage knowledge for informed decisions and improve ROI.
This is a step-by-step guide created by the experts at Light Buzz Media, the best SEO company in India, for how to do this effectively.
1. Identify Clear SEO Goals
Before you can report on analytics, make sure you have identified well-defined and measurable goals that are set on an SEO strategy. Some SEO goals might include:
- Higher organic traffic
- Rankings for specific keywords
- Increased leads or conversions on organically sourced traffic.
- Reduction in bounce rate.
- Increased domain authority
All your tracking and reporting should be based on these goals.
2. Use the Right SEO Tools
To report on SEO performance, we need to combine tools, such as:
- Google Search Console: To see impressions, clicks, average positions and keyword performance from Google directly.
- Google Analytics: To track behaviours, conversions and sources of traffic.
- SEO tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz: Track backlinks, keyword rankings, overall technical SEO health and competitive analysis.
- Keyword tracking or rank tracking tools: Track your target keywords over time and see changes.
3. Pay Attention to Key SEO metrics
Here are the key SEO metrics to watch for:
- Organic traffic: The total number of users that visit your site through an organic search engine.
- Keyword rankings: The ranking of your target keywords in the SERPs.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of users who clicked on your listing after seeing it.
- Bounce rate + time on page: This indicates the quality/relevancy of your content.
- Conversions from organic traffic: This is the most important metric for measuring ROI.
- Backlinks and referring domains: Keeping track of the quality + quantity of inbound links to your site.
- Core Web Vitals + site speed: This is important for technical SEO + user experience.
4. Breakdown Your Data
Do not just look only at the total traffic. Break down your data by:
- Device (desktop vs mobile)
- Location (country or city)
- Landing pages
- New vs returning visitors
This will help you identify what is working and where there is the potential for optimisation.
5. Create Easy-to-Understand SEO Reports
An SEO in digital marketing report should be:
- Visual: Graphs and tables allow for easy data understanding.
- Goals-oriented: It should relate the data back to the original goals you set out to achieve.
- Insightful and actionable: What are your insights, and what should be done next?
You can use tools like Google Looker Studio to customise your reports.
6. Review, Adjust, Revise
SEO is always in motion. You can use your reports to:
- Understand what content is succeeding
- Spot pages with a high number of impressions but a low click-through rate
- Identify pages or keywords that are performing poorly
- Revise your content accordingly, or your technical SEO or link building
Tracking and reporting SEO performance is not simply about getting data. Rather, it's about getting data and turning that data into insights and actionable steps. If you get the right tools, metrics and reporting practices, you can optimise your SEO strategy constantly, convey value to stakeholders and most importantly, drive ongoing sustainable organic growth. Experts at Light Buzz Media, the top search engine optimization services providers can help strategise, track, report, and improve your performance. Get in touch with us today!