5 KPIs for Measuring SEO Performance
What are KPIs and why are they important? Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, are used to evaluate the success of an organization and how effectively business objectives are being achieved. KPIs can be used in many different areas of business, ranging from overall business performance across all departments, to certain processes within a specific department. KPIs can also be used to measure Search Engine Optimization (SEO) performance.
How do KPIs Measure SEO Success?
There are many, many variables at play in an SEO campaign, so successful campaigns rely on a control system to ensure the work undertaken delivers results.
Google Analytics has the ability to track many SEO metrics and is a great tool to utilize when trying to measure SEO success. Some of these metrics include lead generation, conversion rate, website traffic, and many more. These are important to track in order to evaluate how well your website ranks compared to others and if anything needs to be changed in order to increase performance in terms of website traffic and usage. According to Search Engine Land: “There are many, many variables at play in an SEO campaign, so successful campaigns rely on a control system to ensure the work undertaken delivers results.” That’s where KPIs come in.
Top 5 KPIs for Measuring SEO Performance
According to Search Engine People, the 5 top KPIs for measuring SEO performance are keyword rankings, bounce rate, organic sessions, leads, and page load times.
1. Keyword rankings
Keyword rankings are a common KPI used to measure SEO performance and reveal how well your target keywords are fairing in terms of searches. In order to optimize your content, it is important to have a mix of generic keywords, global keywords, and broad keywords. Generic keywords, despite containing high competition, have the power to bring high traffic to your website. Global keywords are words that help describe your websites content and what you offer; words closely related to your niche. Broad keywords are to be used so your brand’s advertisements will pop-up whenever users search for related keywords.
2. Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the number of visitors to your website that leave after only viewing the first page, also known as the “entrance page.” Calculating bounce rate is one of the best ways to measure user engagement on the site, as well as interaction. This is important to measure in regards to SEO performance because it allows your business to evaluate how captivating and interesting the website is in the eyes of consumers.
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3. Organic Sessions
Organic traffic refers to number of times visitors come across and click on your website from organic searches rather than paid advertisements. Measuring organic traffic is a great KPI to use for SEO performance because the better your website is optimized for performance, the more likely people will find your site via search rather than paid ads. Through the correct use of keywords, organic traffic to your website will be optimized.
4. Conversions and Leads
Google Analytics allows you to measure your leads or conversions from SEO. A conversion happens when a visitor makes some sort of action on your website towards becoming a customer. This can mean anything from email signups, form submissions, all the way to completed transactions. When a customer visiting your site provides contact information or any information identifying who they are, this is considered a lead. After setting conversion goals for your website, Google Analytics has the capability of logging any actions or leads, allowing you to view them later and make any adjustments necessary.
5. Page Load Times
Page load time is a metric used by google analytics that measures how quickly your pages load in the browser. This is a crucial component to have in order to maximize SEO and is critical for user experience, especially from a mobile standpoint. Having a fast load time will not only increase your websites search results ranking, but has the potential to minimize your bounce rate and increase conversion.
With digitization on the rise and millions of people using the internet to find the information they need, making sure your website ranks high in search is a key element in the recipe for success.
“WITH DIGITIZATION ON THE RISE AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE USING THE INTERNET TO FIND THE INFORMATION THEY NEED, MAKING SURE YOUR WEBSITE RANKS HIGH IN SEARCH IS A KEY ELEMENT IN THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS.”
While there are many ways to measure SEO performance through the use of KPIs, figuring out which metrics best reflect the objectives you want to achieve with your website is crucial. After evaluating the measurements that best reflect what you are looking to achieve, goals can be effectively met.
