Search Engine Optimization SEO Metrics to track can be a very powerful strategy for driving traffic to your site. Once visitors land on your site, they can then be converted into leads, and eventually customers.
However, to be sure that your SEO efforts are worth it, it is very important to measure your results on a regular basis. Interpreting your metrics correctly will give you an idea of what is working and what needs to be improved.
Here are some of the SEO metrics to track of:
- Backlink tracking
Link building is an essential element of any SEO campaigns. The more links you have pointing back to your pages, the higher your website is likely to rank. Measuring your link building efforts involves looking at the quantity as well as quality of your backlinks.
You will see how many links were generated by each of your SEO strategies. For instance, you might realize that out of 200 emails sent in your email marketing campaign, you got 10 links (which is a 5% link rate). In addition, tracking your links will help you build relationships with other site owners who seem to be interested in your content.
- Keyword ranking
This metric shows you how your site ranks in search engines for specific keywords. Measuring keyword ranking will tell you if you are targeting the right keywords, and whether their ranking is improving over time.
The good news is that you don’t have to check your keyword rankings manually. There are numerous free tools out there that can come in handy. However, if you want more detailed results, it would be advisable to invest in a paid tool.
- Average time on page
People usually spend more time on web pages that are interesting and relevant. However, if they don’t find what they are looking for, they leave immediately. Therefore, it is very important to measure the average amount of time visitors are spending on your pages.
The more time they spend, the higher your pages are likely to rank. To achieve a higher average time on-page, you need to find ways of improving your content so it can resonate better with your audience.
- Pages per visitor
When people visit your site, you would want them to look at other pages besides the initial landing page. This is why it is very important to measure the average pages per visitor.
If the number is very low, you can improve it by inserting more internal links within your content. In addition, you could display links to related content in your site immediately after the post.
- Returning visitors
Returning visitors are very important for any business. Since they already know you and trust you, these are the people who are most likely to purchase your products or services.
Therefore, when evaluating the success of your SEO campaigns, you should not only consider the number of new visitors you are getting, but also the number of returning visitors. You can improve the ratio of returning visitors by making your content more engaging and appealing.
Conclusion
Other metrics you need to keep track of include 404 page views, index status, traffic by device, crawl errors and page lead speed. Though measuring metrics can be very boring and time consuming, it is very crucial. Getting and analyzing the numbers will save you from wasting money and time on SEO strategies that produce a low return on investment.
