There is an old business saying "You can't improve what you don't measure," which everyone widely accepts as truth. Most business meetings focus around Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) metrics and numbers that represent accomplishments or failures of the business to meet objective.
In no area of business is this axiom more true than in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In a business where Google shrouds the powerful search algorithms in mystery, where there are few advanced degrees, and plenty of black-hat shysters selling snake oil, the only thing that proves an SEO consultant's worth is the numbers. The results.
However, at the beginning of a project, prior to adjusting a single meta tag or researching one keyword phrase, the SEO consultant will need to establish the baseline metrics for the website he or she is working on. If a business is considering an SEO project, it would be a good idea to start gathering baseline information prior to contracting someone, and to have a good idea of the SEO goals and how they align with larger business goals.
Five Essential SEO Metrics
The following five metrics are absolutely essential for baseline reports, SEO goals, and search optimization project tracking:
- Inbound Search Traffic
- Ranking Search Keyword Phrases
- Ranking Pages in Search Results
- Key Behavioral Data Points
- Inbound Links
While some additional metrics may be of use, depending upon the website style, business needs and overall strategy, these will get any SEO project off the ground. Luckily, with the "Top pages" tab added Google Webmaster Tools in the fall of 2010, most of these metrics are available in one place.
Inbound Search Traffic
This should be an obvious metric. Search Engine Optimization projects are primarily aimed at increasing traffic from search results. The traffic alone is not a measurement of SEO success, but it should still be a key measurement.
Before embarking on an SEO project, most existing websites will probably already rank for "long tail" keyword phrases (longer, more specific searches for which there are fewer results). Hopefully, an existing site also ranks for branded terms, like the company name or key products. These metrics should be noted prior to the SEO project, because they have little to do with the project's success metrics for the business.
Ranking Search Keyword Phrases
If the goal is to increase the number of search phrases that a website ranks for, then the starting line must be established. How many search results does the website already rank for?
It is widely understood among most webmasters that the information provided at Google Webmaster Tools is at best incomplete. However, the information that is provided there can be very useful for tracking and trending purposes. In the "Your site on the web" section, the Search queries report can provide a complete list, including average search result position for keyword phrases. This report can be exported as a comma-separated-value file and saved for ongoing reporting.
For accurate reports, webmasters will want to be sure to adjust the filters at the top of the page to include all pages, including those with fewer than ten impressions. It is also a good idea to set the date range for something simple, like a single calendar month's time.
Ranking Pages in Search Results
Again, one of the goals in SEO is to increase the number of pages on a site that appear for the desired keyword phrases.
On the same Search Queries page in Webmaster tools, there is a second tab labeled "Top pages". This will provide average page rank for that URL, plus a way to expand each URL to see which keywords lead to it, and how many search impressions they yield.
This report can also be exported, with the same settings. Unfortunately, it does not include the keyword drill-downs.
Key Behavioral Data Points
This area of metrics is tricky to define in broad sweeping terms, because it depends upon the goals of the business and the goals of the website. Examples of this kind of metric include:
- Bounce rate
- Demographic information
- Conversions
- Pages viewed per visit
If the SEO goal is to drive qualified traffic - meaning a that search queries target potential customers who are further along the buying process - then there would be a different expectation of user behavior for that kind of click. The number of those qualified customers who convert to leads or who purchase on the site would be essential for tracking the project's success.
However, if the goal of the website is primarily to provide information to people, then conversions are relatively unimportant. In that case, the number of pages viewed per visit might be a better metric to judge success rates against.
Inbound Links
Naturally, there are different forms of SEO tactics that are used to increase page rankings. One of those is seeking and obtaining links from other sites on the web back to the target site. The complete table of "Links to your site" can be downloaded from Webmaster Tools.
Another tactic is to ensure that the links on the pages of the site interconnect the pages in a logical way.
This information is also available in the "Your site on the web" view of the Webmaster Tools. The report is called Internal links.
Alicia King - Alicia King has been writing for Suite 101 since June of 2007. For over a year, she was the Featured Writer for the Suite section about ...
