Anyone that has not ventured too far into SEO may not be aware of the KPIs and metrics that are needed to ensure that a website is ranking as high as possible in search engines. This information is not always easy to find, and it can be almost impossible for some people to make sense of it at first, but once everyone has been reading reports for a couple months, things will start to go together in their mind.
Here are the top 9 SEO KPIs and metrics everyone must be aware of:
- Crawl Errors
Crawl errors do not crop up for no reason at all, so they are not always found as soon as they should be. These errors are seen when they cannot find the link that the person is trying to open, and they are basically a computer’s way of stating that they have hit a dead end. A lot of times, crawl errors will be seen as ‘404 (not found)’ and readers hate it when they get to pages like that! Especially if they really wanted the information that was on it! These errors need to be checked for continuously, because too many of them can really destroy a website’s ranking. Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools are a great place to start, but a person can also use Sitebulb and Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
2.Page Speed
Page speed is one of the major ranking qualities that Google looks for, and the faster a page loads, the better the website will rank. Readers love pages that load quickly as well, so it shouldn’t be shocking that Google looks at the loading speeds! Page speed should never be confused with site speed, as they are two unique things. Google makes it easy for a person to keep them straight though with the PageSpeed Insights Tool. This tool shares information that includes both desktop and mobile speeds, so everyone knows if either one of them needs improvement to increase their rankings.
3.Visits to the Website
Tracking how many people are visiting a site, and where they are coming from, is important for anyone that has a website. This information will show whether a person is on the right track with their SEO or if they need to make a few changes to get more people finding them.
4. Number of Generated Leads
Generated leads are the heart and soul of a business, because it promotes profits. While tracking any lead is good, a person should focus on qualified leads the most. These leads can be easily tracked through Google Analytics by setting up acquisition goals.
5.Sales Conversions
Every business needs sales in order to make money, which is why everyone who runs a business needs to have their SEO optimized as much as possible. There are numerous ways to track these numbers, but the best ones will allow a person to track them offline.
6. Landing Page Ratings
If a person’s landing page is not converting to sales or additional page views, then there is a problem. A goal must be created before a person can track their landing page conversion ratings, but once that is completed, a custom report can be created. These custom reports can then be used to know what needs to be changed to garner even more landing page conversions.
7. Links
Links happen to be one of the top three factors that Google takes into consideration when ranking websites. Obviously, those links that are of high-quality are going to rank a whole lot better than those that are not! All links that a person has on their page must be earned or they risk the chance of losing their position in the rankings or falling further than they were before. Tracking links is as easy as using a SEO tool like SEMrush, Moz’s Link Explorer, or the Google Search Console.
8. Position in the Rankings
Everyone knows that they need to be at the top of search engine results to be found, but it is so difficult to achieve those high rankings! Plus, ranking numbers for each person change depending on how a search is being performed. Those searching locally may find a business ranking higher in the search engines and those searching globally will find that same business lower in the rankings.
9. Mobile Rankings
In this day and age, mobile rankings are way more important than the rankings on a desktop computer, because most people are using their mobile devices for searches. That should not come as a surprise since everyone has their mobile devices right next to them almost twenty-four hours a day. There are many SEO tools that will share this information with a person, but it can also be easily found right next to the above rankings in the Google Search Console.
There are so many things to keep track of when it comes to SEO, but these nine KPIs and metrics should be at the top of everyone’s list.
