Key SEO metrics to include in your marketing reports

Search engine optimization (SEO) functions like a digital billboard for your business. It helps you get found online, especially on sites like Google.

People can't buy from you if they can't find you. SEO boosts your online presence, so your site shows up when someone types in a query related to your business.

Ranking high on search results adds a layer of trust. People often think, "If Google trusts this site, so can I."

Catchr helps you track your SEO KPIs on your regular digital marketing reports to ensure your outreach efforts target the correct audience.

What Are the Most Important SEO KPIs to Track?

SEO ensures your site ranks well when people use specific keywords and phrases to find information. Google is the primary target for these efforts, but any search engine can benefit from optimization efforts.

How do you know if your work is creating positive results? When you review your digital marketing report each week, month, and quarter, these key performance indicators are the ones to watch.

1. Organic Traffic

This KPI is the heartbeat of your SEO strategy. You have an organic prospect when people find your website with a search engine's help without your business paying for that result.

People who find your website naturally are up to 12 times more likely to become paying customers or follow your sales funnel. This result happens because they are more likely to trust the results compared to clicks from paid advertising. ^[]

Since your organic prospect comes from a targeted audience where people want what you have, they are more likely to engage.

When tracking organic traffic as a metric, explore these items on your digital marketing report from Looker Studio or Google Sheets.

• Volume. How many people are coming to your site organically? A rising number is usually a good sign.
• Channels. Organic traffic is mainly from search engines, but it can also come from social media or direct visits. Knowing the breakdown can help refine your strategy.
• Behaviors. Look at metrics like time spent on-page and bounce rate to understand how engaged these visitors are when visiting your site. Do certain pages stand out for positive or negative reasons? If so, try to duplicate the outcome or fix the issue.
• Conversions. Track through the KPI data how the organic visitors take desired actions, like signing up for newsletters or completing transactions.

As you explore organic traffic metrics, it is critical to see if you're attracting new eyes or have the same crowd returning for more of what you have. Both results have significance and provide information about how to proceed with future digital marketing efforts.

2. Bounce Rate

Information from this KPI tells you a lot about how visitors interact with your website after engaging with your SEO investments. It measures the percentage of visitors who navigate away from your site after viewing only one page.

Your bounce rate matters because a high number indicates low engagement levels. That suggests your content needs to meet expectations. It also reflects your website quality, impacting future SEO efforts because your rankings could be reduced.  ^[]

Then there is the practical issue of a high bounce rate. If people leave without exploring further, they won't convert into customers or subscribers.

Since each industry can have significantly different bounce rates, the first step is to review where this KPI is compared to competitors. Landing pages and blog posts are designed to be a one-and-done interaction, which isn’t necessarily bad.

Should this KPI negatively impact your SEO, some steps are available to help lower them.

• Make your content informative and engaging to encourage visitors to stick around.
• Use internal links to guide visitors to other relevant pages on your site.
• Many people browse on mobile devices. A non-responsive design can send them away quickly.
• Use clear calls-to-action to guide the user to their next step, whether that's reading another article, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase.

The bounce rate is just one KPI of many, though it is also packed with lots of context. Watch it, understand what the information means for your situation, and improve it when necessary to achieve your goals.

3. Page Load Time

A direct connection exists between how long a person engages with content and the likelihood of becoming a paying customer. That interaction begins when they click a link to reach your site or enter its URL into their browser.

This KPI tracks how long it takes for your web page to load and display content fully. Slower speeds translate into fewer positive interactions and have an adverse impact on your SEO rankings. ^[]

Slow load times can frustrate users, leading them to leave and possibly never return. That’s why Google is more likely to take pages with this issue away from the top of the search results. 

You’ll find three specific measurements on your digital marketing report to review.

• FCP, or First Contentful Paint, measures the time the initial content appears on a user's screen to indicate perceived performance.
• TTI, or Time to Interactive, looks at how long it takes for your site to become usable.
• LCP, or Largest Contentful Paint, gives you data on the time it takes the most prominent element to load.

For many sites, optimizing images and minimizing code is the easiest way to decrease page load times. Use compression and appropriate dimensions while removing unnecessary characters, line breaks, and spaces to streamline your SEO.

Another option is to use a content delivery network to distribute your content across multiple servers to reduce travel distance.

4. Backlink Quality

Your digital marketing report should highlight the quality of your included backlinks. When they come from high-quality sites, the link signals to search engines that you have an authoritative and trustworthy site.

A backlink from a site closely related to your industry or topic is more valuable than one from a totally unrelated website. It also delivers highly engaged and targeted traffic to help with your SEO goals.

Websites with high domain authority are generally considered quality backlink sources. Look at the anchor text to ensure it makes sense and isn’t stuff with keywords.

"Follow" links pass on SEO equity, while "no-follow" links don't. A natural mix of both suits your backlink profile, especially with internal links that make the site navigational process easier to manage. ^[]

How do you improve this KPI? By creating better content. You can also write articles for reputable websites that include a backlink. By focusing on quality over quantity, you'll build a more robust profile that serves your SEO efforts.

5. Mobile Responsiveness

This SEO KPI tracks your website's capability to adapt and provide an optimal experience on a mobile device. Since over half of all web traffic comes from this source, the information on your digital marketing report from this category must be addressed.

People are more likely to proceed through your sales funnel if their user experience is smooth on their preferred device. Sites with a mobile emphasis are more likely to receive a higher ranking.

When reviewing Looker Studio or Google Sheets for this data, you only look for the total traffic, page load time, bounce rate, and click-through rate from mobile users.

If your mobile traffic numbers are low, these steps can help you improve this key performance indicator and potentially gain more conversions and revenues. 

• Create a Responsive Design. Use template options that automatically adjust to fit the screen size of the user's device.
• Tap Friendly Options. Make your buttons and links easy to navigate with a finger.
• Optimize Media. Compress images and videos so they load faster and don't consume too much data.

By focusing on mobile responsiveness, you're essentially catering to a wide swath of your audience who browse, shop, and interact via mobile devices. It’s an important KPI and an essential component of today’s digital landscape. 

6. Keyword Rankings

It helps to think of this KPI as the scoreboard of your search engine optimization efforts. Keyword positions with high rankings usually translate to more visibility, traffic, and conversions.

The higher you rank, the more likely people will see and click on your site. Most clicks go to the first few results, and 90% or more often go to the top organic website.

This result happens because people often perceive the top-ranking sites as more credible and relevant.

Several platforms can give you detailed insights about your keyword rankings. Manual searches on Google and other search engines work for small businesses, but they aren't scalable or accurate outside your community due to personalization factors.

Outside of high-quality content and a positive user experience, you can improve your rankings here by optimizing your on-page SEO. Improve your meta titles, headers, and descriptions to include your targeted keywords.

7. Bounce Rate

This KPI measures the percentage of single-page sessions on your website. That means the individual left without interacting further or clicking to visit another page. 

While its impact is debated, there's general agreement that bounce rate plays some role in search rankings. High bounce rates can indicate poor content or usability, potentially hurting your SEO.

The bottom line for you is that a visitor leaving your site is not converting. It undermines your overall goals. 

Bounce rates can vary depending on whether the traffic comes from social media, search engines, or other websites. Knowing these origination sources can help you tailor your strategy when reviewing your digital marketing report.

It also helps to have a clearly communicated call to action. Make it evident that visitors should take specific steps to continue their journey through your sales funnel. ^[]

8. Click-Through Rate

You can determine this KPI by calculating the number of clicks a specific link receives divided by how often it is shown. It is usually multiplied by 100 to get a percentage.
A high CTR indicates that users find your title and description enticing enough to click through and see what you offer. This KPI can influence your SEO rankings as it is seen as a signal of relevance and quality.

If you’re using paid advertising with SEO simultaneously, your KPIs on the digital marketing report often correlate to a lower cost-per-click. That means your money is stretching further because your outreach efforts are practical.

Generally, the higher you are in the search results, the higher your CTR is likely to be. Improving this KPI can take some time, but it is possible when taking these steps.

• Keyword Optimization. Use relevant terms and phrases in your title and meta description.
• Numbers and Symbols. Studies show that titles with numbers often achieve higher CTRs. For example, "5 Ways to Improve CTR" could work better than just "Ways to Improve CTR."
• A/B Testing. Experiment with different titles, meta descriptions, and even content layouts to see what garners the best CTR.

Rich snippets are another option to consider. Catchr can help you with powerful integrations to see the gaps in your digital marketing report that stop people from engaging with your brand. Focusing on schema markup can help you get review stars and other helpful components to make listings attractive and clickable.

9. Local Visibility Ranking 

If your business has multiple locations within the same community, this KPI can help you get more relevant views within the “local pack” of three listings below the map that appears for users.

High local visibility can translate to more foot traffic to your physical store. It also boosts your credibility.

Keep an eye on impressions, clicks, and customer interactions on your Google My Business listing when reviewing your digital marketing report. It also helps to pay attention to the quality and quantity of reviews, as these can influence your SEO.

Local visibility rankings are crucial for attracting customers in your vicinity. By optimizing for local SEO, you’re not just competing in the digital space. You’re also drawing people directly to your physical location. 

It Is Never Too Late to Track Your SEO KPIs!

Implementing an SEO campaign without tracking your key performance indicators means you’re flying blind in a digital world. The numbers you receive on your digital marketing report tell a story that helps you connect with your audience better.

This data allows businesses of any size to make informed decisions that keep them ahead of the competition. If you have stakeholders, the information can prove ROI to them.

You can use Looker Studio and Google Sheets to know where you currently stand with Catchr. Once you have a data baseline, your business can set clear, measurable objectives to improve SEO strategies.

Optimization is for anyone who wants their brand to thrive. Start tracking your KPIs today to start growing your digital footprint!

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