How to Measure SEO Performance: 9 Metrics to Watch

By Brett Farmiloe

Tracking SEO performance metrics is the best way to discover which SEO techniques are working for your site and to refine your approach. We talked to nine SEO experts to find out how they approach SEO analysis and reporting. From the importance of tracking targeted organic traffic to measuring customer acquisition cost, discover the diverse ways these SEO professionals judge the success of an SEO campaign.

9 ways to measure SEO campaign performance

1. Targeted organic traffic

"The key metric I prioritize is targeted organic search traffic, as it directly reflects the visibility and reach of a website in search engine results. I'm not talking about random query traffic with little to no benefits; I usually try to filter this out. This metric is critical because it correlates with a lot of potential for lead generation and directly benefits the business owner. To measure and analyze this, I rely heavily on Google Search Console. For detailed SEO analysis and reporting, I use Ahrefs.

"This tool is invaluable for tracking keyword rankings, monitoring competitor strategies, and identifying areas for on-page SEO improvement. By combining the quantitative data from Google Search Console with the strategic insights from Ahrefs, I can develop targeted SEO strategies that drive measurable growth in organic traffic and overall online presence."
—Dimitar Kondev, DimitarKondev.com

2. Total traffic and clicks

"An important metric in measuring SEO success is total traffic, which can be measured through total clicks. Other KPIs should also be considered to ensure that the majority of this traffic is generated organically. As an SEO Executive, I use Ahrefs and Google Search Console for an in-depth analysis of our SEO strategies and to make data-driven improvements to these plans of action."
— Hareem Sajjad, Analytico

3. Engaged sessions

"There are many performance metrics that allow you to see the impact of your SEO strategy. One of my favorite performance metrics when it comes to SEO is sessions, but most importantly, engaged sessions. Although many people base their SEO performance on ranking in the Google search results, rank means nothing if your online presence isn't driving users to your website who engage (stay to read your content or convert) on your website.

"Engaged sessions show you whether you're driving the right users to your website. If they don't engage, you have to ask whether your targeted keywords are the best ones for you or whether your content needs work. To track SEO performance, you'll want to use Google Analytics 4. However, to track progress on your visibility, Google Search Console is a great tool."
—Tom Blake, TJ Creative Marketing Limited

4. Conversion rate

"Conversion rate (CR) is the most important metric to us. Our team can bring as much organic traffic to a website as possible, but if that traffic doesn't convert into customers, we haven't helped our clients. So, we're highly focused on bottom-of-funnel (BoFu) keywords that convert visitors into customers. We measure the CR in Google Analytics. One of the first things we do for a new client is to make sure that we're tracking the conversions correctly (not just events), and that we know which specific CTA made the conversion."
—Josien Nation, Operation Nation LLC

5. Return on investment

"For my clients, I use ROI as the core metric for SEO success. While I use organic sessions (Google Analytics), clicks (Google Search Console), and conversions (Google Analytics) as secondary success metrics, I specialize in service-model businesses that make ROI especially difficult to track compared to an e-commerce model.

"To track ROI for service-model businesses, I integrate website forms with a basic CRM in which the client tracks their sales. For successful lead-to-close sales, the client inputs the value of the sale. While this takes time and effort from the client's side, it is ultimately the most valuable way to understand the return on SEO efforts. Clients want to know that their money spent is resulting in money returned."
—Jack Genesin, Jack Genesin Consulting

6. Call and form leads

"We use CallRail and Ahrefs to track SEO efforts. This provides us and our clients with a clear picture of how many calls and form leads they are receiving from SEO, and how many more first-page keywords resulted from our work. Their current traction is documented at that time. Clients can log in at any time to see calls, and a monthly ranking report or a report in real-time on current SEO metrics via Ahrefs can be provided."
—TJ Loftus, Lifted Websites

7. First-page keywords

"One key metric is the number of keywords for which your site ranks on the first page (or approximately the first ten results) of Google. People are much more likely to click on these links than those on the second page or after the tenth result. Increasing the visibility of your site is an important goal of SEO, and tracking the change in your rankings over time can help you measure your success. SEMrush is a great tool for SEO analysis and reporting, allowing you to track your keywords and backlinks over time, as well as benchmark them against those of your competitors."
—Lauren Walter, Online Optimism

8. Organic clicks

"One of the best measures of SEO success are organic clicks. Clicks, as reported in Google Search Console, are a firsthand measure of what people are searching for and which searches are leading them to click through to your website. Clicks are a great metric as they are a proxy for great content, great websites, and great keyword rankings. This makes them a very good measure of the fruits of your SEO efforts.

"The best way to report and analyze click data, and all other Google Search Console data, is to use a Looker Studio dashboard. With a detailed and highly customizable dashboard, you can quickly visualize results with trended graphs by keyword and landing page. Data visualization is important here, as it lets you eyeball click data and analyze what is driving what."
—Ben Poulton, Intellar

9. Customer acquisition cost

"To me, customer acquisition cost (CAC) is one of the most essential metrics clients need to understand, and it's the best way to gauge whether SEO is working or not. People get caught up in marketing qualified leads (MQLs), but customer acquisition cost is the only metric that measures how much it costs to earn that lead. You could be bringing in leads through PPC but paying $100 per acquisition, whereas SEO will likely have a much lower CAC."
—Taylor Scher, TaylorScherSEO

About the Author

Post by: Brett Farmiloe

Brett Farmiloe is the founder and CEO of Featured, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring their insights.

Company: Featured
Website: www.featured.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn.