How do you interpret the most important SEO metrics?

This measures the number of visitors coming to your site from search engines. A rise in organic traffic indicates that your SEO efforts are successfully attracting more visitors, while a decline might signal issues with your keyword strategy, content quality, or site structure.

This metric shows the percentage of organic visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. A high conversion rate suggests that your site effectively engages visitors and meets their needs, while a low rate could indicate that the content or user experience isn’t aligned with what visitors are seeking.

Here is a simple yet smart SEO metric to track. Weighted Average Ranks (WAR) The Search Console and most SEO tools provide a metric called Average Ranks (AR) AR = Total of all ranks / Total number of keywords Here's how you calculate WAR Step 1: Assign weights based on search volume (SV) to each keyword Eg. a keyword at rank 5 with SV of 1L would have a weight of 5L. And a keyword at rank 1 with SV of 100 will have a weight of 100. Step 2: Calculate WAR Total Keyword Weights / Total SV. In the above Eg. it works out to 500,100 / 100,100 = 4.99 Since WAR factors in SV, it offers a more comprehensive & accurate view of your ranking performance. It's a metric that I wish someone had introduced to me at the start of my career. ??

Tracking where your website ranks for target keywords helps you understand your visibility on search engines. Higher rankings for relevant keywords typically lead to increased traffic, but it’s important to focus on keywords that drive conversions, not just traffic.

This is the percentage of people who click on your site’s link when it appears in search results. A high CTR means your title tags and meta descriptions are compelling and relevant, while a low CTR suggests you might need to optimize these elements to better attract clicks.

While it might seem intuitive that Google could use a site's bounce rate as a ranking factor (after all, if users are quickly leaving a page, that could be an indicator that the content isn't satisfying their needs), Google does not directly use bounce rate in their search ranking algorithm. There are a few reasons for this: Manipulability: Bounce rate could be artificially manipulated if it was known to influence Google's ranking. Inconsistent indicator of quality: Bounce rate doesn't always reflect poor content; users may leave after promptly finding needed information. Variable interpretation: Bounce rate implications differ across site types; while it may signal poor engagement for blogs, it's normal for single-page sites.

The bounce rate indicates the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing just one page. A high bounce rate can signal that your content isn’t relevant or engaging enough, or that there are issues with the site’s usability. However, it’s important to interpret this in the context of the page’s purpose.

This is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). A higher DA suggests a strong backlink profile and authoritative content, which can positively impact your SEO efforts.