You’re starting a new SEO role. What should you track to ensure success?

1 Organic traffic

Organic traffic is the number of visitors that come to your website from search engines without clicking on paid ads. It’s one of the most important indicators of your SEO effectiveness, as it shows how well you’re ranking for relevant keywords and meeting user intent. To track your organic traffic, you can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or other SEO platforms. You should monitor your organic traffic over time, by source, by device, by landing page, and by segment.

3 Click-through rate

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of users who click on your website link in the SERPs. It’s a measure of how attractive and relevant your title tag and meta description are for your potential visitors. To track your CTR, you can use tools like Google Search Console or other SEO platforms. You should track your CTR for your main focus keywords, as well as for different SERP features, such as featured snippets, rich results, or image packs. You should also track your CTR by position, by device, and by query type.

4 Bounce rate

Bounce rate is the percentage of users who leave your website after viewing only one page. It’s a measure of how engaging and satisfying your content and user experience are for your visitors. To track your bounce rate, you can use tools like Google Analytics or other SEO platforms. You should track your bounce rate for your main landing pages, as well as for different content types, such as blog posts, product pages, or guides. You should also track your bounce rate by source, by device, and by session duration.

5 Conversion rate

Conversion rate is the percentage of users who complete a desired action on your website, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a form. It’s a measure of how effective your website is at generating leads, sales, or revenue. To track your conversion rate, you can use tools like Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, or other SEO platforms. You should track your conversion rate for your main goals, as well as for different conversion paths, such as organic traffic, email marketing, or social media. You should also track your conversion rate by device, by location, and by audience.

6 Domain authority

Domain authority is a score that predicts how likely your website is to rank well in the SERPs. It’s based on various factors, such as the number and quality of your backlinks, your site structure, your content quality, and your social signals. To track your domain authority, you can use tools like Moz, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. You should track your domain authority over time, as well as compared to your competitors. You should also track your domain authority by page, by topic, and by link profile.