SEO KPIs: 12 KPIs for SEO to Track & Measure

What Are SEO KPIs?

SEO KPIs (key capacity indicators) are metrics utilized to measurement the effectiveness of your SEO efforts. Some communal SEO KPIs see integrated visibility, keyword rankings, integrated click-through complaint (CTR), and conversions.

Monitoring SEO KPIs tin thief you:

• Track and measure your performance
• Monitor results of ongoing SEO efforts
• Make data-driven decisions
• Demonstrate return connected finance (ROI) to stakeholders

The circumstantial KPIs you way will dangle connected your website and goals. 

However, immoderate SEO KPIs are universally important. Let’s return a look.

1. Organic Conversions

Organic conversions hap erstwhile visitors from unpaid hunt results complete a desired action. Like making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, aliases downloading a resource. 

Your integrated conversion complaint is the percent of these visitors who convert.

This is 1 of the astir important SEO KPIs. Because it directly measures the effectiveness of your SEO efforts successful driving your desired business results. 

How to way integrated conversions:

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4), conversions are tracked arsenic events you people arsenic important. Like "sign_up” aliases "purchase."

Set up conversion search successful Google Analytics by clicking the “settings” icon astatine the bottommost near area of your screen.

Then, spell to “Admin” > “Events.”

Mark your desired events arsenic conversions to statesman tracking.

Once an arena is marked arsenic a conversion, it tin return immoderate clip (up to 24 hours) for the information to look successful reports.

Further reading: 

• How to Set Up GA4: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
• Google Analytics 4 Events Guide: Event Tracking Explained

2. Search Visibility

Search visibility measures really often your website shows up successful hunt motor results for your target keywords.

It’s a broader metric that tracks your visibility crossed aggregate searches and SERP features (like "People Also Ask" aliases featured snippets).

Tracking hunt visibility gives you a bird's-eye position of really prominently your tract appears for your target keywords.

And helps you understand if your SEO efforts are paying disconnected crossed aggregate keywords, alternatively than focusing connected individual rankings.

How to way hunt visibility:

Track your hunt visibility utilizing Google Search Console (GSC).

Look for “Performance” successful the left-hand menu. And click “Search results.”

You’ll spot a floor plan showing website capacity data. Click connected the “Total impressions” box.

That number indicates really galore times your website has appeared connected a results page complete a circumstantial period.

GSC tracks your impressions for all keywords. Even keywords you weren’t primitively targeting aliases ones you’ve deemed irrelevant.

Track your hunt visibility for circumstantial target keywords utilizing the Position Tracking tool.

Enter your target keywords arsenic you group up your project. And click “Start Tracking.”

The instrumentality will create a study specifically for your target keywords.

The “Landscape” tab displays your site’s search visibility score. And really that people has changed complete time.

And the “Overview” tab shows a inclination chart of your site’s visibility. 

Further reading: SEO Visibility: What It Is & How to Improve It

3. Organic Traffic

Organic postulation refers to visitors who onshore connected your tract from unpaid hunt motor results. Each sojourn counts arsenic an integrated session.

In different words, integrated postulation tracks the number of group who saw your page successful SERPs and decided to click connected it.

Tracking this KPI helps you understand really good your tract draws visitors without paid ads and reveals which pages pull the astir interest.

How to way integrated traffic:

Measure integrated postulation pinch GSC.

Look for the “Performance” study connected the left-hand menu. And click “Search results.” 

You’ll spot a chart showing your integrated postulation complete time. Select “Total clicks” to spot really galore group visited your tract from integrated search.

Then, scroll down to get much elaborate information. Including which keywords thrust traffic, which pages they thrust postulation to, and more.

You tin besides usage the Organic Research instrumentality to get much in-depth keyword accusation for illustration ranking position and SERP features.

And place the main websites competing pinch you for integrated traffic. 

Further reading: What Is Organic Traffic? (And How to Increase It)

4. Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Click-through complaint (CTR) is the percent of users who click connected your website aft seeing it successful integrated hunt results.

It reflects really compelling your listing is successful hunt results. If astir users who spot your tract besides click, this is an parameter your contented is engaging and relevant.

Calculate it by dividing the number of clicks complete the full number of impressions. And multiply it by 100.

Like this:

How to way integrated CTR:

Analyze the CTR of your pages and queries successful Google Search Console nether the “Performance” > “Search results” report.

The instrumentality shows your mean CTR, on pinch a chart showing your mean CTR complete time:

Scroll down and click connected the “Pages” tab to spot the CTR of your circumstantial pages.

Further reading: How to Understand, Measure, and Improve Your Organic CTR

5. Keyword Rankings

Keyword rankings are your website’s position successful hunt motor results pages (SERPs) for circumstantial hunt terms.

This is an important SEO KPI to way because you want your tract to rank arsenic highly arsenic possible. 

After all, the higher your tract ranks successful SERPs, the amended your visibility and clicks. Which tin lead to much integrated postulation and much business.

Monitoring your rankings tin besides thief you spot ranking drops, place high-performing content, and find caller ranking opportunities. 

How to way keyword rankings:

Automatically way keyword rankings pinch Position Tracking. 

Start by entering your domain into the hunt barroom and clicking “Set up tracking.”

Then, prime the hunt motor and instrumentality you want to usage to way your rankings. And specify a location and language.

Add the keywords you want to way and click “Add keywords to campaign.”

Then, cheque “Send maine play ranking updates via email” to person an automated summary of your rankings.

And deed “Start Tracking.”

You’ll now beryllium capable to spot your rankings for each of the keywords you entered. And different meaningful metrics, for illustration estimated traffic, visibility, and stock of voice.

Further reading: Keyword Rankings: What They Are & How to Check Yours

6. Backlink Metrics

Backlinks are links from different websites that constituent to your site. They awesome to hunt engines that different websites find your contented valuable and trustworthy.

Generally, the much backlinks you person from reputable, charismatic websites, the much charismatic you look to hunt engines. Which tin lead to higher rankings. 

Specifically, you should show the pursuing backlink metrics:

• Total number of backlinks
• Total number of referring domains (websites that nexus to yours)
• Number of backlinks lost
• Number of backlinks earned

That way, you tin understand really galore backlinks you have. And wherever those backlinks are coming from.

How to way backlink metrics:

You tin way each of these metrics pinch Backlink Analytics.

Enter your domain and click “Analyze.”

In the “Overview” tab, you’ll spot your full number of referring domains, full backlinks, Authority Score (a measurement of a domain’s reputability), and more. 

Scroll down to spot inclination graphs for some referring domains and backlinks. And changes successful caller and mislaid referring domains and backlinks. 

Then, usage your competitors to benchmark your backlink capacity by adding their domains to the tool.

For example, this floor plan shows pet marque Chewy’s authority score, referring domains, and number of backlinks successful comparison pinch 4 of its competitors.

Further reading: What Are Backlinks & Why They Matter successful SEO

7. User Engagement Metrics

User engagement metrics uncover really visitors interact pinch your content. 

These metrics see the following:

• Bounce rate: The percent of visitors who time off aft viewing only 1 page
• Average Engagement Time: The mean magnitude of clip users actively interact pinch your website (e.g., scrolling aliases clicking)
• Session Duration: The full clip a personification spends connected your tract successful 1 visit
• Pages per Session: The mean number of pages viewed during a azygous session

However, the metrics prioritize dangle connected your contented type and business goals. And occurrence looks different based connected your content.

For example, a agelong convention long for a blog station is good. This signals your readers find your contented engaging and relevant.

Whereas a agelong convention long for a checkout page connected an ecommerce tract suggests location whitethorn beryllium issues pinch your site. Since the process should beryllium speedy and smooth.

Let’s research 2 of the astir important personification engagement metrics:

Bounce Rate

Bounce complaint is the percent of users who onshore connected a page and time off successful little than 10 seconds without taking immoderate action. 

A precocious bounce complaint suggests visitors are landing connected your tract but aren’t engaging further. Possibly because the contented isn’t relevant, the page didn’t meet their expectations, aliases location are method issues for illustration slow load times.

While bounce complaint isn’t a ranking factor, users consistently bouncing from a page they clicked connected from hunt results signals to hunt engines that the page whitethorn not beryllium satisfying personification intent. Which whitethorn impact rankings complete time.

Track bounce complaint to place underperforming pages, gauge contented quality, and spot method issues. 

How to way bounce rate:

Track your bounce complaint utilizing Google Analytics,

From your Google Analytics dashboard, click connected “Reports” > “Engagement” > “Pages and screens.”

Then, click connected the pen (customize study button) that appears successful the apical correct area of the page.

Now, click “Metrics.” And type “Bounce rate” successful the “Add metric” field.

Select “Bounce rate” from the dropdown paper that appears. And click “Apply.”

Now you person a array showing your bounce complaint for each of the pages connected your site.

Further reading: What Is Bounce Rate & What Is a Good Rate?

Average Engagement Time

Average engagement clip measures really agelong users actively interact pinch your tract aliases app.

It tracks really agelong your tract is successful attraction (i.e., the progressive browser tab) and the personification is engaged done actions for illustration scrolling aliases clicking.

Longer engagement times propose users find your contented valuable and relevant, which tin awesome to hunt engines that your page offers high-quality, engaging content.

How to way mean engagement time:

You tin way mean engagement clip utilizing GA4. Go to “Reports” > “Engagement” > “Overview.”

And return statement of the “Average engagement time” metric that appears supra the graph.

Further reading: How to Find & Increase Average Time connected Page successful Google Analytics

8. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

Customer life worth (CLV) is simply a predictive measurement of the full gross expected from a customer passim their narration pinch your business.

In different words, it’s really overmuch money you tin expect from a customer passim their narration pinch your brand.

Tracking CLV arsenic an SEO KPI helps businesses understand the semipermanent worth of customers they get done integrated search.

It besides helps you find the imaginable semipermanent return connected SEO investments. And measure really good your SEO efforts pull high-value customers.

How to cipher CLV:

Use the pursuing look to cipher CLV for SEO:

CLV = (Average acquisition value) x (Average acquisition frequency) x (Average customer lifespan)

To illustrate, if your mean customer from integrated hunt spends $100 per order, makes 3 purchases per year, and remains a customer for 5 years, past the calculation would look for illustration this:

CLV = $100 x 3 x 5 = $1500

In this example, your mean CLV from integrated hunt is $1500 per customer.

Meaning each integrated visitant who turns into a customer will astir apt walk $1500 passim their interactions pinch your brand.

9. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Cost per acquisition (CPA) is simply a metric that measures the costs of acquiring 1 converting user.

In the discourse of SEO, it’s the costs of gaining a customer done integrated search.

These costs tin see squad salaries, agency fees, SEO devices expenses, contented accumulation costs, and link-building investments.

Tracking CPA is captious because it tin uncover if your SEO strategy is cost-effective. 

A decreasing CPA indicates improving efficiency, while an expanding CPA signals imaginable issues successful your approach.

How to cipher CPA:

Calculate CPA successful the discourse of SEO utilizing the pursuing formula:

CPA = Total SEO costs (agency fees, contented accumulation costs, SEO instrumentality expenses, etc.) / Total number of conversions

Let’s opportunity you spent $4000 connected squad salaries and $1000 connected agency fees to get 100 customers. The calculation would look for illustration this:

CPA = ($4000 + $1000) / 100 = $50

10. Non-Branded Traffic

There are 2 types of postulation you tin get from integrated search: branded postulation and non-branded traffic.

For SEO, we usually attraction connected search non-branded traffic.

Here’s why.

Branded traffic comes from searches that see your institution name, branded merchandise names, aliases marque variations (including pronunciation errors).

Branded searches show really well-known your marque is. And rising branded postulation intends your marketing's working.

But this isn’t a nonstop denotation of SEO success. It indicates accrued marque consciousness that tin beryllium driven by efforts extracurricular of SEO, specified arsenic societal media trading campaigns aliases customer referrals.

Non-branded traffic, connected the different hand, comes from searches related to your products, services, aliases manufacture that don’t see your marque name.

It’s a important SEO KPI because it reflects your expertise to pull caller visitors unfamiliar pinch your marque earlier they recovered you connected Google.

Rising non-branded postulation typically indicates occurrence successful capturing hunt liking from broader, competitory queries.

How to way non-branded traffic:

Track non-branded postulation pinch Organic Research.

Add your domain to the instrumentality and click “Search.”
 

The “Overview” tab will show some branded and non-branded postulation correct astatine the top.

11. Return connected Investment (ROI)

Return connected finance (ROI) measures the magnitude of money you get backmost from the money you invest.

In the discourse of SEO, it’s really overmuch gross your SEO activities make compared to really overmuch they cost.

A affirmative ROI is the eventual extremity of each SEO strategy. 

It confirms that the clip and resources spent connected content, tract maintenance, outreach campaigns, and each your different SEO-related activities person been worthy it.

How to cipher SEO ROI:

Calculate SEO ROI utilizing the pursuing formula:

ROI = (Revenue from SEO - Cost of SEO) / Cost of SEO x 100

For example, you walk $9000 connected SEO and make $16000 successful revenue:

ROI = ($16000 - $9000) / $9000 x 100 = 77.8% 

Further reading: The ROI of SEO: How to Measure SEO ROI (with Formulas)

12. Google Business Profile Metrics

Google Business Profile (GBP, formerly known arsenic Google My Business) is simply a free Google instrumentality that lets you negociate your business’s beingness crossed hunt results.

If you’re a section business, leveraging your GBP efficaciously tin boost your local SEO and thief pull much customers.

And search your GBP metrics tin springiness you valuable insights into really imaginable customers prosecute pinch your profile.

How to way Google Business Profile metrics:

Once you’ve set up your Google Business Profile, you’ll spot respective metrics tracked by default wrong the platform.

Including number of searches, floor plan views, clicks, guidance requests, and calls.

These metrics thief you understand really visible your business is and really users interact pinch it successful search.

Easily Track and Report connected Your SEO KPIs

Regardless of the KPIs you determine to track, it’s important to commencement doing truthful arsenic soon arsenic possible.

The sooner you commencement collecting and analyzing data, the amended informed you will beryllium astir your existent capacity and benchmarks.

Using devices to way your SEO KPIs tin thief you stitchery each this information efficaciously and accurately.

They tin streamline the process of information collection, presentation, and aggregation. And make it easier to uncover insights. 

For example, Organic Traffic Insights merges information from Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and Semrush successful a azygous dashboard. 

And, if you request a study to beryllium your SEO efforts are working, create PDF reports from scratch pinch My Reports.

Semrush’s SEO study templates include:

• Monthly SEO report 
• Full tract audit report
• Monthly competitor analysis
• Full backlinks report
• Google Business Profile insights

And galore more. 

Sign up for a free Semrush account (no in installments paper required) and get entree to these 2 devices and complete 50 others.