When it comes to measuring the results of an SEO campaign, you need to monitor certain statistics. However, how can you ensure that you are seeing positive changes with your Search Engine Optimization strategy? The benchmarks and data points listed below will measure how well your SEO project is performing.
You can start by watching the video below or by watching it directly on YouTube. Then, there is a corresponding article with additional details.
SEO Benchmarks Video
8 SEO Benchmarks & Statistics to Monitor
- Conversion Value from Organic Search
- Total Conversions from Organic Search
- Total Organic Search Traffic
- Total Clicks Google Search Console
- Total Impressions Google Search Console
- Average CTR Google Search Console
- Total Clicks Bing Webmaster Tools
- Total Indexed Pages Google Search Console
The most important KPI for your business is generally your profit. Specifically, it is vital to learn how much revenue your organic search traffic drives to your business. You can find your conversion value by measuring your website revenue in Google Analytics and tracking the revenue driven directly by organic search traffic from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
When you create your website, you likely drive little to no conversions from organic search traffic. As you implement your SEO strategy, you can record how many conversions it drives by using Google Analytics. I prefer to track conversion value, but the total number of leads or sales can still be very valuable to track.
Probably the most obvious SEO metric to measure – total traffic from search engines. Generally, you will find that more organic search traffic means more conversions and increased conversion value.
You don’t want to track clicks from 10 different sources. One place to track total Google search engine clicks is directly through the Google Search Console.
Along with clicks, the total impressions in Google Search Console can be very valuable. As you create more and more content around your top keywords, you will grow your search impressions.
There’s nothing worse than seeing hundreds of thousands of impressions with a low CTR in the Google Search Console. If you can double your CTR, you will immediately double the amount of search engine traffic back to your website. In addition, you can identify low CTR pages that you can try to optimize.
Bing Webmaster Tools is an underutilized tool, but it gives you great insight into your website in the Bing and Yahoo search results. It’s another source for organic search traffic, so if you can drive more clicks from those search engines, it will help increase your conversion value from Search Engine Optimization.
If you have 2 websites about the same topic and one website has 500 pages indexed and the other website has 25 pages indexed, it represents that one website has more content and more comprehensive information. Keep in mind, you don’t want low-quality pages indexed just to increase indexed pages, but if you are creating great content consistently then you will see more search engine traffic.
Getting Started with SEO Benchmarks
- Install Google Analytics
- Install Google Search Console
- Install Bing Webmaster Tools
- Set-Up Conversion Data in Google Analytics
- Keep Track of Monthly Results
Every website should have Google Analytics installed because you can track the traffic on your website. With Google Analytics, you will be able to monitor your organic search engine traffic and the value it drives to your website.
Three of the benchmarks and SEO statistics above are related to the Google Search Console. The search console is a free tool that will allow you to track how your website is performing in the Google Search Results. You can watch my Google Search Console video tutorial below.
Bing Webmaster Tools will allow you to track the organic search traffic you get from the Microsoft search network.
Two of the main SEO metrics we track are total conversions and total conversion value. In order to do that, we need to install Google Analytics and set-up goals for our Key Performance Indicators.
Last but not least, you need to track the SEO statistics we mentioned above on a monthly or quarterly basis. That way, you can implement and execute your SEO strategy and measure the results along the way. You may have a decline based on seasonality, but the longer you track it the better you will understand your results.
Why Create SEO Benchmarks?
When it comes to SEO statistics and SEO benchmarks, there are plenty of data points you can monitor for Search Engine Optimization success. I believe you want to focus mainly on the conversion value, total conversions, and total traffic from search engines to understand the impact of your keyword research, content creation, on-page optimization, and website navigation campaigns.
After all, your hard work should be rewarded with more free traffic from search engines like Google and Bing. And, as you work on your website content and optimize your website, you should be able to move into the top position in Google in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
What is a Benchmark?
A standard or point of reference against which things may be compared or assessed. When you set an SEO benchmark for your business, you can compare that metric with future results. Therefore, you can learn whether or not your SEO strategy is increasing your organic search traffic and driving more revenue to your business.
