Learn What to Track When it Comes to SEO and KPIs
When it comes to predicting outcomes, there are a few areas that you will never gauge with complete accuracy. One of the main ones is SEO. Just because you can’t always predict the outcome doesn’t mean you shouldn’t worry about it, however.
When it comes to your SEO metrics, you need to learn what to track, and what to let slide. If you are guilty of measuring everything, you are probably guilty of not really knowing what is important to track.
What should you track? Well, it is always a good idea to look at customer-oriented metrics. This helps you see if your strategies are getting any results and whether you are moving in the right direction. This will also help you see if your SEO strategies are in step with your business’s KPIs.
KPIs vs Metrics
Many people confuse KPIs (key performance indicators) with metrics. However, they aren’t exactly the same thing. You cannot use the two terms interchangeably.
When it comes to SEO metrics, the term refers to the parameters or the values that are being tracked referring to the search engine optimization process. An SEO KPI, on the other hand, is the value the SEO is adding to your strategy. They refer to the effectiveness of your SEO and whether or not it is helping you to achieve your strategic objectives.
While all KPIs are essentially metrics, not all metrics will be KPIs. Your KPIs should all have specific time-frames, and a business goal should be attached.
Here is an example: Let’s say you are tracking one of your keywords. Your SEO metric may be to monitor how often your keyword pops up in the Top 10 keyword search. This is an SEO metric but not a KPI because you do not know what the keyword being in the Top 10 is doing for your brand. It is it bringing traffic? Is it getting you sales? You can’t always be sure.
Connecting SEO to Your Business Goals
In order to track the appropriate SEO metrics, you will need to first outline a few business goals. You will choose a KPI that is relevant to your particular business and relevant to what you are currently trying to achieve. Once you have chosen a goal, you can work on finding the appropriate metric to track.
Another important thing to remember is that the metrics that are relevant to you may change over time. As your business goals change, you will need to update which metrics you track and align them with your goals.
For example, if you are running a campaign to increase your email subscribers, you will need to track different metrics than if your goal was to make sales.
Try to find a balance in what metrics you are tracking. Don’t waste time monitoring and tracking data that is unimportant to your current goals. Also, make sure you give your KPIs time frames or deadlines.
Most importantly, don’t become obsessed with tracking SEO metrics!
