5 SEO metrics to track in 2024
Emily Ward As we look ahead to 2024, understanding and optimising your SEO metrics is more critical than ever. Here, we’ve put together our guide that will explore five crucial SEO metrics that businesses should track in 2024 for a successful online strategy.
Why is it important to track your SEO performance?
Before we dive into specific SEO metrics, let’s address the foundational question: Why should you track your SEO performance? Simply put, effective SEO is the linchpin of online visibility. Without a solid understanding of how your website is performing in search engine results, you’re navigating blind in the digital realm.
Monitoring SEO metrics provides valuable insights into the success of your optimisation efforts, helping you make data-driven decisions. It enables you to adapt to changing algorithms, understand user behavior, and refine your content for better visibility. By keeping a pulse on your SEO performance, you can identify what’s working, what needs improvement, and how to stay competitive in the dynamic online landscape.
Crucial SEO metrics that you need to track
1. Keyword Rankings
Keywords are the foundation of SEO, and tracking your keyword rankings is essential. With the ever-evolving nature of search queries, using long-tail and semantic search keywords is becoming an increasingly important factor in high website rankings.
You can monitor target keywords by using valuable tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or SEMrush, or by reaching out to an SEO specialist to help with your keyword performance. Keep in mind that SEO is not a static game and continuous refinement of your keyword strategy is necessary for sustained success! This is also why conducting keyword research is significant to the success of your SEO metrics.
2. Organic Traffic
Organic traffic represents the users who find your website through search engine results rather than through paid advertisements. Monitoring organic traffic helps you gauge the effectiveness of your overall SEO strategy and content marketing efforts. If it’s increasing, it’s likely a sign that your SEO efforts are paying off!
To help track your organic traffic performance and trends, use tools like Google Analytics which can help you understand and analyse user behavior, entry points, and engagement on your site. A decline in organic traffic may signal issues such as algorithm changes, technical problems, or a need for high-quality and relevant content.
Creating good content for your website not only attracts visitors but also keeps them engaged and encourages them to further explore the site. If you’re not sure where to start, it would be worthwhile to reach out to an SEO content writer who will help get the ball rolling!
3. Click-Through-Rate (CTR)
Your website’s visibility in search results is not enough; the Click-Through-Rate (CTR) is a key indicator of how well your content resonates with users. CTR measures the percentage of users who click on your link when presented with it in search results.
A well-optimised CTR not only improves your rankings on Google but also enhances the user experience whilst on your site. Testing different variations and optimising for higher CTR can lead to improved rankings, as search engines often reward content that attracts more clicks. The best way to improve your CTR is to speak to a User Experience (UX) specialist, who can help you optimise your website for the best possible experience.
4. Indexed Pages
Indexed pages are those that search engines have crawled (finding new or updated pages) and added to their database, making them eligible to appear in search results. To be successful at this, you want to see the number of indexed pages steadily increase as you publish new content.
A decline in indexed pages could indicate crawl issues, indexing errors, or other technical problems. Keep your sitemap updated and address crawl errors promptly to maintain a healthy index status! Unsure what any of this means? Speak to an SEO specialist who can guide you through the process.
5. Conversion Rate
While attracting traffic is essential, the ultimate goal is to convert visitors into customers or subscribers. Tracking the conversion rate allows you to measure the effectiveness of your website in achieving its objectives, whether it’s making a purchase, filling out a form, or signing up for a newsletter.
A holistic approach that considers user experience, page speed, and compelling calls-to-action can significantly impact your conversion rate. Using invaluable tools such as Google Analytics will help track conversations accurately and identify the pages that are performing well so that you can analyse them in more depth. You can also speak with a conversion optimisation expert, who will be able to point you in the right direction!
So, let’s wrap up…
In the dynamic realm of SEO, adapting to changes and proactively tracking SEO metrics is essential for success. As we navigate through 2024, the landscape will continue to evolve, emphasising the need for a strategic and data-driven approach.
Remember, SEO is not a one-time effort; it requires continuous monitoring, analysis, and refinement. By keeping a close eye on SEO metrics such as keyword rankings, organic traffic, CTR, indexed pages, and conversion rates, you’ll position your website for sustained success in the competitive digital landscape.
