SEO KPIs: 12 KPIs for SEO to Track & Measure

What Are SEO KPIs?

SEO KPIs (key show 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 assistance you:

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

The circumstantial KPIs you way volition beryllium connected your website and goals. 

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

1. Organic Conversions

Organic conversions hap erstwhile visitors from unpaid hunt results implicit a desired action. Like making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, oregon 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 concern results. 

How to way integrated conversions:

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

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

Then, spell to “Admin” > “Events.”

Mark your desired events arsenic conversions to statesman tracking.

Once an lawsuit is marked arsenic a conversion, it tin instrumentality 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 however often your website shows up successful hunt motor results for your people keywords.

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

Tracking hunt visibility gives you a bird's-eye presumption of however prominently your tract appears for your people keywords.

And helps you recognize if your SEO efforts are paying disconnected crossed aggregate keywords, alternatively than focusing connected idiosyncratic 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 illustration showing website show data. Click connected the “Total impressions” box.

That fig indicates however galore times your website has appeared connected a results leafage implicit a circumstantial period.

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

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

Enter your people keywords arsenic you acceptable up your project. And click “Start Tracking.”

The instrumentality volition make a study specifically for your people keywords.

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

And the “Overview” tab shows a inclination graph 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 fig of radical who saw your leafage successful SERPs and decided to click connected it.

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

How to way integrated traffic:

Measure integrated postulation with GSC.

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

You’ll spot a graph showing your integrated postulation implicit time. Select “Total clicks” to spot however galore radical 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 similar ranking presumption and SERP features.

And place the main websites competing with 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 however compelling your listing is successful hunt results. If astir users who spot your tract besides click, this is an indicator your contented is engaging and relevant.

Calculate it by dividing the fig of clicks implicit the full fig 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 with a graph showing your mean CTR implicit 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 presumption successful hunt motor results pages (SERPs) for circumstantial hunt terms.

This is an important SEO KPI to way due to the fact that you privation your tract to fertile arsenic highly arsenic possible. 

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

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

How to way keyword rankings:

Automatically way keyword rankings with Position Tracking. 

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

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

Add the keywords you privation 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 present beryllium capable to spot your rankings for each of the keywords you entered. And different meaningful metrics, similar 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 invaluable and trustworthy.

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

Specifically, you should show the pursuing backlink metrics:

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

That way, you tin recognize however galore backlinks you have. And wherever those backlinks are coming from.

How to way backlink metrics:

You tin way each of these metrics with Backlink Analytics.

Enter your domain and click “Analyze.”

In the “Overview” tab, you’ll spot your full fig 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 show by adding their domains to the tool.

For example, this illustration shows favored marque Chewy’s authorization score, referring domains, and fig of backlinks successful examination with 4 of its competitors.

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

7. User Engagement Metrics

User engagement metrics uncover however visitors interact with your content. 

These metrics see the following:

• Bounce rate: The percent of visitors who permission aft viewing lone 1 page
• Average Engagement Time: The mean magnitude of clip users actively interact with your website (e.g., scrolling oregon clicking)
• Session Duration: The full clip a idiosyncratic spends connected your tract successful 1 visit
• Pages per Session: The mean fig of pages viewed during a azygous session

However, the metrics prioritize beryllium connected your contented benignant and concern goals. And occurrence looks antithetic based connected your content.

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

Whereas a agelong league duration for a checkout leafage connected an ecommerce tract suggests determination whitethorn beryllium issues with your site. Since the process should beryllium speedy and smooth.

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

Bounce Rate

Bounce complaint is the percent of users who onshore connected a leafage and permission 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 due to the fact that the contented isn’t relevant, the leafage didn’t conscionable their expectations, oregon determination are method issues similar dilatory load times.

While bounce complaint isn’t a ranking factor, users consistently bouncing from a leafage they clicked connected from hunt results signals to hunt engines that the leafage whitethorn not beryllium satisfying idiosyncratic intent. Which whitethorn impact rankings implicit 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 close country of the page.

Now, click “Metrics.” And benignant “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 however agelong users actively interact with your tract oregon app.

It tracks however agelong your tract is successful absorption (i.e., the progressive browser tab) and the idiosyncratic is engaged done actions similar scrolling oregon clicking.

Longer engagement times suggest users find your contented invaluable and relevant, which tin awesome to hunt engines that your leafage 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 instrumentality enactment 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 beingness worth (CLV) is simply a predictive measurement of the full gross expected from a lawsuit passim their narration with your business.

In different words, it’s however overmuch wealth you tin expect from a lawsuit passim their narration with your brand.

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

It besides helps you find the imaginable semipermanent instrumentality connected SEO investments. And measure however 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 lawsuit lifespan)

To illustrate, if your mean lawsuit from integrated hunt spends $100 per order, makes 3 purchases per year, and remains a lawsuit for 5 years, past the calculation would look similar 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 lawsuit volition astir apt walk $1500 passim their interactions with your brand.

9. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

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

In the discourse of SEO, it’s the outgo of gaining a lawsuit done integrated search.

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

Tracking CPA is captious due to the fact that it tin uncover if your SEO strategy is cost-effective. 

A decreasing CPA indicates improving efficiency, portion 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 fig of conversions

Let’s accidental you spent $4000 connected squad salaries and $1000 connected bureau fees to get 100 customers. The calculation would look similar 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 absorption connected tracking non-branded traffic.

Here’s why.

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

Branded searches amusement however well-known your marque is. And rising branded postulation means 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 selling campaigns oregon lawsuit referrals.

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

It’s a important SEO KPI due to the fact that it reflects your quality to pull caller visitors unfamiliar with your marque earlier they recovered you connected Google.

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

How to way non-branded traffic:

Track non-branded postulation with Organic Research.

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

The “Overview” tab volition amusement some branded and non-branded postulation close astatine the top.

11. Return connected Investment (ROI)

Return connected concern (ROI) measures the magnitude of wealth you get backmost from the wealth you invest.

In the discourse of SEO, it’s however overmuch gross your SEO activities make compared to however 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 escaped 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 assistance pull much customers.

And tracking your GBP metrics tin springiness you invaluable insights into however imaginable customers prosecute with 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 fig of searches, illustration views, clicks, absorption requests, and calls.

These metrics assistance you recognize however disposable your concern is and however users interact with 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 volition beryllium astir your existent show and benchmarks.

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

They tin streamline the process of information collection, presentation, and aggregation. And marque 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, make PDF reports from scratch with My Reports.

Semrush’s SEO study templates include:

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

And galore more. 

Sign up for a free Semrush account (no recognition paper required) and get entree to these 2 tools and implicit 50 others.