When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, tracking your progress is crucial for success. Monitoring the right metrics can help you see what is working and what isn’t when it comes to your website’s SEO. However, there are so many metrics to track that it can be overwhelming. With Google Analytics being the most popular tool for website analytics, we have narrowed down the top three metrics you should track for actionable SEO insights.
1. Organic Search Traffic
Organic search traffic is the number of users that have found your website through a search engine, such as Google. This metric not only shows you how many people are discovering your site through search, but it also gives you insight into the effectiveness of your keyword strategy.
To track organic search traffic, simply log into Google Analytics and select “Acquisition” from the left-hand menu. From there, click “Overview,” and you will see a breakdown of your traffic sources. Look for “Organic Search” under “All Traffic,” and you will see the number of visitors that have found your website through search engines.
By monitoring this metric regularly, you can see if your SEO efforts are paying off in terms of increasing traffic to your website. If you notice a decrease in organic search traffic, it may be time to reevaluate your keyword strategy and optimize your website accordingly.
2. Bounce Rate
The bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your website after visiting only one page. A high bounce rate can be an indicator that your website is not meeting the needs or expectations of your visitors.
To track your bounce rate, head back to the “Overview” section of your Google Analytics account and navigate to “Behavior” on the left-hand menu. Click “Site Content,” then “All Pages.” From there, you will see a list of pages on your website and their respective bounce rates.
By monitoring this metric, you can pinpoint the pages on your website that are leading to a high bounce rate. You can then take steps to improve those pages by updating the content, adding internal links, or improving the website’s functionality.
3. Average Time on Page
The average time on page metric shows you how long visitors are spending on a specific page of your website. This can be an indicator of how engaging your content is and can help you improve pages that are failing to keep visitors on your site.
To track this metric, navigate to the same “Site Content” section in Google Analytics as you did for the bounce rate. You will see the average time on page listed next to each page on your site.
By monitoring this metric regularly, you can see which pages have a high average time on page and which ones have a low average time on page. If you notice that certain pages have a low average time on page, it may be time to update the content to make it more engaging or revisit the website design to make it more user-friendly.
Conclusion
By tracking these three metrics in Google Analytics, you can gain valuable insights into the performance of your website’s SEO. Organic search traffic will show you if your SEO strategy is attracting visitors, while the bounce rate and average time on page indicate how well your website is engaging visitors once they are on your site. By monitoring and optimizing your website based on these metrics, you can improve your website’s SEO and increase traffic and engagement.