Which SEO metrics should matter most?

All businesses need to have a  strong SEO strategy for reaching new audiences and generating leads. 

You can set up an effective SEO strategy and Semrush shows you exactly how to create and execute an effective SEO strategy, step by step.

The SEO Metrics That Matter Most, According to Semrush

1. Focus on the metrics that tie directly back to revenue — like conversions and new MRR.

Focusing on the metrics that tie back to revenue can greatly impact where you spend your time and resources. To effectively evaluate your content based on revenue, consider making a spreadsheet that tracks all your top-converting posts. Even if those posts aren't the ones that bring in the most traffic for your site, those are the posts you'll want to focus your historical optimization attention on — since those have proven most valuable to your business' bottom line.

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2. Don't forget about branded keyword search volume.

This is a particularly important metric if your goal is to grow brand awareness for your business. As you test strategies meant to increase brand awareness, such as co-marketing campaigns, sponsored events, or new types of content like podcasting, you'll want to obsess over branded keyword search volume. Is it going up over time? If it is, this is a strong indicator that your brand awareness strategy is working.

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3. Consider click-through rate and how it correlates to organic traffic.

In a world where almost two-thirds of Google searches end without a click, it has become increasingly difficult to achieve high click-through rates. And Andrienko admits it's not always feasible. Consider, for instance, a user who searches "How can I measure click-through rate?" They'll be shown this featured snippet, which concisely answers their query:

This is where the power of long-tail keywords comes into play.

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4. Don't ignore rankings, backlinks, domain authority, and user behaviour metrics.

Additional Metrics you should be tracking:

- Total Organic Clicks

- Number of Goal Completions Via Organic Traffic

- Bounce Rate of Top Landing Pages

- Top Exit Pages

- Target Keywords and Their Organic Ranking. SEMrush position tracking is a great way to monitor positions for any keyword

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The SEO metrics you care about ultimately depend largely on your goals as a marketing leader. As you approach 2023, you'll want to consider your goals, and then work backwards from there to identify which SEO metrics will help you evaluate how aligned your strategy is with those goals.

Not sure which goals to focus on? Take a look at The Top Goals of Marketing Leaders in 2023, or find other helpful content related to leadership in 2023 in the post, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader: Data from 500+ Marketing Directors on How to Take Your Team to the Next Level.

Check out how to track these metrics by clicking the button below. 

If you need a little hand tracking these metrics we’re always here so feel free to contact us.