10 SEO Metrics You Should Know About

Hey, you. Thanks for clicking on this link. If you’re reading this, it means our SEO efforts have been successful. We’ve directed you (traffic) to us (this website). Want to know our secret?

SEO metrics.

Using key SEO metrics, we’ve gathered data about what works — and what doesn’t work — to rank on search engines and improve traffic. This article shares 10 of the most important SEO metrics to grow your business. We also share how to use SEO metrics to write data-driven OKRs and kick goals.

Let’s get stuck in!

10 key metrics for SEO excellence

Don’t scroll too far — this is what you came for. Here are 10 essential SEO performance metrics you should be tracking.

1. Organic traffic
2. Organic click-through rate (organic CTR)
3. Domain Authority (DA)
4. Backlinks
5. Core Web Vitals
6. Keyword rankings
7. Average time on page
8. Average page load time
9. Exit rate
10. Pages per session

1. Organic traffic

Organic traffic refers to site visitors from search engine result pages (SERPs) and social networks such as Google. It’s traffic that is generated without help from ads. 

Why it matters

For SEO teams, organic traffic is like saving Princess Peach — the whole reason you show up. Organic traffic is the foremost measure of SEO performance for good reason — it’s more targeted and durable than paid traffic. This gives SEO teams the insight to change strategies if necessary.

2. Organic click-through rate (organic CTR)

Organic click-through rate, or organic CTR, measures the percentage of people who visit your site after seeing your listing in SERPs. It’s calculated by tracking the number of people that click through to your website from SERPs in a set period.

Why it matters

Organic CTR reveals the appeal of your website when compared to competitors. It measures how well you can capture your target audience’s attention through your meta title, description and URL. If organic CTR is low, it could be time to update your listing.

3. Domain Authority (DA)

Domain Authority (DA) is a scoring system developed by the SEO experts at Moz that assesses how likely a website is to rank in SERPs.

Why it matters

Domain Authority shows you how you compare to competitors and gives you a sense of your site’s credibility in the eyes of search engines, helping you optimise your SEO strategy. It can also help you gauge the effectiveness of your link-building efforts.

4. Backlinks

Backlinks measure your site’s authority and popularity by tracking links from external sites that refer to your site.

Why it matters

SEO success relies heavily on backlinks since they increase Domain Authority. Backlinks can indicate how your site is performing and which domains are referring traffic to it. When it comes to backlinks, it’s quality over quantity — focus on acquiring high-quality links from authoritative domains. 

5. Core Web Vitals

Google’s Core Web Vitals measure a site’s user experience. The three pillars of Core Web Vitals are Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). In other words: loading, interactivity and visual stability.

Why it matters

Since Core Web Vitals matter to your Google rank, it’s important to track how they’re performing. If Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool identifies that a Core Web Vital such as LCP is weak, you may need to work on improving your site’s load time.

6. Keyword rankings

Keyword rankings track where your site sits in search results for particular keywords. Keyword length can vary between one word and a short phrase.

Why it matters

Tracking keyword rankings can improve your SEO strategy. You can view how your competitors rank for your target terms and devise a strategy to outrank them. It’s a domino effect — sites with good keyword rankings are likely to rank for higher quality and quantity of keywords.

7. Average time on page

Average time on page measures how long users spend on a web page. Websites have multiple pages, and each has its own average time on page.

Why it matters

It is important to track visitors' average time on page for insight into how to improve low durations. The more time spent on a web page, the more engaged your users are — and the more likely they will convert.

8. Average page load time

Average page load time refers to the average time it takes to display your site’s pages.

Why it matters

It’s important to understand average page load time as it’s a key SERP ranking determinant.  Optimising your page load time will also improve your user experience, making it easier to convert traffic.

9. Exit rate

Exit rate measures how many visitors leave your site from each web page, expressed as a percentage. It’s calculated by dividing the number of exits by the number of hits for each page.

Why it matters

This metric helps SEO teams understand how specific pages perform on your site. A page with a high exit rate may need improving unless it’s an order confirmation page or similar. However, high exit rates earlier in the checkout process may indicate an issue.

10. Pages per session

Pages per session measures how many pages your users access on average before leaving your site. 

Why it matters

Using this metric, you can determine whether your content engages users and encourages them to take desired actions. When pages per session is high, users stay longer and visit multiple pages, making them more likely to convert.

SEO metrics for business success

OK, now what? Once you’ve gathered all the data that will fit in your basket, it’s time to start creating and implementing your SEO strategy.

To make this easier, we’ve enlisted the help of a proven goal-setting framework known as  Objectives and Key Results, or OKRs. Let’s break it down.

1. Using your data, identify where you could improve. These will be your Objectives (O).
2. Define success with three statements to help you meet your objectives. These are Key Results (KRs).
3. Map out how you’ll accomplish your KRs. These are your initiatives. 

Follow through for a more detailed look at writing your first OKRs, and peep some sample SEO OKRs while you’re at it. To simplify things, use an OKRs software like Tability to keep things organised — and keep you accountable. Click here to try Tability for free today!