How to Track and Report on Your SEO Campaign

SEO reporting and the way you incorporate it into your strategy can make or break your campaigns.  The true value of SEO lies not just in its implementation, but in its measurable impact on your business.  SEO is not about chasing arbitrary numbers or vanity metrics – it’s about driving real, tangible results that contribute to your bottom line. These can include increasing brand awareness, generating more leads, or boosting online sales. 

How do you go about tracking and reporting on the details that will help you grow in the future?

Use Tools to Collect Data

First, decide what tools you’d like to use to collect data. It’s a good idea to use more than one tool so you get different insights. 

Google Analytics is free and helps you track tons of website traffic metrics. Set up custom reports and dashboards to automate reports and updates on your website’s performance.

Google Search Console can help you track your website’s search engine rankings, click-through rates, and impressions. Set up email alerts to notify you of changes to your website’s performance.

Third-party SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz help you track your website’s rankings, backlinks, and other SEO metrics. 

Use custom scripts and plugins. If you have coding skills, you can create custom scripts or plugins to automate the tracking and reporting process. You can also incorporate automated reporting services. There are also services available, such as Data Studio and Klipfolio, that can help you automate the reporting process.

Know What Metrics to Track

Looking at general website traffic alone (like in Google Analytics) tells an incomplete and often contradictory story. A website’s traffic can spike for any number of arbitrary reasons that just clog up your bandwidth without increasing your sales and conversions. If you want to track metrics that matter, focus on analyzing the traffic that you care about. 

Here are some important key metrics to consider tracking that go beyond just page visits:

1. Organic Search Impressions. This is the increase in the number of times that your website appears in a search engine’s SERP (Search Engine Results Pages), regardless of whether or not it results in a website visit.
2. Organic SERP clicks. This is the increase in the number of website visitors coming from search engine SERPs and as opposed to paid sources like ads.
3. Keyword Rankings. This metric tracks positions for target keywords in SERPs.
4. Conversion Rate. This measures the percentage of organic visitors who complete desired actions such as purchases, sign-ups, downloads, etc. 
5. Revenue from Organic Search. This tracks the actual revenue generated from organic search visitors. So, if someone finds you via an organic search and makes a purchase, that counts toward your organic search revenue. 
6. Return on Investment. The ROI compares how much you’ve spent on your SEO efforts compared with how much you’ve made as a result. For example, you invested $1,000 in paid ads and made $10,000 as a result, your ROI would be 90%.
7. Page Load speed. Monitoring page load speed tells you how your website speed and performance is improving, which can affect both rankings and user experience.

This is not a comprehensive list, but if you’re just starting to track your SEO efforts, this is a good place to start.

What Next?

Whatever you decide to track, you should collect this information thoroughly at the very beginning of the project so that they have something solid to compare to later. Then, make sure to record this data again on a regular basis. Monthly is a good idea, but quarterly reporting can also be useful.

Set goals around the metrics you choose to track. It’s not enough to just say, “I want the numbers to go up.” Instead, observe what your numbers already say and determine how you’d like each metric to improve. Research your industry and see what is a reasonable or average expectation. Keep track of these numbers so you always have something to work toward.

Now that you have your data, where do you go from here? When a metric has been met, is that a finalized win for your team or do you want to set a new tighter metric? Should they create systems and documentation to make sure this metric remains steady?

How to Build an SEO Reporting System

Now that you’ve started tracking the website’s metrics, you need to use that data wisely. Here are our suggestions on how to build a repeatable and measurable reporting system around your key SEO metrics. With each report, use what you’ve learned to build out tasks to address any issues.

Weekly

Check for any sudden drops in rankings or traffic. Monitor website analytics and ongoing campaigns. Check for any new or lost backlinks. Analyze and report on any changes in search engine algorithm updates. Review and update keyword rankings for target keywords and track changes. Check for any crawl errors or other technical issues. Monitor and respond to any online reviews or feedback.

Monthly

Take a detailed look at keyword rankings, traffic, and conversions. Analyze your website’s metrics according to the ones you’ve chosen. Analyze any changes in search engine algorithm updates and their impact on the website’s performance. Review and update your target keywords and backlink profile. 

Quarterly 

Review and update your SEO strategy based on data and changing industry trends. Conduct a comprehensive website audit to identify issues and areas for improvement. Analyze and report on any major changes in search engine algorithm updates. Review and update your target keywords and adjust strategies accordingly. Conduct a full backlink analysis.

Most SEO tools also provide effective great collaborative and reporting tools that make them easy to use with a team. This can help keep up engagement with your stakeholders and keep your SEO project running smoothly. 

Tracking and reporting on SEO progress can feel tedious. Many businesses skip it altogether, but it is an essential part of your strategy. If you aren’t tracking data and using it to improve, you’re taking stabs in the dark which can waste time and money.

Learn more about SEO reporting in our eBook – Breaking the SEO Code. We’ve dedicated an entire chapter to tracking and SEO reporting alone!

If you want a more actionable solution, download the free Breaking the SEO Code workbook. It comes with handy templates and layouts to help you organize your tracking and reporting information.