One of the best things about digital marketing compared to old-school marketing is how trackable everything is. With tools like Google Analytics, you can get detailed insights into how your website is doing. So, you’re never left wondering whether your SEO efforts are paying off.
But here’s the thing — there’s so much data available that the real challenge is knowing what to focus on.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through:
- The 9 most important SEO metrics (and what they actually mean)
- 2 metrics you can ignore (or at least not obsess over)
- Where to find these metrics and tips to improve them
Once you start tracking the right numbers, you’ll get a clearer picture of what’s working and what’s not — and you’ll be able to grow your rankings and ROI over time.
9 SEO Metrics That Actually Matter
1. Organic Traffic
Let’s start with the most obvious one: organic traffic. This is the traffic you get from search engines without paying for ads.
You can get traffic from all over — social media, email, referrals — but organic traffic shows how visible you are in search results. If your SEO is on point, this number should grow over time.
📍How to track it:
In Google Analytics, go to your dashboard, click “Add Segment,” and choose “Organic Traffic.” Now you can see how much of your traffic is coming from search engines.
Also Read: Can Automation Tools Save SEO Time?
2. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Your organic CTR tells you how many people clicked on your site after seeing it in search results.
For example: if 1,000 people saw your page in Google and 100 clicked on it, your CTR is 10%.
If this number is low, your title or meta description might need a little love. Make sure they’re interesting and clearly explain what your page is about.
📍How to track it:
Head to Google Search Console > Performance tab. You’ll see CTR by page, keyword, or device.
3. Exit Rate
Exit pages are the last pages people visit before leaving your site. If certain pages have a high exit rate, they might not be keeping people engaged.
Maybe the content isn’t helpful, or there’s no clear next step. Either way, it’s worth a closer look.
📍How to track it:
In Google Analytics, go to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages. You’ll see where people tend to drop off.
🛠️Quick fixes:
- Use clear calls to action (CTAs)
- Link to other helpful content
- Add visuals to make your content more engaging
4. Pages Per Session
This tells you how many pages a visitor checks out before leaving. More pages usually means better engagement.
If people are only visiting one page, maybe your content isn’t interesting enough—or your navigation might be confusing.
📍How to track it:
Google Analytics > Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels.
5. Average Page Load Time
No one likes a slow website. Site speed affects rankings and user experience.
📍How to track it:
Google Analytics > Behavior > Site Speed. You can check your overall speed or view it page by page.
Faster pages = happier users and better SEO.
6. Core Web Vitals
Google wants websites to be fast and easy to use, so they created Core Web Vitals — a set of performance metrics that show how smooth your site feels to visitors.
Here’s what they measure:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): How quickly the main content loads
- FID (First Input Delay): How fast your site reacts when users click something
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): How stable your page layout is (no annoying jumps)
📍Where to check:
Google Search Console > Enhancements tab
Or use Google PageSpeed Insights for detailed suggestions.
Also Read: What do SEO Audit Tools Offer?
7. Backlinks & Referring Domains
Backlinks are still a big deal in SEO. They’re like votes of confidence from other websites.
But it’s not just about how many links you have — it’s about the quality and how many unique websites (referring domains) link to you.
📍How to track it:
Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush show you who’s linking to you, what pages they’re linking to, and how strong those sites are.
8. Top Keyword Rankings
Want to know if your SEO is working? Check which keywords you’re ranking for.
If you’re ranking well for keywords that matter to your business, you’re doing something right.
📍How to track it:
Use tools like SEMrush’s Organic Positions Report. You’ll see how your rankings are moving and where you might want to focus more.
9. Pages Crawled Per Day
This tells you how often Google crawls your site. A healthy crawl rate means Google can find and index your content quickly.
📍Where to look:
Google Search Console > Settings > Crawl Stats
If Google isn’t crawling all your pages, it could be a sign of technical SEO issues or crawl budget limitations.
2 SEO Metrics You Can Chill About
1. Conversions (Sometimes Overrated)
Sure, conversions are important — but they don’t always tell the full story.
Let’s say 10 people bought something yesterday, but only 4 did today. Does that mean your site’s doing worse? Maybe not. If today’s buyers spent more, your revenue might actually be up.
Also, “conversion” can mean anything — signing up for a newsletter, booking a call, downloading a guide. Not all of these directly mean money.
So use conversions with context, not as your main SEO metric.
2. Bounce Rate
Bounce rate shows how many people leave after viewing just one page. But don’t panic if this number is high — it’s not always a bad thing.
Someone might land on your blog post, read the whole thing, get exactly what they needed, and leave. That’s technically a bounce… but it’s still a win!
So, instead of obsessing over your site-wide bounce rate, focus on how individual pages are performing and what users are actually doing.
Also Read: How to Use Google Analytics for SEO?
Start Tracking Your SEO Like a Pro
With search engines constantly updating their algorithms, keeping an eye on the right SEO metrics is key.
If you’re not already tracking these nine, now’s the perfect time to start. Tools like Google Analytics, Search Console, Ahrefs, and SEMrush make it easier than ever to stay on top of your SEO game.
Here’s your quick checklist:
- ✅ Organic traffic
- ✅ Click-through rate
- ✅ Exit rate
- ✅ Pages per session
- ✅ Average page load time
- ✅ Core Web Vitals
- ✅ Backlinks & referring domains
- ✅ Keyword rankings
- ✅ Pages crawled per day
Ready to grow? Start measuring what matters — and let the data guide your strategy.
