No matter what your marketing channels are, you should always set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for them. If not, how can you properly evaluate success?
KPIs are quantifiable metrics that organizations use to measure their performance in relation to specific objectives and goals. They provide a concrete value that demonstrates how effectively a company, department, team, or individual is achieving their key business objectives.
Ensure your SEO KPI reports are accurate by using a tool like Google Analytics 4. You can also use tracking URLs so that leads or sales entering your CRM have the proper attribution source.
Here’s how you can set KPIs for your SEO marketer
Understand your business objectives: This is the first and most crucial step. Your SEO objectives should align with your business objectives. For example, if your primary business goal is to increase online sales, one of your SEO objectives might be to improve organic search ranking for keywords related to your products.
If you’re trying to grow leads, your keyword targeting my be more middle or top of the funnel.
Translate objectives into measurable KPIs: Once you’ve defined your SEO objectives, you need to translate them into measurable KPIs. Continuing with the previous example, you might measure the success of your objective to improve organic search ranking by tracking the following KPIs:
- Organic Traffic: This is the number of visitors coming to your website from unpaid search results. An increase in organic traffic often correlates with higher search engine rankings for keywords that are important to your business.
- Keyword Ranking: This is the position of your website in search engine results for specific keywords. Higher rankings mean more visibility and potentially more traffic. You can find these in Google Search Console.
- Conversion Rate: This measures how many of your website visitors complete a desired action, such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form. GA4 is the best tool for tracking this.
Regularly review and adjust KPIs: SEO is a long-term game, and it’s essential to review your KPIs regularly. If you’re not seeing the progress you’d like, you might need to adjust your strategy or even your KPIs.
Remember, it’s crucial to communicate these KPIs clearly to your SEO specialist. They should understand what success looks like and how their performance will be measured.
Help your SEO strategist hit their KPIs with website investments
SEO falls under the umbrella of inbound marketing – the strategy of attracting customers to you, rather than you reaching out to them.
Even the best SEO marketers can use an assist. Strong calls to action, lead traps and fast loading websites all help your SEO expert hit their KPIs. But sometimes these items fall outside of their responsibilities.
Here are 4 ways to improve website conversion rates so that the increase in your SEO traffic doesn’t lead to zilch.
1. Create High-Quality, Relevant Content: The first step in converting search visitors is attracting the right audience. Creating high-quality, relevant content will not only improve your SEO rankings and bring more traffic to your site, but it will also ensure that the traffic is relevant. This means visitors are more likely to be interested in your products or services. Incorporate keywords related to your business naturally throughout your content, and ensure the topics are valuable to your target audience.
2. Include Clear, Compelling Calls to Action (CTAs): Each optimized post or page should include a clear, compelling call to action that encourages the reader to take the next step. This could be signing up for a newsletter, downloading a free eBook, or making a purchase. The CTA should be visually striking and its message should create a sense of urgency or provide a benefit for the user.
3. Use Landing Pages Effectively: When a visitor clicks on your CTA, they should be directed to a dedicated landing page. This page should be simple and focused, free from distractions, with one main goal: getting the visitor to convert. The design of the page, the copy, and the overall user experience should all be optimized with this in mind.
4. Implement a Lead Nurturing Strategy: Not all visitors will be ready to convert immediately, and that’s okay. By implementing a lead nurturing strategy, you can stay in contact with these potential customers and gently guide them down the sales funnel. This can include email marketing, retargeting ads, and more personalized content.
In conclusion, increasing conversions from blog / SEO visitors involves a combination of high-quality content, compelling CTAs, effective use of landing pages, and a comprehensive lead nurturing strategy.
To learn more about setting SEO KPIs, get in touch with me at cort@bayareaseosolutions.com.