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In the digital age, understanding how well your website performs is essential to boosting your SEO efforts. Monitoring the right key metrics in Google Analytics and Google Search Console is the secret weapon you need to ensure your site is on the right growth trajectory.
Why Tracking SEO Metrics Matters
Tracking SEO performance is not just about seeing the numbers; it’s about making informed decisions that drive results. Google Analytics and Google Search Console offer the tools you need to monitor crucial metrics that show your website’s growth and help identify where you need improvements. Let’s explore the key areas you should keep an eye on.
Google Analytics: Monitoring Organic Traffic
Organic Traffic is a key indicator of how well your website is performing in search engines. Keeping tabs on how many users find your site through organic searches helps you understand if your SEO efforts are working. You can use the Comparison Feature in Google Analytics to compare current traffic with a previous period, such as last year, and observe trends.
- Sessions & Engagement: The number of sessions might decrease, but what matters more is the quality of these sessions. Are users interacting with your content? Metrics such as engagement rate, bounce rate, and average time spent on pages help determine whether the content meets user expectations and needs.
Identifying Pages Losing Traffic
If some pages are losing traffic, use the Pages and Screens tab in Google Analytics to identify the culprits. A high bounce rate could indicate that users aren’t finding what they’re looking for, or that the content might be outdated. Low engagement is often a sign that it’s time to refresh and update the information.
Google Search Console: Analyzing Keywords
Google Search Console is an excellent tool for analyzing your website’s keyword performance. In the Performance tab, you can see the keywords your pages rank for. It’s important to keep an eye on the following metrics:
- Total Clicks, Impressions, CTR, and Average Position: These metrics provide insights into keyword performance and help you decide whether to optimize meta titles and descriptions, especially if the Click-Through Rate (CTR) is low despite a high ranking.
Video Page Indexing
Proper video page indexing is crucial for ensuring that your video content reaches the intended audience. You can use Google Search Console to check if your video pages are indexed correctly, troubleshoot any issues, and make sure your video metadata (such as titles and descriptions) is optimized for search.
Video Indexing Report
The Video Indexing Report in Google Search Console shows how many indexed pages on your site contain one or more videos, and how many of those pages have a video that could be indexed. Here’s what you’ll find in the report:
- Pages with Indexed Videos: How many indexed pages contain a video that Google has successfully indexed, along with details about the indexed video.
- Pages Without Indexed Videos: How many indexed pages contain one or more videos, but Google could not index any of the videos (and the reasons why).
It’s important to note that this report does not show a count of unique videos on your site unless specific conditions apply. The report covers only indexed pages. If a page is not indexed for any reason (such as being non-canonical), it will not appear in this report.
Using the Video Indexing Report
- At First Glance: The total of Video Indexed and No Video Indexed should approximately match the number of pages with videos on your site. If this total is lower than expected, it may indicate that Google is having trouble indexing your video pages.
- High No Video Indexed Count: A high count of pages without indexed videos indicates video indexing issues, not page indexing issues. Address these issues to ensure your video content can be properly discovered and ranked.
Technical SEO Monitoring
To ensure the long-term success of your website, keeping up with technical SEO metrics is key:
- Indexing Status: Make sure your pages are indexed properly in Google. Unindexed pages mean lost opportunities for ranking.
- Core Web Vitals & Page Experience: These metrics help identify issues like slow site speed and ensure that all pages are secured with HTTPS.
- Sitemaps: Ensure that your XML sitemap is correctly submitted to Google Search Console, making it easier for Google to discover your content.
Internal and External Links
Linking is crucial for SEO success. Internal Links help connect your pages, giving users and search engines an easy way to navigate your site. Monitor orphan pages and link them to relevant content to improve your site structure.
- Backlinks: Track your external links to ensure anchor texts are varied and natural. A mix of branded, generic, and keyword-rich anchor texts keeps your backlinks healthy and penalty-free.
Keep Your Metrics in Check for Long-Term Success
To maintain and improve your website’s performance, keep monitoring these key metrics regularly. Regular tracking means you can quickly adapt to any changes, ensuring that your SEO strategies continue to drive growth and visibility for your site.
Podcast Transcription – Below
Ever feel like your website is kinda, you know, lost in this massive sea of Internet content? Yeah. I know what you mean. You pour your heart and soul into it. Right?
But it’s, like, invisible to the people you actually wanna reach. Right. Well, good news. Today, we’re gonna dive deep into SEO. Okay.
Yeah. We’re gonna explore how Google’s free tools, analytics, and search console can actually put a spotlight on your website Mhmm. And more importantly, help you attract the right people. Absolutely. These tools are essential.
Think of them as, like, mission control for your website. Oh, I like that. Mission control. Yeah. They give you the insights to not just exist online, but but to really thrive.
Okay. But here’s the thing I’ll fully admit. I often find myself staring at the numbers in these tools. Yeah. And it’s like they’re written in some ancient language I don’t understand.
Right. Right. It’s one thing to see, like, oh, I have this many visitors. Mhmm. But how do I actually use that information?
Like, what’s the point? Yeah. You have to understand what you’re seeing. It’s like having a super high-tech car. Right?
Okay. Yeah. But you have no clue what those blinking lights and gauges on the dashboard are actually telling you. Right. You need to understand the story behind those numbers, and that’s where the magic happens.
Okay. So where do we even begin with that? So let’s start with figuring out how people are finding your site in the first place. Yep. This blog post we’re looking at today calls organic traffic, the holy grail of website growth.
Okay. Yeah. I’ve heard that term organic traffic. And it’s really important. But what does it actually mean?
So think of it like this. It’s a difference between someone accidentally stumbling upon, like, a hidden bookstore Okay. Versus, like, seeing it featured in a travel magazine. Right? Mhmm.
You want those intentional visitors who are actively looking for what you offer. That’s organic traffic. Okay. So it’s targeted. They’re intentionally.
Exactly. Exactly. So organic traffic, it’s all about people finding you through search engines Yeah. Not through ads or social media. Precisely.
Got it. Okay. So where do we actually find that information in Google Analytics? Alright. So head over to your Google Analytics dashboard.
Okay. Look for the acquisition section. Mhmm. From there, you’re gonna click on all traffic and then channels. Channels.
Okay. And then you’ll see organic search listed. Oh, okay. And that, my friend, is going to give you a treasure trove of data about those valuable visitors. Okay.
Awesome. I’m there. I’m looking at it, but now what? What am I looking at? Don’t worry.
It’s not as intimidating as it looks. Okay. Good. Start by just paying attention to the overall trend of your organic traffic. Okay.
Is it steadily increasing, which is a good sign? Right. Are there any sudden drops or or spikes? Right. I’ve definitely seen those spikes before and wondered what happened.
Exactly. And that’s where the blog post mentions this comparison feature, which is really helpful. It’s like having a time machine for your data. Oh, a time machine. I like the sound of that.
Right. So you can compare different time periods and really get an understanding of what’s working, what’s not working, and what might need a little bit of attention. Okay. So it’s all about spotting the patterns and then figuring out what those patterns mean. Exactly.
But, you know, The Post also made a really good point about it not just being about the number of visitors. Right. Right. It’s also about how engaged they are once they land on your site. Absolutely.
You could have a 1000000 people visit your site, but if they’re all leaving after a few seconds, something’s off. Right. It’s like throwing a party. Right. Right?
You can have all the decorations, the music. Everything’s perfect. Right. But if everyone’s just standing around awkwardly Yeah. That’s no good.
That’s like a high bounce rate in action. Ouch. Yeah. Yeah. I’ve been to those parties.
Yeah. Definitely had websites like that too where it’s like, why is no one sticking around? Exactly. Exactly. So how do we figure that out?
How do we measure engagement and actually make sure those visitors, you know, wanna stay? So Google Analytics has your back there too. Metrics like bounce rate, which we just talked about. Okay. And average time on page can help you gauge that visitor engagement.
Gotcha. So bounce rate, that’s the percentage of people who leave after just looking at 1 page. Right? Exactly. It’s like they walked into a store, didn’t immediately see what they wanted, and just walked right back out.
Okay. And time on page, that’s that’s gotta be a good sign if they’re spending a long time on a page. Right? Right. Means they’re reading my content?
Well, it can be. Okay. A longer time on the page usually means they’re finding your content valuable. Right. But you have to look at it in context.
Right. Like, a long time on the page could mean they’re totally engrossed, but it could also mean they’re, like, struggling to find the information they need. So it’s like any good detective story. We’ve gotta look for clues. Yeah.
Speaking of detectives, this blog post really had me intrigued by Google Search Console Okay. Yeah. Because it can tell us what people are typing into Google to find websites just like ours. Exactly. Yeah.
Keywords, which is what those are called. Okay. They’re like bridges connecting your content to the people searching for it. Okay. And search console, it shows you which ones are actually bringing people to your site.
So cool. It’s like a direct line to your audience’s thoughts. To see that information, you’re gonna go to the performance tab in Search Console. The performance tab. Let me guess, more numbers to decode.
You got it. But it’s not as scary as it sounds. Yeah. The main metrics to focus on here are clicks. Okay.
Impressions. Okay. And remind me what’s an impression again. Right. So an impression means your site appeared in the search results for a specific keyword.
Mhmm. Even if they didn’t actually click on it. Okay. Got it. Got it.
Yeah. So they saw it, didn’t necessarily click on it. Exactly. And then there was something else. CTR click through rate.
Yes. Exactly. So your click through rate, that’s the percentage of impressions that actually turned into clicks. Okay. And this can be really revealing.
Let’s say you rank really high for a specific keyword, like, but your CTR is super low. Why would that happen? That means people are seeing your site, but they’re not interested enough to click. It’s like having prime real estate for your storefront. Okay.
Yeah. But your window display is totally boring. Yeah. Nobody wants to go in. Exactly.
So how do we make our website’s window display more enticing? That’s where optimizing your page titles and descriptions comes in. Right. Okay. So those are those little snippets of text that show up in the search results.
Right? Exactly. Think of it as your website’s elevator pitch. Okay. You need to grab their attention, make it very clear why they should click your link and not all the other ones.
Makes sense. So the post said to use keywords in our titles and descriptions. What else? What else can we do? Don’t be afraid to get a little creative, you know.
Try adding numbers, asking questions, anything to stand out. Okay. Use strong action verbs to create a sense of urgency. Yeah. Yeah.
But most importantly, you need to highlight what makes your content unique. Okay. So it’s about appealing to those Google search algorithms and the humans who are actually searching. Exactly. Exactly.
Use those keywords strategically but naturally. You don’t wanna scare away your human audience. Right. Right. We don’t want it to sound like a robot wrote it.
Exactly. Okay. Speaking of making our content more discoverable, let’s talk about video. Yes. Everyone always says video is king, but, how do we make sure our videos are actually seen by the right people?
Right. So Google Search Console has this great tool called the video indexing report. Okay. This basically tells you whether Google understands what your videos are about and if it’s including them in search results. That’s so cool.
I didn’t even know that existed. But the blog post mentioned something about this report, only showing videos from what it called indexed pages. Yes. What does that even mean? Okay.
So remember you’re talking about Google being, like, a massive library catalog? Yeah. For your website to show up, Google has to know it exists. Right. It’s gotta be in the catalog.
Exactly. So when Google crawls your website, it’s basically seeing what you have and deciding whether or not to add it to its index, which is like that massive library catalog. Not to add it to its index, which is like that massive library catalog. If a page on your website isn’t indexed, it’s like your book is hidden in the back. No one can find it.
Hidden in the back. Oh, no. And if the page isn’t indexed, Google can’t include its videos in search results. Okay. That makes sense.
It’s all connected. It’s all connected. I love it. Uh-huh. Alright.
This next topic always makes me a little nervous, technical SEO. Okay. It always sounds so intimidating, like, something only, you know, web developers with, like, years of experience can understand. I hear you. But it doesn’t have to be scary.
Just think of it as, like, building a strong foundation for your website. Okay. If you have this beautiful house, like, the floors are wobbly and the pipes leak. Right. It doesn’t really matter how nice the furniture is.
No one wants to live there. Exactly. Okay. So what are some of the key things to think about with technical SEO? So the blog post mentioned a few important ones like core web vitals.
Right. And that’s more than just having a fast website. Right? Yes. Core web vitals go beyond just speed.
Okay. They measure things like how fast the content loads and becomes interactive. Right. How stable the layout is as the page loads. Makes sense.
And how responsive it is to things users do, like clicking or scrolling. So So it should work well on my phone. Exactly. Because Google is paying close attention to that user experience especially on mobile. It’s all about making it user friendly.
Exactly. Okay. What else? What other technical SEO elements did the blog post talk about? Sitemaps.
Sitemaps. Okay. Those are essential. It’s like a road map for search engines. Yeah.
Help them understand your website structure and content. Like a blueprint. Exactly. Makes it easy for them to find their way around. Okay.
It also mentioned internal and external links. Oh, right. Like, those choose your own adventure books. Yes. Internal links, those are, like, the turn to page 15 moments.
I love those. Yeah. They keep people engaged. Yes. Okay.
And then external links, those are the links that point to other websites, which when used the right way Okay. Can actually give your site more credibility, show Google you’ve done your research. Right. You’re citing your sources. Exactly.
This is all so helpful. But I have to admit, it does seem like a lot to keep track of. Yeah. So any final thoughts for our listeners before we move on about how to actually use all of this to improve their websites? Yeah.
I feel like we’ve we’ve really uncovered, like, this treasure trove of information about SEO today. We have. There are a lot of elements. Yeah. But it can feel overwhelming for sure.
Yeah. Especially if you’re, you know, just starting out. Right. Right. But remember, SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.
Oh, I love that. Yeah. Slow and steady wins the race. Exactly. Don’t try to do everything at once.
You’ll just burn yourself out. Yeah. So start by picking one thing you really wanna focus on. Okay. Maybe it’s organic traffic.
Maybe it’s that keyword research we were talking about. Or or maybe you really wanna nail video optimization or or really get into the nitty gritty of of technical SEO. Yeah. Whatever it is, just choose 1 and and really dive deep. Yeah.
Become an expert in that one area and then move on to the next thing. Exactly. So what I’m hearing is, you know, we have all these incredible tools We do. At our fingertips, but we need to know how to actually use them. Yes.
It’s not enough to just kinda glance at the numbers. Right. You have to, like, understand what they mean how they all work together. Right? It all tells a story.
Yeah. So you have to be like an SEO detective. Right? Oh, I like that. An SEO detective.
Yeah. You’re using those clues from from analytics, from search console, and you’re putting it all together. To solve the mystery of why our websites aren’t ranking. Exactly. I love it.
Okay. Before we wrap up, I want to leave our listeners with this thought. If if the digital world is constantly changing, how do we make sure our websites and, you know, all of our SEO strategies are staying up to date? That’s a great question, and it’s really important to stay curious. Okay.
Never stop learning because things change so quickly in the digital world. Right. You know, what works today might not work tomorrow. Right. Right.
So experiment, test things out, and don’t be afraid to adapt. Okay. So be flexible. Exactly. Don’t be afraid to try new things and see what happens.
And there are so many resources out there. You know? Yeah. Blogs, podcasts like this one. Even on online communities Mhmm.
You can learn from other people’s successes. Yeah. It’s a community. Exactly. Okay.
Awesome. A huge thank you to our expert for for breaking all of this down for us. Happy to be here. And to all of you for listening and and joining us on this deep dive. Thanks for having me.
We’ll see you next time.