It’s important to track your SEO efforts to see if they’re paying off. Here are some key ways to know if your SEO is working:
1. Increased Organic Traffic:
- This is the most important indicator. Organic traffic refers to visitors who come to your website from search engine results without clicking on paid ads.
- Use tools like Google Analytics to track your organic traffic over time.2 A steady increase in organic traffic is a strong sign that your SEO is working.
2. Improved Keyword Rankings:
- Track the positions of your target keywords in search results. Tools like Google Search Console, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz can help you monitor your keyword rankings.
- Moving up in the rankings for relevant keywords means your SEO is effective.
3. More Backlinks:
- Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. They’re a crucial ranking factor for SEO.
- Use tools like Ahrefs or Moz to track the number and quality of backlinks pointing to your site.
- Earning more high-quality backlinks indicates that your off-page SEO efforts are working.
4. Higher Click-Through Rate (CTR):
- CTR is the percentage of people who click on your website in search results.
- Google Search Console provides data on your CTR for different keywords.
- Improving your title tags and meta descriptions can increase your CTR, leading to more traffic.
5. Lower Bounce Rate:
- Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page.
- A high bounce rate can indicate that your content isn’t engaging or that visitors aren’t finding what they’re looking for.
- Improving your website’s content and user experience can lower your bounce rate.
6. Increased Conversions:
- Ultimately, the goal of SEO is to drive conversions, whether it’s sales, leads, or other desired actions.
- Track your conversion rates using Google Analytics to see if your SEO efforts are leading to more conversions.