Tracking Your SEO: 3 Very Clear Signs Your SEO Strategy Is Working
Ever find yourself looking for a “quick fix” or the magic pill that will boost your online marketing performance and send customers clamoring through their doors?
You know, you get so hooked on ranking at the top of Google for your main keyword that you resort to bad SEO (search engine optimization) tactic after bad SEO tactic, i.e. black hat seo, hoping that something sticks.
You may even believe that this top keyword ranking will increase your lead generation and customer acquisition.
However, it is when the use of such questionable SEO tactics fail to deliver the expected results, that many assume SEO simply doesn’t work, at least not for them.
It’s not that SEO doesn’t work; it’s your overall online marketing strategy that may need a little help.
SEO: Patience is a Virtue in Achieving Results
An integral part of online marketing, Search Engine Optimization is a “slow and steady wins the race” tactic.
Google has specific guidelines that you must follow to boost your website rankings, and they don’t take kindly to sites that go against their rules.
Remember the story about the tortoise and the hare?
When it comes to SEO, your business should be the tortoise, taking the time to learn, respect, and follow Google’s rules while implementing a strategy based on what your customers are searching for in Google.
You should be using proper SEO tactics like getting your website mobile-ready, generating powerful backlinks to your site and pages, and creating relevant, well-written content.
Don’t be the hare, rushing to the finish line by using tactics such as duplicating content, keyword stuffing, or using invisible text, that goes against Google’s rules.
Not only will this result in your website being penalized, but you can damage your brand credibility in the process.
Tracking Your SEO: If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Improve It
Business Visionary Peter Drucker once stated, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”
How will you know how well your search engine optimization is stacking up if you have no way to measure it?
To accurately gauge the impact of your SEO efforts, you must have Google Analytics and Search Console correctly set up for your website.
This will allow you to identify a clear starting point before you implement your SEO strategies and see how your ranking changes based on your SEO plan.
If you already have Google Analytics and Search Console setup and configured but suspect that your data may not be 100% accurate (or you aren’t getting any data), you may have issues with your setup.
Some of the most common mistakes identified by Google include:
- Your tag is not firing.
- You have the incorrect filter settings.
- Your tracking code was pasted in the wrong place.
- You have extra whitespace or characters in your code formatting.
- You’ve customized your tracking code incorrectly.
If you’re not sure how to resolve these issues, Google’s Analytics Help is a great place to start, as it provides a step-by-step breakdown.
In addition to this, you need to have a robust online marketing strategy in place.
With this strategy, you should be able to clearly identify your buyer personas or ideal customers, understand their pain so that you create content around the problems they’re searching for in Google, and ultimately provide them with a solution.
Once you establish a goal-oriented strategy and begin to execute on that strategy, and as time progresses, you’ll be able to accurately gauge the success of your SEO.
How to Tell If Your SEO Strategy is Working
There are three performance-related ways to identify whether you are doing SEO properly or wasting your time and money:
1) There Has Been an Increase in Your Organic Keyword Ranking
Organic keyword ranking means that when people search for your specific keywords on Google, your website is returned in the search results.
This means that you have chosen keywords and phrases both relevant to your business and what your target customers are searching for and used them appropriately throughout the content on your site.
Based on the quality of your content, not only will your organic keyword ranking increase, but you’ll rank for more keywords than you could have ever imagined.
This is just Google’s way of showing how much they love you.
2) You Notice an Increase in Your Organic Traffic
As your organic keywords increase, it’s likely you will get more clicks and visitors to your website.
This is also dependent on the optimization of your title tag.
If more people are visiting your site after finding you through a Google Search, this is a great sign that your SEO is working.
3) You’re Getting More Online Inquiries
When your SEO is working properly (your keyword rankings have risen, and you have seen an increase in organic traffic to your website), and if your site content is relevant to your target audience, you should see an increase in the number of leads (and customers) acquired through your website.
This may show up through form submissions, purchases on your website, or calls to your business.
In addition to this, you’ll notice people spending more time navigating your site because they’ve found what they were looking for and want to get to know more about how you can provide them with the right solution to their problem or pain.
If your keyword rankings are high and your organic traffic has risen but you are not seeing more inquiries or purchases, you may want to see if your website content includes a clear pain point, a solution (in your product or service), and a call to action.
Often, this is the missing link to your SEO strategy.
When done correctly, Search Engine Optimization is a wonderful way to improve your business’ online presence.
By developing a clear strategy, adhering to Google’s guidelines, ensuring that your Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools are correctly set up, and keeping an eye out for key indicators that your SEO strategy is driving your results, you will be sure to win the race.
Author Bio:
ShaDrena Simon
A self-proclaimed creative marketer, ShaDrena Simon is a Digital Strategist and Inbound Marketing Expert at Yokel Local Internet Marketing.
When she’s not working with her team growing businesses online, you can find her designing and developing brand identities for small creative brands and startups.