Digital Marketing: How to Prove SEO Works

How to Prove SEO Works to your Boss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a digital marketing agency in Springfield Missouri, Red Crow Marketing is happy to help you succeed in SEO because we realize its importance as much as you do. As you implement your strategy, here are some key areas to focus on that will help you assemble an impressive report for your boss.

Google’s algorithm updates, client strategies change, user behavior evolves, and competition fluctuates – so how on earth do you prove to your boss that SEO boosts SERP success and increases direct engagement? Hopefully, by this point, you’ve audited your site and determined some tech SEO issues to address, like page speed, redirects, broken links, and crawl errors, and you’ve performed a quick competitor analysis and developed an exciting keyword strategy. But what should you look at to measure SEO-induced engagement and track your success? Luckily, there are a lot of reliable metrics and tools available to you, so don’t worry!

Which Digital Marketing Metrics Do I Focus On?

To start, determine which metrics are most valuable for your business, and start tracking them regularly. By focusing on specific, valuable areas of improvement, you can produce clear-cut proof to your boss that your optimization efforts are working. Here are just a few key elements of your site you should be closely tracking, and ones that will encourage your boss to jump on the SEO bandwagon.

SERP Rankings

There are two types of rankings you want to pay attention to: search rankings and keyword rankings. SERP, or Search Engine Results Page rankings is the name of the game in your SEO and digital marketing efforts. You want to be on the first page, and you need to be in the first 5 result rankings to have the most chance at organic success. To determine your SERP success, you can simply Google your targeted keywords to see which rank you hold.

Local Pack Rankings

Local pack has become a critical component in search results. This is the map and the three listings you see above the organic SERP results. Appearing in the top positions here is as important as top positions in the organic sections, and probably more important in the near future. This is because Google delivers results based on where the person who is conducting the is located. For instance, it’s important to us (Red Crow Marketing) to have good Local Pack position whenever anyone searches for Digital Marketing in Springfield, Missouri.

Keyword Rankings

Keyword rankings are also something you should be eyeing closely. Targeting the right keywords increases your search visibility to the right kind of audience, and ultimately helps your SERP success. There are lots of tools available to stay up to date on how you rank for certain keywords, and hopefully, you’ve become familiar with them while developing your keyword strategy, like SEMRush, Spyfu, and Moz. Use these sites to track your keyword progress and your competitors’ progress over time, and fine-tune as your strategy changes.

Organic Traffic

By paying close attention to who is organically attracted to your site, you can begin to determine how your SEO strategy is directly impacting company success. Organic traffic holds high value because it’s a targeted search by your users. A search with intent is the highest chance to convert site visitors into customers or clients because they’re searching for an answer that you can provide. The easiest ways to track organic traffic is through Google Analytics or Google Search Console. From here, you can see how your efforts have improved over various periods of time, and how it stacks up against your paid search or direct traffic efforts.

Visibility

It’s no secret that the more visible you are, the more traffic you’ll encounter. This includes keeping up with your local listings and verifying that your business information is correct and up-to-date. Moz Local and Google My Business are great ways to provide your viewers with easily accessible, critical information about your company. If people have to dig for your basic information, they’ll most likely give up quickly and go to the first competitor they find. Admittedly, visibility is harder to track on paper, but it is essential to the progress of your digital marketing efforts, and should not be overlooked.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

SEO Click-Through Rate directly tells you how effective your page is at grabbing users’ attention in search results. A clear indicator of the quality of your optimization, elements like title tags, URL names, and meta descriptions compel people to click on your link and view your page. If you notice you have low CTR in Google Analytics, then you may need to focus some of your optimizing efforts on tech issues. As mobile search becomes more prevalent, zero-click searches are increasing, which makes what you present as a search result extremely important in your digital marketing strategy.

Prove SEO Works

Site accessibility and usability are key to SEO success. The more people visiting your website, the more it shows Google that your page is relevant and useful. To convince your boss that SEO works, track these key metrics over 3,6, and 9 months to show how much progress your efforts are making. SEO is all about testing what works best for your website and users, and fine-tuning practices from there. And remember, SEO takes time! So stick to your strategy, keep up to date on important changes in SEO practices, and reassure your boss. You’ve got this!

Red Crow is Your Digital Marketing company in Springfield

Whether you’re looking for assistance from a local digital marketing agency in Springfield, MO, or you’re halfway across the country, helpful SEO tools are accessible to all who are willing to learn. Or, if you’d rather, you can contact Red Crow Marketing and let us help your SEO efforts soar to new heights.