Tracking SEO Success: Utilising Goolge Analytics Effectively

Curious about what makes a brand stick in people’s minds? Well, SEO can skyrocket your online visibility to epic levels. Take a look at Nike’s remarkable online growth fueled by SEO, their strategies drove organic traffic even during the pandemic.

But throwing strategies at the wall and hoping they stick isn’t enough. You need to track what’s working. That’s where Google Analytics swings into action, offering insights that help you measure and enhance your game plan. Here are our tips on how to use Google Analytics to track SEO success and ensure you’re playing your cards right to keep your SEO strategy sharp and effective.

Google Analytics for SEO Success Tracking: The Winning Set-Up

Before we get down to the metrics, measuring SEO success using analytics starts with its foundation: ensuring your Google Analytics is properly linked with Google Search Console. This dynamic duo setup is one of the best SEO tools, allowing for a comprehensive view of how search traffic contributes to your overall web performance.

Not sure how to start things off? Contact the experts at First Page Digital Australia for seamless integration. We’ll turn complexities into clarity and data into decisions.

How to Use Google Analytics to Track SEO Success: The Key Metrics

1. Understand Organic Traffic Patterns

Understanding the flow of organic traffic to your website is the core of effectively measuring SEO success using Google Analytics. The platform offers insights into how many visitors reach your site via search engines—a direct line to seeing the impact of your SEO efforts. To see how your organic traffic trends over time, click Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition.

Seeing a spike? Your strategies are on point. A dip? Time to recalibrate.

2. Keep an Eye on Keyword Performance

Studies have shown that 75% of users never scroll past the first page of Google search results, which makes tracking and targeting high-performing keywords a game-changing move.

Sync Google Analytics with Google Search Console to unlock valuable keyword performance insights, amplifying your keyword analysis capabilities. This power combo lets you know which search queries funnel traffic to your website, helping you laser-target your SEO strategies—a killer piece in measuring SEO success using analytics.

To see the keywords users search that brings them to your site, go to Reports → Search Console → Queries. With this data, you can target top keywords and consider opportunities to improve rankings for those that show potential, especially those on the brink of reaching the first page of Google search results. This function also lets you spot emerging trends with new and rising keywords that could signal shifts in user behaviour.

3. Monitor Your Best-Performing & Referral Pages

Want to know which pages pull in the most traffic? Discover your star players under Behaviour → Site Content → All Pages. This data is invaluable for your next move. Polish up successful pages and keep them performing with fresh content, enhanced visuals, or updated information.

Don’t forget about your referral traffic—strategic backlinking is the kingpin of Google Analytics for SEO success tracking. To view your referral traffic sources, go to Acquisition → Traffic acquisition, then search for ‘referral’. This data isn’t just about counting clicks; it’s about building relationships with high-traffic referrers that boost your site’s credibility.

4. Boost User Engagement Metrics

With Google Analytics for SEO success tracking, engagement stats are gold. Engagement metrics like bounce rate, pages per session, and average session duration provide deeper insights into how visitors interact with your website. In Google Analytics, navigate to Acquisition→ User Acquisition to check your average engagement rate for Organic Search. Low engagement? Time to jazz up your page with content that hits the mark, making your site the go-to source for your audience. You can also optimise user experience with accessible page layouts, call-to-action buttons, and interactive elements.

5. Prioritise Mobile Friendliness

When you’re learning how to use Google Analytics to track SEO success, remember that Google loves mobile-friendly sites. And it’s no surprise since Think with Google found that 18% of local smartphone searches lead to a sale within a day.

With Google’s mobile-first indexing, your site’s mobile version dictates its search rankings. Google Analytics lets you check how your site stacks up across different mobile devices. Simply go to User → Tech → Tech Details and select the Device category from the Browser dropdown to view this data.

Improve mobile-friendliness with responsive design and speedy loading time for a smoother experience.

6. Speed Things Up

Site speed makes a bigger difference than you think when it comes to using Google Analytics for SEO success tracking. The search engine considers user experience when ranking your site, and a slow load can harm your SEO efforts.

Although Google Analytics doesn’t offer a direct site speed report, you can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to evaluate your website’s speed and performance. You can also reduce the size of images, optimise file formats and set up caching to help return visitors load your site faster.

7. Link Clean Up

Broken links are a no-go. They can damage your SEO by creating poor user experiences, as they lead to websites that no longer exist, like pages with 404 error messages. This can impact your site’s credibility, driving all that hard work down the drain.

Handle broken links like a pro with regular audits for a quick find and fix or implement redirect strategies so any broken links aren’t affecting valuable pages.

8. Conversion Tracking

Beyond just traffic, track what matters—conversions. This move is vital in measuring SEO success using analytics. Set up goals in Google Analytics to track conversions like form submissions, product purchases, or sign-ups.

This will help you understand if your traffic from search engines is turning those clicks into cash.

The performance of individual pages can reveal which ones are converting browsers into buyers and which may require additional SEO efforts. In Google Analytics, navigate to Engagement → Pages and Screens to see your data on Views and Users.

Want a more detailed report? Add the source or medium to tap into where your traffic is coming from by clicking the + icon and choosing Traffic Source → Session Source / Medium.

Measuring SEO Success Using Analytics: Staying Ahead of the Game

There you have it—your playbook on how to use Google Analytics to track SEO success and score big. Want more insights or need a hand with your strategy? Get in touch with First Page, the highest-rated digital marketing and SEO Agency in Australia. Let’s make your site a heavyweight champion in the SEO arena.