It is common for people who are not familiar with SEO and its metrics to be confused or only look at the data they know in a general way. This is why we are going to explain what aspects, data and reports you need to know and why about the positioning of your website. This way you will be able to better understand your SEO specialist and to propose better strategies in your web marketing plan.
Analysis according to SEO strategy
In the first place, it is obvious that the strategy you have is going to determine what data is important to pay attention to. It is not the same if your goal is to position for a specific search than to achieve a general improvement in user data, or even if your goal is to improve the web not linked to the above.
It may also be the case that no strategy is in place or objective in itself, that it is simply working in the expectation of improvements and leaving more free rein to the SEO manager.
This is why data can be grouped to know based on the depth they have within the SEO branch. While at the beginning there would be some more general data of the web to adapt to this aspect of marketing, at the end the data would be completely overturned in the different fields in which they work. You can get to data that are very technical or explain a task that, although without context or knowledge you do not understand their relationship, once explained they take on great importance.
We will now explain the groupings that we have made of these data so that you may know them and apply them in your analysis, being able to choose the ones you want, but not forgetting the value they all have.
General SEO data of the website
We associate these data as general because they are usually used by other branches of web marketing and they are also the most commonly used by everyone. Even so, they need to be contextualizationThe information obtained, even if it is universal, can be used to be consistent with the information obtained.
Users
The metric that reigns supreme alongside conversions, users reflect how many people have visited our website. This metric is then adjusted to periods, comparisons are made over time or by channel, it is analyzed based on the entry page, it is associated with sessions, and much more analysis can be done based on that.
In the case of SEO, it is an important metric but one that is often more of a control measure of the general rhythm of the work. That is to say, it is a data used for objectives, but it does not end up having so much value the concrete quantity, besides not being so useful if it is not linked to an analytic together with other data.
In addition, when it comes to SEO, certain aspects must be taken into account. On the one hand, the seasonality is stronger, as it is much more closely tied to user searches, as are campaigns such as the one for Black Friday. On the other hand, the relationship with the search adsThere may sometimes be an overlap that causes the appearance or withdrawal of an ad to cause noticeable changes in this aspect when changing channels if there is a good positioning. Similarly, there are other factors that are more specific, but affect all the metrics as a whole or are less differentiable.
Conversions
In this case, the starting point is already a key aspect from the point of view of what is to be designated as conversion. In an ecommerce is usually simple, but in other businesses it can be a more complicated line to draw, besides that you can add new ones different from the main objective of the web.
In SEO this data may or may not be relevant for different reasons. The main one is the objective of the SEO strategy, and another one to highlight is the conversion capacity that exists. The latter includes many factors, CRO, pricing, usability or UX, and the search intent that we cover, the main reason for the difference with other channels such as those that work with ads.
This is why taking conversions as a fundamental data becomes somewhat complex, although obviously necessary. The goal must always be the profitability if it is a business, but that is why the actions and plans must be focused on conversion, and not the other way around, hoping that just doing it will increase it.
Demographics and user profile
These data are more relevant in the plan inceptionAlthough it is never a bad thing to review them periodically to reaffirm them. Knowing the profile of the users that visit you, as well as those that you want to visit you, is something that applies to marketing in general and information that you have to have before even working with SEO or other channels.
Even so, in SEO it is always convenient to have a distinction of the profile which, although in most cases it will be the same as the rest of the channels, it can always have some specific peculiarities that are manifested in how you perform your searches and your conversion funnel.
This is general data, although not the most useful. If you have good analytics, it can have more value, as you can even go deeper and generate profiles not only demographic, but also of behavior.
Input URL
A piece of data that does not have a numerical value per se, even if it depends on them and is closely linked. page through which users access your websiteThe one that has attracted them in the SERP and has responded to one of their searches in terms of SEO.
This is fundamental to the entire positioning project, since it SEO starts from this basis to have a page with which to work and opt to be one of the first. That is why knowing which ones work best in this aspect is essential, as well as being able to delve deeper into the number of users that enter the web.
It will also help to know if our objectives are working, where and, if not, where we can improve or leverage to achieve our goal.
Conversion funnel
This is not a piece of data per se, but rather a set already analyzed extracting what is the path and process that the user goes through from the moment he enters our website, until he leaves it or performs what we have determined as conversion or objective. Its scope may even include several user sessions, through different platforms and with different intentions.
This is applicable to all channels, and is an aspect that applies to digital marketing as a whole and with great value in strategies. In SEO, this helps to fundamentally understand the intention that the user we receive is having and to know if what is being offered responds well to it. Metrics such as bounce rate, exit url, session duration and others are a clear reflection of this.
The value and what is to be taken into account when analyzing it lies primarily in the user intent. The attitude of someone who enters to get information will not be the same as that of someone who knows what they are looking for. This is how we can discern if a page is really working for what we want or if it is not achieving it and we need to change things, whether SEO, CRO, UX or other aspects, in order to improve the quality of the site. funnel.
Specific SEO data
Here we enter more into SEO flour, that information and metrics that you are most likely to only from a specialist in organic positioning. They are also common data within this field, but it is important to know their differentiation or particularity over the rest.
Clicks and impressions
Two metrics instead of one, why? This is because both are drawn from the same source, Search Console, and have unique conditions. First, the origin of these data comes from Google itself, so they do not depend on our measurement and are not subject to cookies from your website. The downside is that they are limited to a certain extent, so the data shown on very large websites are usually somewhat capped because they do not cover all urls. Even so, it is a very reliable and useful source in SEO, since it is also focus only on organic traffic and do not record input data for advertisements.
Thus, clicks represent the number of times users have clicked on your snippet or search result, and impressions represent the number of times you have been present, even if they have not clicked on you. It is thus a super useful data binding that allows you to know changes in the visibility of your pages, if you have problems with your appearance in the SERP, and your performance for different searches.
Obviously they also suffer from seasonality, like users, and are much more profitable if coupled with other data and analytics. But at SEO level these metrics, together with the rest of the information provided by Search Console are essential for any SEO work and strategy. That is why it is essential to count on them.
Visibility index
Here we get into the data more complicated to manage, extract and determine its validity or reality. Visibility is linked to positioning, and is interpreted as the positioning that the pages of a website have as a whole for Google results. The sources to achieve it vary, as there are several external tools to the web, just as Google has also provided this value in Search Console, although with questionable results and not being a standard among SEO professionals.
How is visibility interpreted in SEO? Well, it is mainly approached as a value. indicative. Although strategies and objectives are applied on this basis, a fact that applies to the web as a whole is in the following section. risk total of factors outside the scope of the specialist and that directly affect. Changes that may seem minimal on the web, Google algorithm updates or changes in user trends are just the most notable ones that can vary visibility.
Still, depending on the tool we use, in our case currently Sistrix, we can also see the positioning by keywords or by urlin addition to other metrics. Therefore it is also very important to have this information, not only for the results, but also for the day-to-day work, including the study of competitors.
Keywords or key words
Again, it is another one of those data that does not have a numerical value, but it does have a transcendental value. It applies to many other metrics and it is the main purpose of SEOKeywords are understood as the search terms that users use to find what they want. That is why it is essential to know which ones are being used, to determine which ones are our target and to monitor them.
Why keywords are set as a data can be seen in many ways, but mainly it can be put down to the fact that, on the one hand, they are changeable and, on the other hand, they are not only our target, but also source of information. Knowing how people search, how they find you, the intent they have, and how it ties in with the other information makes the strategy can have a clear point and meaning.
A maxim of SEO is "one page, one keyword" so in order to work them and see the results are imperative to know and study them. Where to get it already varies depending on the purpose of the data, combining sources from external tools and Google tools, as well as our own measurement and control of the web.
Authority: Domain Rating
Again one of those complicated data to measure and determine, with multiple tools, all external, and with several related metrics. Authority is understood as the credibility and trust that is associated with your website, i.e., whether the information you provide on your website is reliable and of value.
The main metric that would represent the authority is the Domain Ratinga value from 0 to 100 where the higher you are, the better. The thing is that improving it is a task that can be slow and complex, having even a certain "limit" depending on the type of web. In addition it is not a data that affects in a direct way, but rather that supports considerably to others can improve, such as visibility. This is why SEO is so important, although it does not directly affect the business.
In this case, if you do not know about authority, the EEAT and its impact on SEO, it is best to let us advise you by your SEO specialist. This is mainly because it is a concept that is not limited to "rising to the top" and the work involved depends on external factors, off-site SEO as it is commonly known.
Performance
At first glance, simple data come into play here, but they are tied to other values and information that are very much centered around the technical aspects of SEO and the web. They mainly focus on determining if your website has a fast loading, clear interface, and usable navigation. The famous user experience for Google, one of the most important aspects for organic positioning and also other channels.
For this purpose, the famous technology company has created a very useful tool, PageSpeedInsights, which offers data on various metrics and a average performance status. There are also other tools, and the values will always be changing, but taking one as the main one to rely on, they are useful to orient yourself and determine a progression.
Thus, performance is something to which you can set objectives, study and generate a strategy. Given its weight already indicated, in SEO it is important to keep it in mind and work to improve it, in addition to being an overall improvement for the marketing and the user as a whole.
The average values usually also work from 0 to 100, with the highest being the best. Here it is possible to improve a lot depending on the work and means that are provided for it, but it must be taken into account that there are always implementations on a website that are not always the best. limit the achievable value and that they are indispensable.
Specialized SEO reports
This is where a lot more metrics and information come in that are usually only available in the within the reach of SEO professionals or web analytics with knowledge in the field. It is because of this that we are not going to develop on it as before, but they would be mostly the continuation of all the data explained above.
To highlight some of them we could point out:
- Indexing datarelated to the number and type of pages on your website and their appearance or not in Google.
- The Core Web VitalsThe next step to the overall value of the performance of your website is to break down the factors that influence it.
- The number of linksThe difference between internal and external, here it is more about where they are directed, their quality and their relationship with the planned objective.
- The tracking statisticsto know if when a bot goes through your website it reaches the pages you want or if it gets lost in other unnecessary pages.
Factors influencing SEO results
Although it has been pointed out previously, there are many factors that can influence the evolution of SEO data. In some cases, these are acceptedThe company's activities have been internally triggered in favor of a greater interest, but there are others, both internal and external, that have not. are neither controllable nor predictable.
We include theThe most important and that may be more noticeable in the common web pages:
- Seasonality.
- Search algorithm updates.
- Penalties.
- Technical development errors.
- Significant changes in content and design.
- Migration.
This may be compounded by the fact that problems are occurring and let us not be awareThere are certain errors or changes that are not easily detectable by tools or analysis. As well as their origin may be in parts of the web or server that are beyond our reach.
In this type of situation, it is always necessary to be aware of and have a memory to better understand the history and future results. This avoids surprises, misunderstandings, and may solve them later on.
What conclusions can we draw about interpreting SEO reports?
In short, understand the key facts about SEO is not complexThe logic tends to be simple if you pay attention and understand how it works. Now, you should always have trust in who is working on your positioningIf you do not know the field in depth, you will most likely not be able to understand other more technical or developed aspects of SEO. This obviously usually ends up with bad feelings and without a clear line of work or strategy, even if the data is good.
In addition, it should be clear that, apart from the fact that SEO is slowThe first objective is not always to extract a direct economic benefit. In some cases, it is approaches that do not seek direct conversionThe goal is not to attract traffic or improve the website, either to support other channels, to achieve the objective in a more stable way in the long run, or because the concept itself does not allow it and has to be directed to another purpose.
With all this we hope that you have been able to understand a little more about what are the relevant data in SEO workits value and its conditions. It is also useful to know what information to expect in your reports about the organic positioning of your website. Count on them to know your situation and be able to plan your next SEO plan.
If you don't have someone to do it for you, you can always count on our team of the SEO servicespecialized in all areas and available for any project.
