Analytics, what is it and why is it important to my SEO?
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you already know about the importance of SEO, also known as Search Engine Optimization. But, there’s a second, often overlooked, aspect to SEO that is extremely important as well. It’s called analytics. Analytics can be a scary word that brings to mind thoughts of statistics, mathematical equations, and computations that many of us just don’t understand. However, analytics really aren’t that scary and they play an important role in SEO. So, what are analytics? Let’s take a look.
Analytics and SEO: The Intersection of Knowledge and Application
The definition of analytics, in simple terms, is the process of discovering, interpreting, and communicating significant patterns in data. Ok, maybe that is not so simple! Let’s try this, analytics allow us to see insights and meaningful data that we might not otherwise notice in relation to our SEO efforts.
Four Key Reasons to Utilize Analytics with Your SEO:
Analytics can tell you where your organic site traffic is coming from.
This is important because understanding where your traffic is coming from tells you how to attract more potential visitors. Are clients coming from referrals or google searches? This helps determine if your SEO is driving your target customers to your brand through organic search or other sources.
Analytics help determine which keywords you should attempt to rank your private practice for.
Analytic tools can tell you the monthly search volume of the keyword, ranking difficulty, and where you are ranking for that keyword. Analytics also monitor your movement up or down in rankings, so you know which keywords need more optimizations!
Progress tracking made easy
Analytics help you track your overall progress with your website’s optimizations through a number of key metrics listed below:
Organic traffic
This is any traffic that comes to your website that originates from a search engine. Organic traffic is not paid for.
Bounce rate
This tells you the number of visitors to your website that leave after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate could indicate a problem with the user experience on your site that needs to be addressed.
Returning Visitors vs. New Visitors
This metric tells you how many new individuals are visiting your page versus visitors that have been there before (such as an existing client). The more new users the better as this means you are more visible on the internet.
Page load speeds
This refers to the amount of time it takes for your webpage to fully load for your users. Slow load times not only drive clients away from your page but also negatively impact your SEO results with Google. Statistics state that if a page takes longer than 3 seconds to load, more than1/4 of all users will click away from your site.
Conversion rates
This is the percentage of people who visit your site and complete the desired task before leaving. For example, say your goal is to get people to fill out the online contact form. Conversion rate can measure the percentage of visitors to your site who complete this task. This allows you to see how compelling and successful the SEO work on your site is.
Click through rate (CTR)
This last metric measures the number of people who see your result on the search engine result page (SERP) such as the Google search results and actually click on the link to go to your page. The more people clicking to your page the better! This is where your meta descriptions come into play. A great meta description will draw people to your site because they want to learn more. Learn more about writing the perfect meta description here.
Return on Investment
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, analytics help you measure your return on investment (ROI). When you look at all the combined analytics listed above together, they paint a picture of how well your SEO work, applications, and optimizations are working together to drive your ideal client to your site. This lets you see in real-time on a regular basis how effective your monthly SEO spend is and what needs improvement.
Free Analytics Tools for SEO:
There are a wide variety of options available on the internet for gathering your analytical information that are free. Below is a list of some available tools for you to explore and use:
Closing Thoughts
Here at Simplified SEO Consulting, we consistently use analytics to inform our decision-making when it comes to optimizing your web pages and blogs. In fact, all of our clients have access to a customized Data Dashboard pulling the metrics we most want to target to track SEO success and ROI. We know that these tools give us a greater understanding of how best to serve our clients and help them achieve their business goals. We also encourage you to get familiar with these tools! Understanding analytics gives YOU greater control and insight into helping your business reach its goals on the path to becoming everything you dreamed it could be, now and into the future.
Begin Improving Your SEO and Analytics Understanding with Simplified SEO Consulting
Our team works closely with therapists nationwide to optimize their SEO based on analytical metrics! If you have been searching for an SEO company that understands analytics and its real-world applications, you’re in the right place. Our wonderful team of mental health SEO specialists at Simplified SEO Consulting would love to talk strategy with you and help you get connected with the best service for you. To get started with our service follow these simple steps:
- Schedule a consult with our Consultation Team
- Learn more about our talented team of mental health SEO Specialists
- Start learning SEO for Eating Disorder Therapists that align with your brand!
Other Services offered by Simplified SEO Consulting
Simplified SEO consulting offers a wide range of services that can help you begin working with your people. We offer Done for You SEO Service packages, online courses, and SEO training opportunities. Our most popular course includes our “Top of Google” online course, and we have 12 weeks of intensive SEO for those who want to learn with a guide. For those looking for a more specialized package, we also offer an SEO strategy package. To get started, schedule a consultation with our Client Success Specialist today!
About the Author
Mary is one of the newest members of our dedicated and knowledgeable SEO Specialists here at Simplified SEO Consulting. She brings with her certification in Google Analytics (Google Analytics IQ Certification) and understands the importance of analytics and their application. She loves staying up to date on all things analytical in order to bring clients the most informed service possible.
If you are ready to start your analytical SEO journey with us, schedule your free 30-minute consultation with us now. Mary and the rest of our team are ready to support you!
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!