SEO Analytics
In theory, you could do SEO without measuring and reporting, but a solid grasp of analytics is essential to success. SEO analytics covers a wide range of topics, but often focuses on performance metrics around traffic, keywords, URLs, page speed, conversion rates, and more.
Beyond performance metrics, research metrics present another focal point of SEO analytics. This includes topics like keyword analysis, backlink research, and other areas to inform your SEO strategy.
Here, you can browse our top resources on SEO analytics, as well as find the most recent blog posts on the subject below.
SEO Analytics and Reporting : Check out our free SEO Learning Center where we've collected the top resources on analytics and reporting.
The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Google Analytics : The most popular website analytics platform in the world, Google Analytics is a must-know platform for all SEOs.
A Beginner's Guide to Google Search Console : A companion to any web analytics platform, Google Search Console offers a wealth of SEO information to webmasters.
When and How to Use Domain Authority, Page Authority, and Link Count Metrics : SEO metrics have a special place in analytics. Rand Fishkin shows you how to use these popular metrics correctly.
The Complete Guide to Direct Traffic in Google Analytics : This article covers a very specific niche topic, but also an important one! Learn why that direct traffic in your analytics platform isn't what you think it is.
How to Make Sure Your Digital Marketing Strategy is Results-Driven
Too much data can be as detrimental as too little when it comes to goal-setting. Alexandra Tachalova offers her insights on aligning the right metrics with your business goals, choosing KPIs, and the power of measuring and testing.
Structuring URLs for Easy Data Gathering and Maximum Efficiency
When deciding on URL structure, there's a lot to take into account — and a convoluted structure can result in wasted hours and dollars when trying to gather and analyze data. Learn about creating efficient, logical URL patterns from the get-go.
How to Uncover Hidden Keyword-Level Data Using Google Sheets
Which keywords are driving your organic traffic? Keyword-level data doesn't have to be (not provided). Sarah Lively shares a smart solution using two free add-ons for Google Sheets.
Google Search Console Reliability: Webmaster Tools on Trial
Can Google Search Console data be trusted? Everyone uses it, but does it really reflect what's happening on the web? Is it out of date? Is it biased? We take a hard look at several metrics in Google Search Console, measuring internal and external validity.
How to Predict the Conversion Value of Keywords for SEO
The word “success” is a farsighted and ambiguous term when it comes to the search engine optimization world. Neither are keyword placements guaranteed in the result pages, nor is there an easy way to go about measuring the subsequent conversion value from those keywords (more so after Google’s...Level Up Your SEO Skills With Our Free Training
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How to Use Search Analytics in Google Sheets for Better SEO Insights
There’s no reason to go over what is or why you should use Google Search Console’s most powerful data-powered tool, Search Analytics. As an SEO, whether you’re working in-house or handling many clients in an agency, you’ve likely been using this tool for a bunch of reasons. Whether it's diagnosing traffic and position changes, or finding opportunities for optimiz...
A Guide to Sampling in Google Analytics
Don't let data sampling lead you astray. Learn when sampling happens in GA, how accurate it is, and what you can do about it.
One Formula to Rule Them All: SEO Data Analysis Made Easy in Excel
Analyzing data is tedious and time-consuming. What if there were a better way? In this post, Jeremy Gottlieb outlines one incredibly versatile Excel formula you should be using to make your SEO tasks easier.
Recovering Your Organic Search Traffic from a Web Migration Gone Wrong
You'd never change a URL without ensuring your 301s, links, sitemaps, and canonicals are in order... but a new client might have in the past. Here's what you can do to untangle any migration messes you've inherited and regain lost organic traffic.
Here’s How to Spring Clean Your Google Analytics Channel Groupings
Google Analytics (GA) is a wonderful and powerful tool, but all too often it can lead to some poor decision-making based on incorrect Channel Grouping attribution. Of course, you should already have a well-defined and enforced UTM tagging strategy (if not, this excellent article from Annie Cushi...