63: Building Healthy SEO Habits - Part 2: Finding Actionable Insights

Summary

This episode focuses on the importance of measurement in SEO, highlighting how tracking data from tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console can provide actionable insights. By monitoring key metrics like landing pages, engagement rates, and traffic sources, website owners can identify opportunities for improvement and boost rankings. Meredith's husband explains that effective measurement is the foundation for making data-driven decisions, ultimately leading to more leads and better SEO performance.

Blog Post: Why Measurement Is the Foundation of Effective SEO

For website owners aiming to improve their SEO, measurement is a critical first step. It’s easy to focus on creating content, building links, or optimizing keywords, but without proper measurement tools in place, you’re essentially guessing. By tracking essential data, you can make informed, data-driven decisions that result in better rankings and more leads. In this post, we’ll explore why measurement matters and how to get started using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

Why Measurement Matters

Imagine trying to improve your website without knowing what’s working or what’s not. You might guess based on gut feelings, but for SEO, guesswork doesn’t yield reliable results. Having measurement tools in place allows you to monitor key metrics that can give you actionable insights. These insights help you adjust your strategy based on facts, not assumptions, ensuring that your efforts are focused on what actually moves the needle.

Meredith's husband stresses that good information leads to good decisions. When you know which pages perform well, where traffic comes from, and which keywords are almost ranking on page one, you have clear direction for optimizing your site.

Key SEO Metrics to Measure

When it comes to SEO, there are several important metrics that provide insights into your site’s performance. Here are some of the key ones to focus on:

• Landing Pages: These are the pages visitors land on when they come to your site. Analyzing which pages attract the most traffic can help you determine where to focus optimization efforts. For instance, if you find that a specific blog post is performing well, consider improving its content or adding internal links to increase its relevance and boost rankings further.

• Engagement Rates: Engagement rate is the opposite of bounce rate, indicating how long visitors stay on a page. Pages with low engagement may need adjustments to content, layout, or calls to action (CTAs) to encourage visitors to stay longer or explore further.

• Traffic Sources: Knowing where your visitors come from (e.g., organic search, social media, paid ads) allows you to focus on the channels that bring in the most valuable traffic. For example, if you discover that Pinterest drives high-conversion traffic, it’s a signal to invest more in that platform.

Actionable Steps for Improving SEO

Once you’ve gathered insights from your measurement tools, it’s time to act on them. Here are some actionable steps you can take based on what you discover:

• Combine Similar Pages: If you have multiple blog posts or pages covering similar topics, consider combining them into one comprehensive, authoritative post. This prevents your content from competing against itself and strengthens the overall quality of your site.

• Boost Underperforming Pages: Look for pages with low engagement and assess why visitors aren’t sticking around. Adjust the layout, add multimedia elements like images or videos, or improve the CTA to keep users engaged.

• Focus on High-Converting Traffic Sources: Identify which traffic sources drive the most conversions, and consider doubling down on those channels. If Pinterest or another platform has a high conversion rate, explore ways to expand your presence there, such as running ads or posting more frequently.

• Optimize Keywords on Page Two: Keywords that are ranking on page two of Google are much easier to improve than starting with unranked keywords. Focus on boosting those near the top by adding more relevant content to the pages where they appear or building internal and external links to those pages.

Conclusion

Effective SEO begins with measurement. By setting up tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console, you can monitor the metrics that matter and use them to make strategic improvements to your website. Whether it’s combining content, optimizing engagement, or capitalizing on traffic sources, understanding the data behind your site’s performance gives you the power to boost your rankings and drive more leads.

Resources

For a streamlined way to monitor your SEO metrics and make actionable decisions, check out Meredith's husband's SEO dashboard mentioned in the episode.