Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a hot topic that is constantly evolving. In the simplest form, SEO is the process for getting found in search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. With any SEO strategy, monitoring and adapting are key elements. Google Analytics is a great tool to monitor SEO initiatives as well as assist with developing an SEO strategy.
Top Ways Google Analytics Can Help Your SEO
Area of Improvement
Of the many data points available in Google Analytics there are a number of reports you can look at. From an SEO perspective, these reports can show you opportunities to improve your overall website. Some of the top reports you can look at to see changes include:
- Top Content
- This report will show you which pages of a website a user has visited and how long they stayed. It can show you the most viewed pages but also show you the least viewed. If there is a page you felt would have more visits (compared to others) this could indicate changes may need to be made to this page. So you can review that page in more detail to determine if new content, images or structural changes need to be made to aid user experience.
- Keywords
- This report will show you which keywords or phrases a user has typed into a search engine to access your website.
- If you see your organization name in many different forms this could mean that those users already know who you are. It would be better to see products or services you offer because those users don't know who you are and would be better prospects.
- Referrals
- This report will show you how a user got to your website. It can include a direct entry (typing in your URL), search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, Bing), social media or any other website on the internet.
- If you start to notice an increased number of users that access your website directly, that means you potentially are not gaining leads but rather people that already know who you are. So this is an area of improvement for your SEO strategy.
Monitor Goals
Once you have developed your SEO strategy, you should create landing pages and identify conversion goals. You can easily monitor these by setting up goals in Google Analytics.
- Goal Tracking allows you to set up a specific goal, such as a page, URL, or durations and number of pages a user will visit. Then as you use analytics you can cross reference goals and easily identify how your SEO campaign is doing over time. The goal tracking section allows you to customize the metrics that matter most to you.
Overall Google Analytics allows you to see what you are currently being found for and compare that to what you want to be found for. If the goal is to gain prospects but a majority of your website traffic knows your name or URL, it’s an indication that your SEO strategy should place more of an emphasis on the product or services you offer. Google Analytics are the numbers and measurements that your SEO strategy is built around.
If you need help setting up Google Analytics goals or developing an SEO strategy, contact Informatics.
photo credit: SEOPlanter via flickr cc
