Monitoring the right KPIs is the best way to avoid spending time and money on something that isn’t driving the expected profit
Is your SEO strategy effective enough? How can you ensure your efforts drive tangible results? What can you do to develop your website performance?
Tracking the right performance metrics, you’ll be able to answer all these questions.
KPIs work as a control system that lets you identify which tactics work and which don’t. What’s most important, monitoring the right KPIs is the best way to avoid spending time and money on something that isn’t driving the expected profit.
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In this article, I’ll highlight 10 critical indicators marketers should pay attention to.
1. Organic traffic
This KPI measures how…
Social signals may not be a confirmed ranking factor for Google yet, but there are plenty of reasons to use social media to support your SEO strategy
While Google has yet to confirm that social media signals (Facebook likes, Twitter tweets, Pinterest pins, etc.) are a ranking factor for its search engine algorithm, there are still ample reasons to use social platforms to support and diversify your SEO strategies.
Why? Well, when you look at the most influential ranking factors behind Google Search, many of them are human-centered variables that go well beyond content and keywords. A recent study from SEMrush shares compelling insights behind some of those ranking factors, such as the importance of direct website traffic and user engagement, and how those variables influence search rankings.
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3 SEO techniques not to use and 3 recommended techniques to take advantage of Google's RankBrain
Ever since Google unveiled RankBrain as the latest leap in their search algorithm’s efficiency just a day after Christmas last year, the ripples it created in the SEO universe have refused to settle down. That’s saying a lot. because RankBrain isn’t really even an algorithm update, it is actually a part of the current version of the algorithm named “Hummingbird” which dates back to a 2013 launch.
With Hummingbird, Google started paying a lot more attention to an entire search query rather than just the keywords. The mission of Hummingbird is to understand the overall context of a sentence and not just specific words. RankBrain takes this effort several steps forward.
Why is RankBrain creating such a noise? The answer is partly because…
New mobile ranking factors report from Searchmetrics shows the key differences
The summer of 2015 is when Google searches on Mobile Devices exceeded that of personal computers world-wide for the very first time. A landmark in the world of Search, and something not only Google are looking to capitalize on, but something all business owners and marketer should (at the very least) be aware of. “So what does this mean for me?” I hear you cry.
Looking at it from the perspective of a Webmaster, Business Owner, SEOs and content marketers, it raises the question of strategy.
Do we follow a ‘One size fits all’ strategy addressing both Desktop and Mobile under one roof, or do we begin to use a separate strategy to tackle mobile search as a separate entity?
In short, I think it’s time we look to use two strategies which we'll discuss. Using the ranking factors below, should certainly aid…
Comparing the 2014 and 2015 ranking factors research
Searchmetrics, technology provider for enterprise SEO and content marketing analysis, has carved out a global business which answers the key questions asked by SEO professionals and digital marketers.
Following on from their 2014 Search Ranking Factors report, Searchmetrics have released their 2015 ranking factors, highlighting the key considerations to impact a brands search and content marketing strategies. Click here for your copy.
Last year I completed an analysis of the 2014 Searchmetrics findings – assessing some of the key insights and opportunities for brands use as part of their search strategy as well as overall digital vision. Here I will compare changes with 2015. Of course, Moz, also have their own definitive ranking factor review - Dave Chaffey has analysis of their 2015 ranking factors report.
Searchmetrics 2014 summary
From the 2014 Searchmetrics report, there were a number of metrics that supported the opportunity for…
A summary of the 2015 ranking factors analysis
Value: [rating=5]
Recommended link: Moz SEO Ranking factors 2015 edition
SEOs everywhere have now been following the SEOmoz (now Moz) ranking factors for a very long time - I think I start recommending them in training ten years ago in 2005!
Over time, the analysis has become more complex with a move from trusted experts' opinion to additional correlation based analysis. In many ways, I prefer the original breakdown of on and off page factors for its simplicity - as shown below, but there are many more factors to consider now of course.
You can get the full detailed report from the link above. In this summary I highlight the main ranking factors, with a brief analysis of the implications for marketers who aren't full-time SEO.
The Experts' opinions on ranking factors
The best quick summary on ranking factors for non-specialists is, for me, still the Experts' analysis. Here's…
