Leveraging Your SEO Data…
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is all about figuring out how to be ‘it’ – the first one found online when potential customers search for what you are offering! Popular search engines like Google have their own rules for what it takes to be found, and SEO is the skill required to understand these rules. It implements carefully structured strategies to tweak, twist, and tune your website to make it the most suitable website selected by Google for the desired search result.
These rules, embodied in Google’s many algorithms, are an ongoing topic of interest in SEO circles due to their influence on SEO strategies. These algorithms are constantly undergoing changes to improve, making it essential to demystify SEO data and how it relates to Google algorithms to optimise rankings correctly.
Understanding Google Algorithms
The Google Search Algorithms combine to create an intricate algorithmic system that determines how web pages are ranked in search results. The system features over 300 established guidelines (known as ranking factors) for delivering the most relevant results on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and is employed by Google to sift through thousands of web pages to present the most relevant results for the search query. This complex system considers several factors when deciding the best results – all of which culminate in creating what we know as SEO data.
SEO Data: What Is It?
SEO data is the analytical information that guides your online strategy. It’s a collection of information about how your website performs in the wild west of search results. This data can include metrics like organic traffic, keywords, and rankings to show where you are hitting the mark and where you are falling short. Most importantly, it provides data from which the insights can be formulated into what you need to do to get more eyes on your website!
SEO Data Types And What They Mean
Traffic
This is the number of people visiting your website. It is a crucial indicator of your website’s popularity and the effectiveness of your marketing strategies. High traffic often correlates with higher conversions and sales.
Impressions
This represents how often your website is served in Google search results. It is not about clicks or traffic but visibility. A high number of impressions indicates that your site is getting noticed, which can lead to increased engagement.
Rankings
This refers to the position of your website on search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher your ranking, the more visibility you will have with potential visitors. Achieving high rankings for targeted keywords is a primary goal of SEO.
Backlinks
These are links from other websites pointing to your site. Backlinks are like votes of confidence from other websites and are crucial in how search engines rank your website. The more quality backlinks you have, the more authoritative Google considers your site to be.
Keyword Search Volume
This is the number of times a specific keyword is searched for within a given timeframe. High search volume keywords can drive significant traffic to your site if it is being targeted in your SEO strategy, provided your website is on page #1 of the SERP, which is where over 90% of all clicks occur.
Page Speed
This is how quickly your website loads with emphasis on load speed onto mobile devices. Speed matters to drop-off rates and keeping visitors on your page! Slow loading times can frustrate users, leading them to quickly leave your website and negatively impact your search engine rankings.
Why Is SEO Data Valuable?
Google Analytics acts as the pulse of your website. It collects a wealth of data from your site, which can be mined and organised into insightful reports about your business’s online performance. These insights help you understand your visitors, what they do on your site, and how to optimise their experience. Thanks to Google Analytics, we can gather SEO data that guides actionable insights about your website’s performance in search engine rankings, which is vital for improving online visibility. Without SEO data, you’re navigating the vast ocean of digital marketing blindfolded.