SEO can feel like a mystery, especially when you’re not seeing instant results. But how do you actually know if your SEO is on the right track? In a recent episode of Google’s Search Off the Record podcast (linked below), their team shared some simple ways to evaluate the SEO performance of your website.
We created an easy breakdown of what they said without the tech-y overload, so you can make sense of how it applies to your business.
1. Start with Clear Goals
Before you measure anything, ask yourself, what do I want from SEO?
More visitors to my website?
Higher Google rankings for my services?
More calls or online bookings?
Having a goal makes it easier to see if your SEO is actually working. Otherwise, it’s like trying to lose weight without stepping on a scale. You won’t know as clearly if you're making progress.
2. Use Google Search Console
Google gives you a free tool to check how your website is performing called Google Search Console (GSC). It tells you:
What search terms people use when they find your site
How many people click on your links in Google search results
If there are technical issues stopping your site from showing up in searches
We use this tool daily to track progress for our clients, and we also teach you how to check your own numbers so you always know what’s happening with your website.
3. Look Beyond the Rankings
Getting to Page 1 on Google is great, but there are other goals that matter even more (and are part of what's actually helping you to rank well). It’s mission critical to evaluate how users interact with your site. Metrics like "bounce rate", "average session duration", and "pages per session", can indicate the quality of traffic and how relevant your website content is to your visitors.
Here's what it boils down to:
Do people stay and read your content?
Do they click on your contact page or make a purchase?
Or do they leave right away? (high bounce rate = bad sign)
These numbers show if your SEO is bringing the right people (your target market) to your site, or if you need to adjust some things to attract better visitors.
4. Regularly Check for Website Issues
A slow or broken website hurts your SEO more than you think. Google won’t rank sites that frustrate users, because that means the user experience is poor.
Some common SEO killers are:
Slow-loading pages
Broken links (pages that don’t work)
Not mobile-friendly (doesn’t work well on phones)
At La Mejor Website, we do regular website checkups to pinpoint areas of improvement and fix these issues before they hurt your rankings. And we’ll walk you through the results so you can stay informed about your website’s health.
5. Keep Up with SEO Changes (your website needs offense and defense!)
Organic SEO isn’t a one-and-done deal. Google regularly (especially lately) changes their algorithms, and what worked last year might not work today. That’s why businesses that stay updated on SEO trends tend to win in the long run, but for more reasons than you may initially think.
Most businesses only focus on what they want to gain, like more clicks on their website that convert to sales. But a well-done technical SEO with ongoing monitoring provides a defense for your online presence.
Every business is competing with others around them, and search engine algorithms are regularly evolving, so where your business shows up organically (not paid) in the list of pages after a Google search will always be shifting.
Not sure where to start? That’s why we’re here. We stay on top of SEO updates so you don’t have to. Whether you want full SEO management or just need a little guidance, we’ve got you covered.
This is Our Key Takeaway: Organic SEO takes time, but it’s worth it
SEO isn't always straightforward. Even when you've done everything right, results may take time or may not happen as expected. When that happens, it's important to ask the right questions: What might be missing? Is it just taking longer? Has something changed in the competition?
SEO is a process of constant learning, adjusting, and keeping up timely with trends. That’s why a big part of what we do at La Mejor Website is not just doing the technical work, but we also educate our clients so they can make informed decisions about their online presence. You can find 3 success tips that are always relevant, and within your control in this article.
Contact us for a free website analysis and consultation. We’ll provide honest, actionable recommendations based on 15+ years of experience and insights from our 160+ Five-Star Google reviews.
No contracts. No gimmicks.
Carlos Rivera - La Mejor Website
Google Partner and Certified Google Business
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