Search engine optimisation (SEO)

Search engine optimisation (SEO) should be treated like any marketing activity. Set objectives, track results and use the data to improve your pages.

Without feedback, you will not know which search queries bring users to your site, which pages attract traffic or which changes improve performance. Monitoring helps you focus effort on pages and topics that matter.

Using web analytics

Web analytics and search performance tools are key ways to measure SEO. Analytics tools can show what users do on your site. Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools can show queries, clicks, impressions, indexing issues and technical problems.

You can review which pages receive traffic, where users come from, how long they stay, and which search terms or queries lead users to your site. 

See what is web analytics?

Get reports from SEO partners

If you use an SEO agency, it should provide regular reports showing how their optimisations are working, along with any plans to improve current search engine ranking. It's also important that reports include output from SEO tools and the major search engines' site analytics. If your website is maintained externally, ensure you have access to its statistics. You need to monitor performance and generate reports.

Use browser tools for quick information

Use tools such as Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse and browser developer tools to investigate SEO, page experience and technical issues.

Benchmarking

After collecting your key metrics for at least six months, you can analyse your site's progress and the effects of any changes you've made. You can also compare your site's performance to your competitors' - helping you to identify areas for future improvement.