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{"id":1614,"date":"2023-08-08T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-08T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cherylroll.com\/how-to-determine-the-seo-metrics-that-matter-430356\/"},"modified":"2023-08-08T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T12:00:00","slug":"how-to-determine-the-seo-metrics-that-matter-430356","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cherylroll.com\/how-to-determine-the-seo-metrics-that-matter-430356\/","title":{"rendered":"How to determine the SEO metrics that matter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Has your boss or client ever question the value of your SEO<\/a> results because they can’t see the direct revenue? <\/p>\n

Do you see some stakeholders get wrapped up in vanity metrics that affect your strategic direction?<\/p>\n

We’ve all been there.<\/p>\n

This article will help you find a way to get away from vanity metrics and determine the SEO metrics<\/a> that matter.<\/p>\n

We know they do because:<\/p>\n

We’ll let our customers define these – so if they matter to our customers, they should matter to us.<\/li>\n

These metrics are leading indicators. They are much more strategic and give us insight into what we can do to affect the big-money metrics and our future results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
To set the metrics that matter, you need to revisit our search strategy by:<\/p>\n
\n
Defining and understanding your audience.<\/li>\n
Channel research.<\/li>\n
Building your customer journey map.<\/li>\n
Socializing the metrics that matter in your business.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Defining and understanding your audience<\/h2>\n
Every strategy needs to be built with your audience as the foundation. <\/p>\n
As an organization, you should aim for an “outside-in” approach rather than “inside-out.” <\/p>\n
An inside-out business will broadcast what they want to say. <\/p>\n
They’ll use their language, plan their customer journeys and base many decisions on assumptions. <\/p>\n
Outside-in organizations are the complete opposite.<\/p>\n
They listen to their audiences, craft their language and base their customer journeys and decision-making on what they learn.<\/p>\n
Before you can plan your measurement strategy, you need to know your audience.<\/p>\n
\n
What motivates them? <\/li>\n
What worries them?<\/li>\n
What pushes them forward in a journey? <\/li>\n
What holds them back?<\/li>\n
Who or where do they go for advice? <\/li>\n
How do we do this? <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Regardless of the method, it should always be bespoke based on the client, access to data, audiences etc.<\/p>\n
Below are some ideas.<\/p>\n
Surveys<\/h3>\n
Use surveys with behavioral science baked in. Avoid leading respondents to the answers you want.<\/p>\n
Instead, craft the survey so they can tell you exactly how they feel.<\/p>\n
These surveys could be sent to various audiences – your current customers or your marketing email database.<\/p>\n
You can work with a market research company to find an audience or a mix of the above. <\/p>\n
Social listening<\/h3>\n
Social listening tools help you find what is being said organically online. <\/p>\n
They help:<\/p>\n
\n
Identify trends.<\/li>\n
Gauge sentiment.<\/li>\n
Reveal audience language. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
They also offer valuable competitor, partner and publication insights. <\/p>\n
Desk research<\/h3>\n
You likely aren’t the first person to seek audience insights. Existing studies can offer valuable leads to explore.<\/p>\n
Client persona workshops<\/h3>\n
In your organization, you’ll have colleagues who interact directly with customers, like sales or customer service teams. <\/p>\n
Persona workshops leverage their knowledge to validate hypotheses or test findings.<\/p>\n
1-2-1 interviews<\/h3>\n
Like workshops, 1-2-1 conversations unlock potent insights when you find the right person to talk to. <\/p>\n
Remember, it’s a small sample, not your entire strategy. They validate or create hypotheses. <\/p>\n
Align these individuals with your customer-centric strategy for success.<\/p>\n
CRM analysis \/ existing data analysis<\/h3>\n
Businesses often possess valuable yet untapped data. This research uncovers practical uses, from quantitative data on customer journey timelines to qualitative review trend analysis.<\/p>\n
After selecting research methods and conducting them, the data must be analyzed and aligned with customer personas<\/a>. These personas go beyond demographic details to focus on:<\/p>\n
\n
Motivations.<\/li>\n
Thoughts.<\/li>\n
Feelings.<\/li>\n
Actions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness email address<\/label><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Social listening<\/h3>\nSocial listening tools help you find what is being said organically online. <\/p>\nThey help:<\/p>\n

Desk research<\/h3>\nYou likely aren’t the first person to seek audience insights. Existing studies can offer valuable leads to explore.<\/p>\n

Client persona workshops<\/h3>\nIn your organization, you’ll have colleagues who interact directly with customers, like sales or customer service teams. <\/p>\nPersona workshops leverage their knowledge to validate hypotheses or test findings.<\/p>\n

Keyword research and search trends<\/h3>\nUnearthing how the customer searches (and aligning this to the funnel based on keyword intent) is a big puzzle piece in most projects like this. <\/p>\nAlso, consider the trends: <\/p>\n

Desk research<\/h3>\n
You likely aren’t the first person to seek audience insights. Existing studies can offer valuable leads to explore.<\/p>\n

Client persona workshops<\/h3>\n
In your organization, you’ll have colleagues who interact directly with customers, like sales or customer service teams. <\/p>\n
Persona workshops leverage their knowledge to validate hypotheses or test findings.<\/p>\n