Measure What Matters
You can't improve what you don't measure. Analytics shows you what's working and what's not, so you can make better decisions.
What it is: Google's tool showing how your site appears in search
What you learn:
How to use it:
What it is: Detailed tracking of visitor behavior on your website
What you learn:
How to use it:
What it is: Visitors coming from Google (not paid ads)
Where to see it: Google Analytics > Acquisition > Google organic
Why it matters: This is your free traffic. More = better
What it is: Position your pages rank for each keyword
Where to see it: Google Search Console > Performance
Why it matters: Page 1 = lots of traffic. Page 2 = almost no traffic
What it is: Percentage of people who click your link in search results
Where to see it: Google Search Console > Performance
Why it matters: Good titles and descriptions get higher CTR
Typical CTR: Position 1 = 30% CTR, Position 5 = 10% CTR
What it is: Impressions = times your link shows, Clicks = times people click
Where to see it: Google Search Console > Performance
Why it matters: If many impressions but few clicks, your title/description needs improvement
What it is: Percentage of visitors who leave without doing anything
Where to see it: Google Analytics > Pages & Screens
Why it matters: High bounce = page doesn't match what people searched for
Typical: 40-60% is normal
What it is: Average time visitors spend on each page
Where to see it: Google Analytics > Pages & Screens
Why it matters: More time = better engagement, better ranking
What it is: Percentage of visitors who become customers/leads
Where to see it: Google Analytics (after setting up conversion tracking)
Why it matters: Traffic that doesn't convert = wasted effort
Set up conversions for: Form submissions, purchases, newsletter signups, etc.
These are closest to page 1. Often just need small improvements to rank #1.
Your page shows but people don't click. Usually a title/description problem.
People visit but leave immediately. Usually a content problem.
See which pages bring the most visitors. These are your winners!
Both Google Search Console and Google Analytics let you create custom reports to track what matters most to you.
This lesson is part of our free, comprehensive SEO learning platform. Continue your journey with the next lesson or explore other topics to build complete SEO expertise.
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