SEO KPIs: 10 performance metrics you should track in 2025

Are you pouring time and resources into SEO yet feeling like you're throwing darts in the dark? You're creating content, tweaking meta descriptions, and maybe even dabbling in link building, but are you really seeing results?

It's frustrating to invest so much effort without a clear understanding of what's working and what's not. Without the right data, you're essentially flying blind, unable to optimize your website for conversions,

Don't let your hard work go to waste. Below, we'll dismantle the path to success with SEO KPIs you should be tracking this year. We'll break down each metric, explain why it's important, and show you how to measure it.

What are SEO KPIs?

SEO KPIs are specific, measurable metrics that help you gauge the success of your SEO strategies. They track the performance of your activities to let you know whether you're reaching your SEO goals.

Now, because SEO KPIs are tied to your business objectives—e.g., increasing sales—you can also use them to show the return on investment to key stakeholders and prove that your SEO initiative was worth the money.

Not only that, the data you gather from these KPIs goes a long way in helping you refine your SEO approach. For example, you can analyze past trends to predict the likelihood of future initiatives being successful.

» Measure and improve ROI from SEO with the best SEO ROI tool.

10 essential SEO KPIs to track in 2025

1. Organic traffic

Organic traffic refers to the visitors who arrive at your website through unpaid search results on search engines. It's crucial because it directly relates to how effective your SEO strategy is at attracting users.

Increased organic traffic often ties into higher conversion rates and revenue growth because users who find your site that way are actively looking for information or solutions related to your products or services. So they're more likely to be qualified leads.

How to track it:

• In Google Search Console (GSC), navigate to the "Performance" report.
• The data displayed is your organic search traffic.
• This report shows clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position in Google's unpaid search results.
• You can also scroll below the dashboard and check the pages getting the most traffic and the keywords driving it.



2. Keyword rankings

Keyword rankings are the position of your chosen queries within search engine results pages (SERPs). You track them to directly assess how effective your SEO efforts are and find areas that need optimization.

This SEO metric provides data that can help you drive more organic traffic. For example, if you see a drop in rankings for a product keyword, you can optimize your product page and content to regain lost ground and capture potential customers.

How to track it:

You can use the GSC dashboard to access detailed reports on your keyword ranking positions. All you need to do is:

• Navigate to the "Performance" report.
• Scroll below the report and click on the queries tab.



» Learn to map keywords to the SEO conversion funnel and improve your strategy.

3. Click-through rate (CTR)

CTR is the percentage of users who click on your website listing in search results. A higher CTR usually means you have strong, relevant titles and meta descriptions.

To improve CTR, research your visitors through surveys, interviews, or polls to identify key challenges and desires. Then, use these insights to craft benefit-driven titles that really resonate with them.

Your meta descriptions should also clearly summarize the page content and encourage clicks with a compelling call to action.

» Create user journey maps to get to know your audience better.

How to track it:

• In GSC, go to "Performance" > "Search Results," where you can see total clicks and impressions.
• You can also calculate your CTR with this formula: (Total impressions / Total clicks) × 100



» Learn how to improve CTR with SEO A/B testing.

4. Bounce rate

A high bounce rate could indicate that your content isn't relevant or engaging enough. For example, if users are searching for "best Italian restaurants in Chicago" and your page lists Italian recipes, they're likely to click off.

It can also suggest issues with user experience, such as slow loading times or a confusing navigation menu.

How to track it:

• In GA4, go to "Reports" > "Engagement" > "Pages and screens." Then, click the pen in the top right corner.

• You can also calculate it with this formula: Bounce rate = (Single page visits / Total visits) × 100



• Next, add "Bounce rate" under the "Metrics" tab and click "Apply."



You'll see the metric added like in the picture below:



Keep in mind that not all bounces are bad. For example, someone looking up a specific fact might immediately find it on your page and then leave without browsing further.

Analyze your bounce rate in context and consider the type of content on each page. A high score on a page with specific information isn't as concerning as one on a navigational page that's supposed to encourage users to browse your website.

» Learn to optimize your users' journeys and get them to convert.

5. Domain authority (DA)

DA is an SEO KPI that calculates how well your website will rank on SERPs. This prediction is based on the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to the site and the overall quality and relevance of your website's content.

A higher domain authority score acts as a strong signal to search engines that your website is a credible and trustworthy source of information. This increased credibility can result in improved rankings.

How to track it:

Several powerful tools can help you track your DA. For example, Semrush offers a proprietary SEO metric, "Authority Score," that's closely related to it. It can also give you valuable insights into your backlink profile, site health, and other factors that influence your DA score.

6. Page load time

Page load time measures how long it takes for your website to display and become fully interactive for the user. This process includes downloading resources like HTML, images, stylesheets, and scripts.

Studies show that pages with load times under 3 seconds have significantly lower bounce rates. A KissMetrics report suggests that 47% of consumers expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less, and 40% would abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Google's algorithm also considers page speed a crucial ranking factor. Faster websites may be more likely to rank higher in search engine results.

How to track it:

To track this SEO KPI, you can use Google's PageSpeed Insights. It's a detailed report on your page load time and offers specific suggestions for improvement.

All you need to do is paste the link to the webpage you want to test in the textbox and click on "Analyze." Then, wait a few seconds and look at your results. You'll get a score and a detailed report on your page load time, separated into mobile and desktop devices.



» Understand how Google sees your website with their Crawl Stats report.

7. Conversion rate

Conversion rate measures the percentage of website visitors who complete a specific action, which varies depending on your business goals.

It shows how effectively your website converts traffic into valuable outcomes like leads or sales. A high score means your content, user experience, and calls to action are effectively guiding visitors to complete a desired action.

Examples of desired actions include:

• For e-commerce: Buying a product, adding a product to cart, viewing a product page
• For SaaS: Signing up for a free trial, requesting a demo, upgrading to a paid plan
• For content websites/blogs: Subscribing to a newsletter, downloading an ebook, commenting on a blog post, sharing content on social media
• For service-based businesses: Requesting a quote, filling out a contact form, booking a consultation

» Discover the fundamentals of conversion rate optimization.

How to track it:

You can use GA4 to track your conversion rate. First, you need to set up specific goals that represent your desired conversions. Navigate to "Admin."



Then, under "Data Display," find "Key Events" in your account.



Next, make sure GA4 is measuring the specific actions you want visitors to take on your website.



Finally, go to "Engagement" > "Events" to view your conversion data.



8. Core Web Vitals

Google uses Core Web Vitals to measure real-world user experience on web pages. These SEO metrics specifically focus on aspects that directly impact user satisfaction: loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.

Because these KPIs directly impact user experience, they are important for your website's ranking. Poor scores can lead to higher bounce rates and decreased engagement metrics, both of which hurt your SEO performance.

How to track it:

To effectively track your website's Core Web Vitals, you can use Google Search Console's Core Web Vitals report.



By scrolling down, you'll see that it displays the following errors:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Measures how quickly the largest content element (like an image) becomes visible to the user. A slow LCP makes your page feel slow to load and frustrates users.
• FID (First Input Delay): Tracks the time it takes for your page to become interactive after a user's first action (like a click). A high FID can make your site feel unresponsive and clunky.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Evaluates visual stability of your page by measuring unexpected webpage layout shifts. High CLS can be very frustrating as elements move around while users are trying to read or interact with the page, leading to a poor user experience.



» Struggling to interpret GSC's reports? Talk to an SEO expert for guidance.

9. Return on investment (ROI)

ROI helps you understand how profitable your search engine optimization efforts are. You'll typically see this KPI as a percentage or ratio when comparing the revenue generated from SEO to its associated costs.

It quantifies how much financial returns you'll see from your activities relative to the costs you had. If this performance metric shows promise, you can use it as evidence to convince key stakeholders to invest more in your strategy.

How to track it:

To measure ROI from SEO, you need to get data on both SEO costs and revenue generated from organic search traffic.

Add up all SEO-related expenses, including:

• Salaries of in-house team members
• Fees for agencies or freelancers
• Costs of SEO tools and software
• Content creation expenses, such as hiring writers for blog posts, creating infographics, or producing video content.
• Link building costs, including outreach to other websites, guest post creation, or purchasing directory listings

Then, use GA4 to track organic search traffic and set up conversion tracking as outlined in Section 7 to measure sales or leads. Then, calculate the value of these conversions (e.g., average order value for e-commerce sites).

Finally, use this formula to calculate ROI:

• SEO ROI = (Revenue from SEO - Cost of SEO) / Cost of SEO * 100

10. Cost per acquisition (CPA)

CPA measures the total cost of acquiring a new customer through marketing, including SEO. It includes all marketing and sales expenses involved in converting a visitor into a customer.

This KPI helps you determine whether your customer acquisition costs are reasonable compared to the revenue you generate from a customer over their relationship with your business. A lower CPA means your SEO strategy is more effective.

» Use these CRO best practices to lower acquisition costs.

How to track it:

• Define costs: In a specific period, identify all customer acquisition expenses like marketing costs (SEO, content, paid advertising), sales team salaries, and any tools you may use.
• Collect customer data: Track new customer acquisitions.
• Calculate total acquisition costs: Sum up all costs for a period you want to analyze.
• Apply the CPA formula: CPA = Total acquisition costs during the period / Number of new customers acquired during the period

» Start acquiring more qualified leads with these SEO lead generation strategies.

How to choose SEO KPIs: 4 essential steps

Step 1: Define your SMART goals

Begin by clearly defining your SEO objectives, and make sure they directly support your business goal.

For example:

• If your goal is to increase e-commerce sales: Your SEO objectives might include driving more qualified organic traffic to product pages or improving their organic conversion rate.
• If your business goal is to generate leads (SaaS): Your SEO objectives might include increasing organic traffic to service pages or improving lead form submissions from organic traffic.

To ensure clarity and focus, you can use the SMART criteria:

• Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve.
• Measurable: Make it trackable.
• Achievable: Ensure it's realistic and attainable.
• Relevant: Align it with your overall objectives.
• Time-bound: Set a clear deadline.

Step 2: Prioritize relevance to your goals

Once you've defined your SEO goals, the next step is to select KPIs that are directly relevant to those goals.

Here's an example:

• Want to boost organic traffic? Your KPIs would be organic traffic volume, keyword rankings, and CTR.
• Want to improve conversion rates? Your KPIs can be organic conversion rate, goal completions from organic traffic, and revenue per visitor.
• Want to enhance brand awareness? You can track KPIs like branded organic traffic, share of voice, and organic impressions.

The ICE framework can help you prioritize the KPIs that are most relevant to your SEO goals. Using this framework, you can score a KPI from 1 to 10 based on impact, confidence, and ease of implementation.

Let's take a closer look at these three factors:

• Impact: How much of a difference will improving this KPI make toward your overall goal? Give it a score from 1 to 10, with 10 indicating a bigger potential impact.
• Confidence: How confident are you that you can actually move the needle on this KPI? Score it on a scale from 1 to 10. The more confident you are, the higher your score should be.
• Ease: How easy will it be to improve this KPI? Choose a score from 1 to 10. A higher score means it would be easier to implement.

Multiply the scores for each factor to get the overall ICE score (between 3 and 30), and prioritize the KPIs with the highest scores.

Step 3: Ensure measurability and data accuracy

It's crucial to select KPIs that can be accurately tracked and reliably quantified.

To ensure measurability, you can:

• Use analytics tools: Use GA4 or similar tools that automatically track website data and provide robust reporting.
• Define tracking parameters: Clearly define what you are measuring and how you're going to track it (e.g., specific events, goal URLs in analytics platforms, consistent naming conventions).
• Set up goal tracking: In your analytics platform, configure goal tracking to accurately count desired actions as conversions based on your defined objectives.

Step 4: Focus on actionable insights

Finally, choose KPIs that provide actionable insights—metrics that you can directly use to guide your decisions and refine your SEO strategy effectively.

For example:

• If your organic traffic to your blog posts drops: Your content may no longer be effectively attracting your audience. So, you can revamp your content strategy, update older blog posts, and research new topics to regain traffic.
• If you have low organic conversion rates on product pages: Your product pages are not effectively converting organic traffic into sales. To address the issue, improve your product page copy, calls-to-action, and run A/B tests on page layouts.
• If your website has poor Core Web Vitals: Your website's user experience may be negatively impacting SEO performance. You should focus on improving page speed, interactivity, and visual stability.

Go from guesswork to growth

Forget guessing games and crossed fingers—SEO is about data-driven decisions. Keeping a close eye on these SEO metrics will give you a better understanding of what's working and where you should be focusing your energy.

SEO isn't a "set it and forget it" kind of thing. It needs constant attention and tweaking. By regularly checking in on these KPIs, you can stay agile, adapt to Google's ever-changing algorithms, and make sure you're getting the biggest bang for your buck.

READ MORE: Metrics and KPIs to track at each stage of the SEO funnel