The three metrics we actually look at first each month
Rank tracking spreadsheets are the default SEO report, but they're rarely the first thing we look at. Here's what actually tells us if something's working.
A rankings report can look great while a business is still struggling, and it can look mediocre while things are quietly improving underneath. Here's the order we actually check things in.
1. Organic traffic to money pages, not the whole site
Overall traffic can rise because of an unrelated viral blog post while the pages that actually generate leads stay flat. We track traffic to the specific pages tied to inquiries or sales first, and treat everything else as secondary.
2. Conversion actions from organic traffic specifically
Form submissions, calls, and email clicks that originate from organic search tell us whether the traffic showing up is actually the right traffic, not just more traffic. A ranking improvement that doesn't move this number usually means the wrong keywords are being targeted.
3. Technical health trend, not a one-time score
A single Core Web Vitals score is a snapshot. What matters more is the trend — is it improving, flat, or slipping as new content gets added. A site that's quietly degrading technically will eventually erase content gains if it isn't caught early.
Where rankings fit in
We still track rankings — they're a useful leading indicator and they're what most clients expect to see. But they come after the three above in terms of what actually tells us whether to keep the current plan running or change it.