by Jonathan Marshall Hamlet Batista for Search Engine Journal had an interesting take on ranking metric for Search Engine Optimization. According to Hamlet, after considerable experience using multiple SEO tools as well as extensive research into tools that check or track keyword rankings, we should not solely rely on metrics for measuring success of SEO campaigns. There are advantages and disadvantages to every measurement tool, and that is what we should accept before moving forward with any SEO campaign. One of the points discussed in Hamlet’s post is that keyword position should not be the ultimate goal of SEO campaign, therefore it shouldn’t be an SEO process success metric. I would like to touch on that point a little bit more. I’ve outlined the pros and cons of the three most popular (at least in my mind) SEO measurement tools below: Keyword Ranking: Advantages – Much easier to define, analyze and visualize in the form of an SEO report.

Keyword ranking is much easier to explain to the client, which we all know can be a hassle in general when dealing with SEO. Keyword ranking is also considerably easier to aim at. Disadvantages – High rankings don’t mean conversions – ranking should not be the end goal of any project. Rankings can move up and down naturally and this fluctuation might be hard to keep track of as it changes. Search Traffic Rise: Advantages – Again, this is the easiest aim to achieve and keep track of. Disadvantages – Traffic doesn’t mean more sales or customers (the quality of traffic is what really matters). Conversions: Advantages – In the end, each customers ultimate aim is to make sales or convert in any other way (subscriptions, clicks, etc). Disadvantages – This aim can only be achieved if you are delivering full service (SEO, PPC, usability tests, etc).