Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Beginner question: How to best measure Google page rank? And is it a valid first-level metric for SEO performance?

TL;DR Is Google page rank a decent first level metric for SEO performance of a site? If so, how should I best measure it?


Hi all. I'm a web developer, and have built a site as a pet project. I'd like to use this site to learn and practice introductory SEO techniques. Before I start though, I have a question about measuring SEO performance and Google page rank. Throughout this project I'd of course like to measure how my site is doing in terms of SEO. I realize I can setup conversions, as well as monitor total traffic, organic traffic, referral traffic, etc. But how important is my site's Google page rank when a search for relevant keywords is carried out? And how do I accurately measure that?

My feeling is that increasing Google page rank is relatively important. What I often hear from my clients is, "I want to be at the top of Google." I realize that the end goal of SEO is typically to increase revenue, and not simply to increase Google page rank--and getting to the top of a Google search doesn't always correlate to increased revenue. But no doubt there is a definite trend, an if I carry out an SEO campaign for a client, an increase in Google page rank is something they will probably want to use to measure 'success.' If I carry out an SEO campaign for a client, is that a valid first-level measurement of success? Or should I be wary of that, and try to convince clients of better metrics?

If page rank is one metric I should be using to gauge performance, how should I accurately obtain its baseline measurement? And how should I best measure it as my project progresses? Can I simply open an incognito browser window and type in the relevant search terms (e.g. "London property for sale")? Or is there a more accurate measurement? I should note that I already have Google Analytics setup collecting data for my site.

Also, if my outlook/approach to this is all wrong, set me on the right path--I'm all ears. The goal is to see if I can get good enough at this so I can at least entertain clients when they ask for a "website build with SEO." As of now, I have no problem with the website build, or even implementing on-page best practice in terms of SEO (e.g. alt text, header structure, etc). But when it comes to developing, running, and measuring an effective SEO campaign, so far I have had to outsource that. I'd like to at least see what it entails, so perhaps in the future I can offer this service myself. I realize that won't come overnight, and will come with some mistakes, so that's why I'm learning on a personal pet project, rather than a client project.

Thanks in advance.

submitted by /u/cag8f
[link] [comments]

from Search Engine Optimization: The Latest SEO News https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/abssh2/beginner_question_how_to_best_measure_google_page/>

No comments:

Post a Comment