At 88PLATINUM, our objective is to get our clients to the top of Google and then keep them there. Each month, we provide our clients with website performance and SEO overview reports. This article explains the practical Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports we provide to our clients.

But first, it’s imperative to note that the only thing worse than ‘no’ information is ‘bad’ information. We discourage clients from using and relying on rudimentary tracking methods, such as having the front desk person ask, “How did you find us?” Such tracking methods are simply not accurate enough; at no one’s fault, there is too much room for human error. Likewise, any data with a sample size of less than 300 is statistically nonviable. Using such information may lead you to think you made a good business decision with a false sense of confidence when, in reality, you made a detrimental business decision.

Next, know that there are means to track incredibly detailed and reliable data to eliminate assumptions as much as possible. When I worked at Memorial Hospital, we had a $30,000+ budget for online marketing and reporting. This was quite the luxury. However, for most small to medium-sized businesses, such means are too complex, time-consuming, and expensive. If you’re not spending $10,000 or more per month on online marketing alone, robust lead generation and conversion tracking tools are likely not worth the while.

So, to keep things simple and cost-effective, we accept assumptions in place of robust reporting. Below, we explain the practical KPI reports we provide:

SEO Reports

KPI: Google Ranking, Search Term, Number of Monthly Searches

ASSUMPTION: Ranking at the top of Google for high-volume search terms gets you more site traffic to your website. Additionally, visits from organic search are more valuable as they are more astute and ready to buy now.

The Keywords Rankings report begins with an overall visibility score for all tracked search terms – you can interpret this as the likelihood people will see you somewhere in the SERPs when they conduct a Google Search. The higher the percentage, the better. A visibility of 90% or higher is considered excellent.

The Keyword Rankings report next includes the following practical KPIs:

  • Search Term
  • Google Ranking
  • Number of monthly searches
  • Average Cost Per Click (Google Ads)

Collectively, this indicates the client’s site’s ranking on Google and the value of the search terms.

Web Performance Reports

KPI: Technical Errors & Warnings, GTMetrix Webspeed Grade

ASSUMPTION: Having zero or few technical errors and a fast website best ensures an optimal experience for website visitors and search engine bots.

The Site Audit report provides an overview of all technical issues affecting the client’s website. GTMetrix is a third-party web tool that scans and grades a website’s speed. All of these are not only Google ranking factors, but also affect visitor satisfaction.

Additionally, we provide an automated Web Analytics report each month, which includes a web traffic overview. This information provides the client with a general understanding of the site’s health. We’re not looking to ‘chase numbers’ but instead assess who our site visitors are and what’s important to them.

Web Analytics KPIs:

  • VISITS: Total number of visits to the site
  • TOTAL VISITORS: Total number of people visiting the site
  • NEW VISITORS Total number of new people to the site in past 3-6 months
  • ENGAGEMENT: The percentage of sessions that lasted 10 seconds or longer, or had 1 or more conversion events or 2 or more page views.
  • TRAFFIC SOURCE (where visitors came from)
    • Direct: they typed the website address directly into their web browser
    • Organic Search: they came from Google or Bing
    • Referral: they clicked on a link from another website or advertisement
    • Social: they came from a social media channel link such as Facebook
  • USER DEVICE: Total number of visits by device (desktop computer, mobile phone, or tablet)
  • TOP VISITED PAGES … (‘/’ … is the home page, which is usually the most visited page).
  • GENDER
  • AGE
  • VISITORS PER DAY

Google Ads

KPI: Average Cost Per Click

ASSUMPTION: With Google Ads budgets of $5,000 or less, we assume our ads are more effective when our average Cost Per Click is less than the CPC benchmark – in other words, we’re getting our clients more clicks for the same advertising spend.

The Google Ads report includes the following practical KPIs:

  • Total number of clicks
  • Average Cost Per Click (CPC)
  • Benchmark CPC
  • Total ad spend

Google Business/Maps

Your Google Business Profile (GBP or Google Maps Listing) is a separate web entity that can help you attract new customers. Your GBP can appear at the top of a local Google search, known as the ‘Map Pack.’ The rankings of these results vary greatly and are more difficult to control or manipulate other than optimizing business information, categories, images, etc.

Often, if the client’s website ranks well in the organic search results, their GBP will also rank better in the Map Pack. However, results will still likely vary for several reasons, such as the searcher’s proximity to their location when they search.

Several KPIs are available for reporting GBP performance, including the number of:

  • Website visits
  • Requested directions
  • Phone calls
  • Reviews

Tracking Leads & Conversions

Some clients ask, “What is all this actually doing to build business?”

Answering this question would require empirical data to prove the effectiveness of lead generation and conversion generation, which is often too complex and costly for most.

To begin, many clients have a long and complex buying cycle. For many businesses, such as those in the medical field, a significant amount of time can pass between the first visit to a website and the appointment(s) or procedure(s) attended. Additionally, pricing and profit margins vary for different patient types. And finally, total downstream revenue for a new customer can take weeks to years to realize. All of these variables can make it challenging to determine accurate marketing metrics.

To effectively track leads, it typically requires renting a local phone number that records and forwards calls to the client’s phone number and/or utilizing an email contact form. The client must have a unique tracking number for each marketing channel to discern and compare lead generation effectiveness accurately.

To effectively track conversions and downstream revenue, it typically requires matching marketing and financial data record fields (such as name, email, phone number, etc) to attribute credit to the lead generation source. Most clients do not wish to share their financial information, even if it is kept confidential. Additionally, federal regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), can complicate this process.

Practical is the Answer

While we embrace accountability, we also recognize reality. We hope this explains the KPIs we report and why we accept certain assumptions.