Keywords used to be the mainstay of all SEO work. This was when Google’s algorithm was less advanced, and people using the Internet were less savvy and discerning. Given that keywords were so important, it made sense to make measuring keyword ranking a priority. But, things have changed, and the days of focusing mostly on keywords have been relegated to the past.

Web design and SEO experts, such as Quikclicks still pay attention to using keywords wisely. But this is just part of a far wider SEO strategy. The emphasis is on quality of content and user experience, in addition to faring well with Google.

How Google’s algorithm has helped to change things

If you have an online presence, you want to feature as high as possible in search engine results. In the early days of the Internet, it was sufficient to simply place the right keywords on web pages, several times. The problem with this was that it was never fulfilling for web users. As the Internet has developed, users have begun to want a more fulfilling experience. They want to read relevant and informative content, not just a lot of words strung together.

Google has recognised this with significant developments such as the release of Google Panda and Mobilegeddon. Even since Google Panda became a reality, it’s been necessary to concentrate on quality of content in order to secure a good search engine ranking. Mobilegeddon made mobile friendly websites a priority. You can see how both users and Google have helped to change the online landscape. Given these changes, it now makes no sense to measure keyword ranking as a priority.

What should you be measuring?

Think about why you want your website to succeed. For most businesses and organisations, this is about increasing leads and sales. If you do not attract people to your website in the first place, you are never going to do either of these things. This is why you should start by prioritising the measurement of website traffic. If the results are not good, you need to concentrate on improving them.

This measurement should be backed up with the measurement of conversions and ROI. All of these measurements are far more important than the measurement of keyword ranking. If you do not know how many people are visiting your site, how many conversions are resulting and what the effect is on your ROI, you are never going to be able to optimise your online presence.

Analytics exist to help you ensure that your online performance is of the standard you expect. Your main concern is always going to be how many sales and leads are made or acquired. You need to make sure that enough people visit your website to make these things happen. This is why it’s so important to measure website traffic, as opposed to keyword ranking, which is no longer a major concern.