Another vital set of information we collect and analyze to help determine our search engine optimization strategies for our clients are our keyword ranking reports. These reports are generated on a weekly basis automatically and give us information about the relative keyword performance of those terms that we’re tracking. On the most basic of levels, getting an idea of movement from month to month allows us to track the effects of the work we’ve done on where the webpages of our clients appear in user’s browsers when they search on Google, Yahoo! and MSN/Bing. The report is simply superficially informative: that is, it tells the reader where their site is from the top down, and its ranking movement over a period of time specified in the settings. It does not give information such as relative competitiveness of the keyword term, nor does it detail how many searches are executed for those keywords in a given period of time (we have other nifty tools for that data!).

However, what this report does inform us about is the potential to act upon heretofore untouched or underloved opportunities. If a particular permutation of an important keyword is ranked #13 (meaning top-middle of the second set of results on a normal 10-result search results page) in a specific cycle, and we have been concentrating efforts on the seed keyword it contains (ie, ‘information technology’ and ‘information technology management’ or ‘information technology consulting’), we can see where we need to focus our efforts to bolster those associated terms that very well may be more in tune with what the searching user/potential customer has in mind– and this translates into targeted traffic that has necessarily carries with it specific interest in what they’ve searched. That kind of targeted result to a targeted search is the best kind of breeding ground for sales and increased conversion rates.

We send these reports to those we work with on a cyclical basis to enable them to gauge the results that our efforts have yielded for themselves in terms of the search engine optimization services we provide and the economy and their sector of industry as a whole. We always are interested in addressing any and all concerns of our clients in terms of branding, marketing strategies (especially those that coincide with traditional print/airwave advertising as well), and their upcoming and underpromoted products and services among many other considerations. We also review the data collected by our reporting tools on a weekly (sometimes daily!) basis to further inform our decisionmaking processes as we move through each cycle.

As Search Placement’s Web Analyst, I find that working with and gaining understanding from the data we collect and utilize for our work is incredibly rewarding as a growing and educational experience– I look forward to meeting new clients and tackling new projects in new niches.

There are a tremendous number of factors at play in determining the success and health of a website, particularly if that website is the web presence of a retailer or organization with something to sell. As entrepreneurs, we want our businesses to perform the best that they can, and we are generally willing to do what it takes to improve in any areas we find in need of bolstering. An incredibly important aspect of being able to make a determination as to what areas in your search engine optimization campaign could benefit the most from is harnessing and understanding data collected from various sources that relates to your website: traffic flow, back link status, and keyword ranking status being three primary cyclical reporting methods that can be analyzed and put to good use to boost organic search engine rankings. This post will be primarily concerned with traffic flow (as it relates to organic search engine placement), with subsequent posts to follow detailing the other major reporting types and how they benefit the clients we’re associated with.

Our experience working with web analytics and diagnosis tools such as Google Analytics and Google Webmasters allows us to make informed decisions regarding the choice of resource allocation in a given cycle that yield the best possible results for the keywords we are focusing on together. These reporting tools allow us to see data such as where the flow of traffic is coming from; organic search engines, pay-per-click advertising, direct traffic, referrals, and so forth. In addition, one of the features of this report allows us to see which keywords have been driving that traffic to the website in question and we can then bolster efforts thereon– or spot a ripe opportunity to pick! The reports generated by these tools also allow us to gauge the results our efforts have borne during that cycle and the one(s) preceding it (although it should be noted that some of the effects of our organic search engine optimization methods are exhibited not only in the short, but also medium and long-term) relative to traffic flow overall.

We use another set of analytical tools to help intially determine what will best improve search engine rankings when we get started with new clients, but for month to month focii and performance tracking web analytics tools are where it’s at. Thankfully both the web and these tools have become robust enough in recent years to glean accurate impressions from relatively complete data sets (for example, compare Google Analytics/Omniture/WebTrends web data to a Nielsen TV survey in terms of accurately capturing the whole) that allow us to gain actionable insights that ultimately strengthen our clients’ projects.

The caveat, of course, is that truly informed decisions cannot be based on one set of data alone. In the near future, I’ll write about some of the other tools we use to track results over time and enhance search engine ranking performance for those we work with– check back soon!