How to Monitor SEO Results for Contractors
Contractors work hard to build and grow their businesses, and your website should work just as hard to support that growth. Search engine optimization is one of the best long-term strategies to bring in new customers, but how do you know if your SEO is actually working? Monitoring your SEO results is the key to understanding whether your investment is driving traffic, leads, and revenue. In this guide, we will break down what to measure, what tools to use, and how to set goals that keep your digital strategy moving forward.
Understanding SEO Performance vs SEO Results
Before diving into the numbers, it’s important to understand the difference between SEO performance and SEO results. These terms are often used interchangeably but represent different parts of the SEO journey.
SEO Performance
SEO performance refers to the actions you are taking to improve your visibility in search engines. This can include publishing blog content, optimizing meta titles and descriptions, improving page speed, and earning backlinks. These are the ongoing tasks that keep your SEO strategy active and consistent.
SEO Results
SEO results are the outcomes that come from your efforts. These include increased organic traffic, better keyword rankings, more leads, and higher conversion rates. Performance is what you do. Results are what you get.
Why Is Measuring and Tracking SEO Results Important?
If you want your SEO strategy to succeed, you need to track your progress. Measuring results helps you understand what is working, what needs improvement, and where to focus your efforts moving forward. It also allows you to prove the value of your investment by showing real data tied to your business goals.
Top 7 Metrics for Evaluating SEO Results for Contractors
Whether you are a roofer, plumber, or general contractor, these six key metrics will help you gauge the effectiveness of your SEO campaigns.
1. Organic Traffic
Blogging allows you to target specific keywords and answer common questions your customers are searching for. Every new blog post gives your site another opportunity to rank for relevant terms, appear in local search results, and attract new visitors. Consistent blogging helps Google recognize your site as a valuable resource in your field.
2. Keywords Ranking
Track where your website ranks for important search terms. You want to rank on the first page for keywords related to your services and local area.
3. Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to yours. The more quality backlinks you earn, the more search engines see your website as credible and authoritative.
4. SemRush Traffic Cost
This metric estimates how much it would cost to get the same amount of organic traffic through paid advertising. A higher traffic cost means your SEO is saving you more money in the long run.
5. Search Engine Visibility
Visibility scores measure how often your website appears in search results. Higher visibility means more people are seeing your business when they search.
6. Clicks and Impressions (Click Through Rate)
This data shows how many people see your site in search results and how many actually click through to visit. Improving your click through rate helps you capture more leads without needing higher rankings.
7. Conversions
Ultimately, the most important metric is conversions. Whether it is phone calls, form submissions, or quote requests, conversions tell you how well your website turns visitors into customers.
6 Tools To Help Monitor SEO Results for Contractors
These tools are essential for keeping an eye on your SEO performance and results.
Google Search Console
This free tool from Google shows how your site is performing in search results. It tracks keyword rankings, click through rates, and technical issues that could affect performance.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs offers in-depth backlink tracking, keyword ranking analysis, and competitive research tools to help you stay ahead.
Semrush
Semrush provides detailed traffic reports, keyword data, and competitive analysis. It is especially helpful for identifying high-value keywords and estimating your traffic cost.
Surfer Content Audit
Use Surfer to evaluate the strength of your website content. It scores your pages based on structure, word count, keyword usage, and other SEO factors.
Google Business Profile
Your business listing is a major player in local SEO. Track search visibility, customer interactions, and user reviews directly from your profile dashboard.
Google Analytics
This platform shows you how users are interacting with your website. It tracks traffic sources, user behavior, and conversion rates.
3 Common SEO Measurement Challenges…And Solutions
Even with all the right tools, SEO tracking can still be tricky. Here are three common problems—and how to overcome them.
1. Relying on Basic Analytics Tools
Many contractors rely solely on Google Analytics. While it provides valuable data, it does not give the full picture. Combine multiple tools to get a more complete understanding of your SEO.
2. Missing the Full Picture of Search Performance
Looking at rankings alone is not enough. You need to consider visibility, user behavior, and traffic trends. Use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs for a broader perspective.
3. Not Connecting SEO Data to Business Impact
Your SEO should be generating leads. If you are tracking traffic but not conversions, you are missing the connection to business growth. Set up goals and events in Google Analytics to measure meaningful actions.
How to Set Realistic SEO Benchmarks and Goals in 3 Steps
If you are serious about tracking SEO results, you need to set benchmarks that are realistic and achievable. Here is how to do it.
1. Start With Your Current Performance
Use Google Analytics, Search Console, and your SEO tools to gather baseline data. Look at traffic levels, top keywords, and current rankings.
2. Choose Your SEO Goals and KPIs
Decide what matters most to your business. Is it more traffic? Higher rankings? More form submissions? Pick key performance indicators that align with those goals.
2. Set Strategix Milestones
Break your goals into smaller monthly or quarterly milestones. This helps you stay motivated and measure progress over time.
Struggling to get more traffic? Here’s how MarketKeep Can Help You Get Results and Monitor SEO Results In the Process.
Tracking your SEO results is not just a technical task—it is a vital part of making sure your marketing works. With the right tools, strategies, and goals, contractors can turn their websites into lead-generating machines.
At MarketKeep, we specialize in helping contractors build strong digital marketing strategies that deliver real results. We don’t just optimize your site—we track your progress, refine your strategy, and give you clear reporting every step of the way.
If you are ready to get more out of your website and actually see the return on your SEO investment, let’s talk. Contact MarketKeep today to learn how we can help you drive traffic, generate leads, and monitor every step of the journey.