How to Choose SEO KPIs for Client Reports
Short answer
SEO KPIs are the few SEO metrics that carry a target and tie to the client's business goal. Start from the business goal, pick 3 to 5 metrics, record a baseline, and write each target as a checkpoint.
In this article
SEO KPIs are selected SEO metrics with a target that ties to a site's business goal, such as leads or sales from Google. A metric without a target is only supporting data in a report.
SEO KPIs are agreed at the start of a client engagement and reported every month. This guide covers the kinds of SEO KPIs, how to choose them, and how to write targets without promising rankings.
What is the difference between SEO KPIs and SEO metrics?
SEO KPIs are the small subset of SEO metrics chosen because they sit closest to the client's business goal. SEO metrics include every number that can be measured, such as backlinks, average position, or page speed.
One report can hold dozens of metrics. Pick 3 to 5 of them as KPIs so the client knows which numbers decide the assessment.
What SEO KPIs are commonly used?
Common SEO KPIs fall into 5 levels: visibility, traffic, engagement, business results, and technical health. The table below lists an example KPI and its data source for each level.
| Level | Example KPI | Data source |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Impressions and average position for the main queries | Search Console, Performance report |
| Traffic | Clicks from Google and CTR | Search Console, Performance report |
| Engagement | Engaged sessions and engagement rate of organic traffic | GA4, Traffic acquisition report |
| Business results | Key events from organic traffic, such as form submissions or purchases | GA4, Traffic acquisition report |
| Technical health | Number of important pages indexed | Search Console, Page indexing report |
The figure below shows the order of the first 4 levels, from the numbers in Google's results to the numbers on the client's site.
Clicks, impressions, CTR, and position are defined in the guide on how to read the Search Console Performance report.
How do you choose SEO KPIs?
The way to choose SEO KPIs is to start from the client's business goal and pick the metrics closest to that goal. The steps, in order:
Business goal · Leads, sales, or sign-ups
Ask which visitor action brings revenue to the client.
Key event · Marked in GA4
Make sure that action is recorded as a key event in GA4 before it becomes a KPI.
Pick KPIs · 3 to 5 metrics
Pick 1 business-result KPI, then 2 to 4 supporting KPIs from visibility, traffic, and engagement.
Record a baseline · 3-month average
Record the starting value of each KPI before the work begins.
Set checkpoints · Every month
Write each target as a checkpoint reviewed in every monthly report.
A key event that isn't set up in GA4 can't serve as a business-result KPI.
How to mark that action as a key event is covered in the guide on GA4 key events.
How do you write SEO KPI targets without promising rankings?
SEO KPI targets are written as checkpoints that state the baseline, the target value, and the review date. Google says no one can guarantee a number 1 ranking on Google.
Google's SEO guide also says some changes take effect in a few hours. Other changes can take several months. Review the results of the work after a few weeks, not after a few days.
A drop is reported with its numbers too, for example clicks falling from 1,200 to 1,050, or 12.5%. The report layout that holds these KPIs is covered in the guide on the monthly SEO report for clients.
Recalytics pulls Search Console and GA4 data for each client website every month and turns it into a report.
Frequently asked questions
How many SEO KPIs should a report have?
Google doesn't set a number. Pick 3 to 5 KPIs so the monthly report stays easy to read.
Is average position a good main KPI?
No. Average position shows visibility, not business results. Use position as a supporting KPI.
Can SEO KPIs be measured without GA4?
Partly. Search Console records impressions, clicks, CTR, position, and index status. Business-result KPIs such as form submissions need GA4 or another analytics tool.
Sources
The Recalytics Team writes guides on SEO and analytics reporting for digital agencies and website owners, based on Google's official documentation and Search Console and GA4 data.