03 / Metrics
KPIs, or key performance indicators, are the small set of metrics used to judge whether SEO work is succeeding. Good SEO KPIs connect technical health to visibility, visibility to traffic, and traffic to business results, so each level explains the one above it.
This lesson covers leading and lagging indicators, technical health KPIs, search visibility and traffic metrics, AI search metrics, business outcomes, and how to set targets.
1. The KPI hierarchy
| Level | Question | Example KPIs |
|---|---|---|
| Technical health | Can search engines crawl and index the site? | Indexable URLs, non-200 pages, crawl errors, Core Web Vitals |
| Visibility | Does the site appear in search? | Impressions, ranking keywords, AI citations |
| Traffic | Do people visit? | Organic clicks, sessions, click-through rate |
| Business outcomes | Does it create value? | Leads, sales, revenue, sign-ups from organic |
Technical metrics change quickly after a fix and are leading indicators. Traffic and revenue change later and are lagging indicators. Report both so early progress is visible before results arrive.
2. Technical health KPIs
| KPI | Source | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Indexable URL count | Crawl | Shows how many pages can appear in search |
| Indexed pages | Search Console Page indexing | Shows what Google actually stored |
| Pages with errors | Crawl | Tracks 4xx, 5xx, and redirect problems |
| Site health score | Crawl tool | A summary trend of overall issues |
| Core Web Vitals pass rate | Search Console or CrUX | Share of URLs with good LCP, INP, and CLS |
| Average crawl depth | Crawl | How reachable important pages are |
See the site health score guide for how SiteAuditLint calculates its score.
3. Visibility and traffic KPIs
| KPI | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions | Search Console | Early sign of visibility changes |
| Clicks | Search Console | Organic visits from Google search |
| Average position | Search Console or rank tracker | Useful for tracked keyword groups, not the whole site |
| Click-through rate | Search Console | Reflects titles, descriptions, and SERP features |
| Non-branded clicks | Search Console filtered | Separates discovery from brand demand |
| Organic sessions | Analytics | Includes engagement and conversion context |
4. AI search KPIs
AI visibility needs its own metrics because AI answers do not show rankings in the traditional sense.
- Citation rate across a fixed prompt set
- Share of voice compared with competitors
- Referral sessions from AI platforms such as chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai
- AI crawler requests in server logs
- Accuracy of brand descriptions in AI answers
See the AI citations lesson and keyword ranking versus AI citation.
5. Business outcome KPIs
Connect organic traffic to goals in analytics, such as leads, purchases, trials, or calls. Report organic conversions and revenue alongside traffic so stakeholders see value, not only volume. Tracking must be accurate for this to work, which is why SiteAuditLint checks for missing tracking and double-counted GA4 events.
6. Vanity metrics to avoid
Total keyword count
Many ranking keywords with no traffic say little.
Number of issues fixed
Fixing low-impact warnings inflates this number.
Domain authority scores
Third-party estimates, not search engine metrics.
Sitewide average position
Mixes unrelated queries and hides real changes.
7. Setting targets
Targets should be specific, time-bound, and tied to the work planned. For example: reduce non-200 internal links to under 1% within 60 days, or increase indexed product pages from 62% to 90% by the end of the quarter. Traffic targets should account for seasonality by comparing year over year.
8. Practical exercise: Choose eight KPIs
KPI checklist
0 of 8 tasks completed
Key takeaways
- SEO KPIs connect technical health, visibility, traffic, and business outcomes.
- Technical metrics are leading indicators. Traffic and revenue lag.
- Search Console provides impressions, clicks, and indexing data.
- AI search needs citation, share of voice, and referral metrics.
- Avoid vanity metrics such as total keyword counts.
- Set specific, time-bound targets tied to planned work.
Knowledge check
Next, learn how to communicate these KPIs in the Client reporting lesson.