September 19, 2025

The Top 7 SEO Metrics Every Small Business Should Track This Year

7 SEO Metrics Every Small Business Should Track This Year

If you’re a small business owner trying to grow your online visibility, you’ve likely heard that SEO is a long game. But what exactly are you supposed to track along the way? That’s where SEO metrics come into play. These metrics basically tell you how your online profiles perform.

There are plenty of metrics to watch for, but we’re not diving deep into the technical aspects. Instead, we will walk you through 7 essential SEO metrics every small business should monitor. Let’s begin:

Metric 1: Organic Traffic

This one’s a no-brainer! Organic traffic is like foot traffic for your website. The more, the merrier! But here the emphasis is on “organic,” which shows how many people are visiting your site naturally, without paid ads. It’s one of the most important indicators of your site’s visibility and relevance in search results.

To measure organic traffic, you can easily use Google Analytics, especially through the “Acquisition” tab. Look for metrics like Sessions, Users, and New vs. returning visitors.

Keep an eye on this information to see if there are any seasonal trends or sudden drops that may indicate SEO issues.

Metric 2: Keyword Rankings

Your keyword rankings determine where your website shows up in search engine results for specific terms, and let’s be honest, most people don’t scroll past page one.

Once you start tracking keyword performance, you can tell how well your content aligns with what people are searching for. If your main services or products aren’t ranking, change your content or try a new social media marketing strategy with new keywords.

There are plenty of tools you can use, like Google Search Console, Semrush, or Ahrefs to monitor keyword positions. But the important thing is to look for high-intent keywords, long-tail variations, and new keywords that are easier to rank for.

Metric 3: Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Ranking high in Google is great, but if no one clicks, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. That’s why CTR is important.

Your click-through rate is the percentage of people who see your listing in search results and actually click on it. If the number is low, it usually means your content isn’t appealing or clear enough.

To monitor CTR, head over to the “Performance” section in Google Search Console. There, you’ll find data on Impressions, Clicks, and CTR for individual queries and pages. Find which pages have high impressions but low clicks. They’re the so-called lowest-hanging fruit!

There are a couple of ways to improve CTR. What we recommend is:

Write engaging, benefit-driven meta titles
Use meta descriptions that match searcher intent
Add numbers, brackets, or a question format to increase curiosity

A small increase in CTR can drive more traffic to your website without creating any new content at all.

Metric 4: Bounce Rate

When someone visits your site and quickly leaves without clicking anything else, that’s what we call a “bounce”. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but a consistently high bounce rate means something might be wrong.

Why does bounce rate matter? Because it’s indicative of how well your content satisfies user intent. Why does it happen? For a variety of reasons. For instance,

Your content didn’t meet their expectations
The page was confusing or slow to load
They didn’t know what to do next

To track this metric, use Google Analytics to view bounce rates per page or across your entire site. It’s especially useful to compare:

Blog posts vs. service pages
Mobile vs. desktop users
New vs. returning visitors

If you want to reduce the bounce rate, you can try a few tactics:

Improve page load speed and mobile responsiveness
Add internal links or strong calls-to-action
Use clear headings and visuals to guide the user journey
Make sure your content matches the search intent

Metric 5: Conversion Rate

Now, let’s talk money! Traffic is great, but conversions are what actually move the needle for your business. Conversion might be a contact form submission, a phone call, a newsletter sign-up, purchasing a product, or booking a service. Simply put, it’s any action that supports your business goals.

To find out how you’re performing based on this metric, head to Google Analytics and set up Goals that track specific conversion actions. Tools like Google Tag Manager help you monitor button clicks, downloads, or even scroll depth.

You can also look at conversion rates across different pages to see which ones drive the most (or least) results. If a page has a low conversion rate, you can:

Simplify your calls-to-action (CTAs)
Use landing pages with focused messaging
Run A/B tests to experiment with headlines, images, or layouts
Build trust with reviews, testimonials, or certifications

Metric 6: Backlink Quality and Quantity

Backlinks are when other websites link to yours. It’s like a vote of confidence in Google’s eyes. But it’s important who is voting for you! High-quality backlinks from trusted domains can significantly improve your search rankings.

To measure them, use platforms like Ahrefs, Moz, or Semrush. They’ll give you information like the total number of backlinks, referring domains, and link authority (whether it’s from a reputable source).

Remember, relevance and trustworthiness are much more important than sheer volume of backlinks.

Building good backlinks takes time. Here’s how to do it:

Write guest posts for local blogs or industry publications
Sponsor local events or collaborate with partners who can link to you
Create shareable resources like guides, infographics, or toolkits
Reach out to journalists using services like HARO (Help A Reporter Out)

Metric 7: Page Load Speed

And finally, we get to the good old page load speed. Speed is no longer a luxury; it’s what people expect. If your website takes too long to load, visitors (and search engines) will move on.

Google has made it clear that Core Web Vitals are part of their ranking factors, so performance is non-negotiable. You can use PageSpeed Insights from Google to analyze how your site performs across mobile and desktop. Aside from performance scores, it offers actionable suggestions to fix the problem.

The usual suspects you can watch for are large image files, excessive third-party scripts, and unoptimized CSS or JavaScript. To speed up your website, try the following:

Compress images and use modern file formats (e.g., WebP)
Use a content delivery network (CDN)
Minimize plugins or bloated themes
Enable browser caching

Bottom Line

SEO can feel like a moving target, especially for small businesses. But with the right metrics in hand, it becomes less of a guessing game and more of a strategic advantage.

If you’re ready to step up your SEO game without feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. At Momentum, we specialize in helping small businesses turn numbers into growth. Want to see how your SEO stacks up? Reach out to us today, and we’ll help you outshine the competition.

By Momentum Team

March 20, 2023

Add External and Internal Links to Your Blog Posts: The Right Way!

Do you understand the importance of External and Internal Links? In this article, we will cover what you need to know for your website or blog!

How External and Internal Linking Can Help Your Website!

In the world of blogging, creating high-quality content is just the beginning. If you want your blog to gain visibility, attract new readers, and perform better in search engines, you must master the art of adding external and internal links to your posts.

Adding links provides your readers with valuable information and resources and helps search engines understand the context and relevance of your content. However, it’s more than randomly dropping links throughout your post. You need to use a strategic approach that adds value to your readers and avoids any negative SEO consequences.

Below, we will explore the best approaches for adding external and internal links to your blog posts. We’ll cover everything from identifying relevant sources to link to, optimizing your anchor text, and avoiding common linking mistakes. By the end of this article, you’ll clearly understand how to use links to enhance your blog’s credibility and authority, and take your content to the next level. Ready? Let’s get started.

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Benefits of Adding External and Internal Links to Your Blog Posts

Blogging can be a challenging and competitive field. However, a straightforward technique can significantly impact your content’s success: adding external and internal links to your posts. These links provide valuable resources for your readers and significant benefits for your blog’s visibility and authority.

External links to quality sources help establish your blog as a credible and trustworthy source of information. Meanwhile, internal links can lead readers your own related content, keeping them on your website and reducing bounce rates.

The benefits of linking don’t stop there. Strategic linking can also improve your website’s search engine rankings, helping you to attract more organic traffic and ultimately grow your audience.

Identifying Relevant Sources to Link to in Your Blog Posts

Including external and internal links in your blog posts can significantly increase the reliability and visibility of your blog. However, not all links are created equal. To use external linking effectively, finding and linking to relevant and trusted sources that add value to your content is critical.

The primary step in finding appropriate sources is to comprehend the subject matter of your blog post entirely. This allows you to identify which sources will provide valuable information for your readers and which topics align with your post.

Once you have determined the type of sources you’re looking for, you can begin searching for potential links. This may entail exploring reputable websites or blogs in your niche, reviewing scholarly or research papers, or looking for reliable news sources.

Investing time in identifying and linking to high-quality sources can increase the worth of your blog content and establish your blog as a reliable source of information.

How to Optimize Your Anchor Text for Better Linking

Anchor text is crucial in how effective your external and internal links are. It’s not enough to add links to your blog posts – you need to ensure that your anchor text is optimized to maximize the impact of your links.
Use descriptive, relevant keywords that accurately describe the link’s content to optimize your anchor text. Avoid using generic or vague terms that don’t provide any context about what the reader can expect when they click on the link.

Additionally, it’s essential to vary your anchor text to avoid over-optimization or the appearance of spam. This means using a mix of keyword-rich anchor text and, more naturally, the branded anchor text that reflects the tone and style of your blog.

Optimizing your anchor text can help search engines understand the relevance and context of your links, improve the readability of your blog posts, and ultimately drive more traffic to your site.

Avoiding Common Mistakes When Adding Links to Your Blog Posts

Adding links to your blog posts can be a powerful tool for improving your website’s visibility and authority, but it can be more complex. In addition, there are common mistakes bloggers can make when incorporating links that can hurt their website’s reputation and even lead to penalization from search engines.

One common mistake is overloading your blog post with too many links, which can make your content appear spammy and reduce the value of each link. Another mistake is including irrelevant links that don’t add value to your content or distract your readers from your main message.

Other common mistakes include using broken links or directing readers to low-quality or malicious websites, which can harm your blog’s credibility and lead to decreased traffic.

To avoid these mistakes, it’s essential to carefully select and vet the links you include in your blog posts and to use them sparingly and purposefully. By adding high-quality links that enhance your content and avoid common mistakes, you can improve the credibility and visibility of your blog.

Best Practices for Adding External Links to Your Blog Posts

Adding external links to your blog posts can be an effective way to increase the credibility and relevance of your content. Still, you must approach this task thoughtfully and strategically. By following best practices for adding external links, you can maximize the benefits of linking while minimizing the risk of negative consequences.

Ensure that your external links are relevant to your topic. Add value to your content, by linking something that relates to your topic. Avoid including links to promote a website or product, as this can be seen as spammy and harm your blog’s credibility.

Ensure that your external links are from reputable, authoritative sources. Reputable links will enhance your content and provide your readers with valuable information. They will also improve your Search Engine Optimization.

Be mindful of the quantity and placement of your external links. Too many links can be overwhelming and detract from the readability of your content, so it’s important to use links sparingly and purposefully.

Thanks for Taking The Time to Learn About Backlinks!

Linking to internal and external sources is crucial for creating top-notch blog content that captivates your audience and proves your reliability. By adding relevant and authoritative sources, optimizing your anchor text, and sidestepping common mistakes, you can amplify the quality of your writing and establish a sense of trustworthiness among your readers.

Ready to give your business the boost it deserves? We can help you achieve your goals and take your business to the next level. So please don’t wait, and get in touch with us.

It’s best to work with a professional team that has experience with SEO. Through search engine optimization, Momentum Digital can maximize your company’s search results and credibility. Contact us to increase your sales and online presence with our customized SEO plans.

Other Marketing Tips!

I’m always promoting myself and Momentum Digital with various blog updates, social media posts, graphics, podcasts and videos. Check out some of my social channels to stay up to date with Momentum and some big moves we’re making in the industry.

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By Anthony Mirarchi

February 11, 2023

6 Brilliant Ideas for Developing a Winning Blog Content Plan

Review Our Top 6 Brilliant Ideas for Developing a Winning Blog Content Plan

Want to learn how to create content that attracts readers and promotes your brand? If so, keep reading to know the secret to a successful blog!

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Why should you blog?

In the digital marketing world, many believe that the big players, social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter are the only way to establish and promote their brand. They tend to neglect the long-term prosperity that a professional blog can bring to their business. When it comes to blogging, people first think of the old-fashioned way of blogging that was once popular because there was no other alternative available.

What they don’t know is that none of these platforms can have as much impact on their brand as a well-planned blog. It’s like a root that connects all the other channels and holds them in place. So if there’s one area you need to focus on to get lasting results for growing your business, it’s blogging. All other channels usually lead to your blog in one way or another, so it’s basically the image of your entire brand.

But how can you present a polished and sophisticated image of your brand to your audience through your blog? The first factor you should consider is planning. You may think that there are many competitors in your niche that are already good at blog planning and there is no more room for you. On the contrary, there are some new brilliant ideas that can help you create a winning blog content plan that is spectacular and can take you to a higher place in this tough competition:

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Be Clear With Your Goals

Clear and specific goals are an inseparable part of smart planning. The first step to creating a winning blog content plan is to set goals. You need to ask yourself a series of questions. What exactly do you want to accomplish, when do you want to hit them, how do you want to accomplish those goals, and who is your target audience? Finding the answers to these questions can be enormously helpful. They can help you identify the most effective approaches and apply them smoothly

Focus on Your Target Audience

You probably do not want and cannot have all the people on the Internet as your audience. Find people who are interested in your niche and try to create content that will appeal to them the most. Once you figure out who your target audience is, you can start planning your blog content to be both useful and entertaining to them. You should keep this in mind at every step of creating a winning blog content plan.

Brainstorm Your Ideas

One aspect content creators usually struggle with is finding appropriate topics to write about. Start by fearlessly jotting down any ideas that come to mind for the various categories of your blog. Some people are afraid to put pen to paper and start writing before they have everything planned out in their heads. Brainstorming, however, is all about writing without thinking too much. Do not worry, at the end of the day, you will have a large number of different topics that you should go through carefully. Remember, it’s easier to choose from too many topics than to not have enough topics.

Create Flavorful Content

Think of the content of your blog as a cuisine. You need to use the best ingredients, follow each step of your recipe carefully, and add the right amount of spices to make a mouth-watering dish for your target audience. If people like the taste of your content, they will share it with their friends! This will help you grow your brand organically. There are some aspects you need to pay attention to if you want to create tasty content that your readers will enjoy.

In this case, your ingredients are different aspects of language like grammar and vocabulary. Your recipe is your writing style and the way you string words and phrases together and in what order. Your seasonings are amusing stories, funny jokes, or occasional metaphors to give additional flavor to the overall content. The content you feed your readers should also be nutritious, meaning it should provide them with new useful information. You want you blog to be relevant, fun and easy to read, but you also should focus on making SEO-Friendly Blog Content so that it ranks on Google.

Do Your Research

Closely examine successful blogs in your industry and find out what types of posts and topics can be found there. Of course, you shouldn’t copy their content, but you can get a rough idea of what’s trending. Try to use this in your own content. Reading comments is also very important because it helps you understand what problems and issues your audience is dealing with. If you find the solutions to their problems, you can win their hearts effortlessly.

Make a Schedule and Keep Up With It

A winning blog content plan is impossible without a careful schedule: a well-thought-out roadmap for consistently implementing your blog content plan. How many blog posts do you need per week? Depending on your business, competitors, goals, and your target audience, decide how much content you want to produce weekly. Put the topic of each blog post on a calendar. You should consider every single holiday and create content that fits each occasion. Also, you can run different campaigns on these special days to drive more traffic to your website.

Look at Examples from a Successful blog

Now that you’ve learned what makes a wining blog content plan, look at successful blogs for examples of the plan in action. Identify the steps listed here, written within the posts on the website. Let’s take a look at Lifehacker.com. Notice how the topics of many of these blogs are incredibly specific. So specific, that its safe to assume that a very low percentage of people on the internet will need to read about it. However, the few that are searching for this material will end up on this website because it is the only one writing about these niche topics! Lifehacker is able to create articles like because it has grown to be one of the biggest blogs on the internet. The website consistently uploads a new blog every 30 minutes, and these niche topics add up to millions of monthly visits!

Thanks for taking the time to learn about Improving your blog!

As you have probably noticed, creating a winning blog content plan is not as confusing and complicated as it sounds. It just takes a good strategy, discipline, and patience to succeed. Some people assume that their blog content plan is sacred and should never be adjusted. This not true at all.

You want your blog content plan to be flexible and adaptable as needed. Sometimes unexpected events occur and you need to create relative content for those events and add blog posts to your schedule, other times you need to remove some topics from your calendar, and all of this is normal and part of the natural process of your blog content plan. If you have any questions or need more tips for your schedule, do not hesitate to reach out to our team of experts.