Tracking SEO is as important as making the SEO changes themselves. Furthermore, tracking SEO correctly is essential. Knowing how to track your SEO is what will validate all the work you’ve put in or give you ideas on how to improve. As an owner of a local photography business, I track my SEO and use it to make strategic changes. Here’s how.
A note on Photography SEO Basics
Hopefully, if you’re reading this, you know exactly what keywords you’re tracking for which website pages. Simply saying, “Well, I want to rank for photography for my city,” isn’t enough to propel you above your competition. Planning is the most crucial first step.
If you’re still working on the details of the SEO plan for your photography website, check out this post about SEO Keyword Planning For Photographers. In the end, there is even a link to exactly how I put together my plan. Spoiler alert, it’s super easy and basic. Don’t expect some complicated sheet with bells and whistles. My SEO game is not complicated or frilly.
STOP Counting where you’re at on google by simply opening a session (even the anonymous ones)
Here’s why
- I internally cringe every time someone shows me how to track your SEO by opening an incognito google widow and counting. Who REALLY wants to count that high for ALL your keywords? Most of the time, people who show it like this, usually find themselves in the top ten. So, no big deal. However, the rest of us are starting in the google trenches and need to count back to 70, 80, or 90.
- Search engines are moody beasts that can swing wildly. In the beginning, it’s not uncommon to jump 20 and drop 15, jump 10 and drop 11. One search doesn’t paint an accurate picture.
- Going back to number one, what if you could take the time you spend counting to track your SEO position and actually use it to work on your SEO?
How often should you track your SEO performance?
Daily – Please don’t do this. You’ll drive yourself mad watching the changes.
Weekly – This is better than daily but remember those wild swings in the beginning and don’t react right away
Monthly – Monthly is a great way to look at enough data to decide. It will have 30 days to smooth out any swings and pickup changes.
What programs to track your SEO movement
There are SO many options when it comes to tracking your SEO movements. Even your basic google analytics account has a lot of great info. So I really encourage you to find what feels the easiest to use. Moz, ubbersuggest, AccuRanker are all excellent options but below are my two favorites.
- SEMrush – The free account with SEMrush allows you to track keywords and more. This is an excellent option if you’re looking for an all-in-one SEO tool. The only downside is that SEMrush is a beast to learn at first will all the possibilities.
- SERPfox – If you only want to track your SEO with super simple graphs and easy-to-read charts, check out SERPfox. It does cost $10 a month, but if you want the most easy-to-read data, it might be worth starting here and avoiding the learning curve of the others.
How to use your SEO tracking information
It’s not enough to see where you’re ranking; you want to be able to use that information to make changes in your plan.
Identify Dips
If, after a month, you are still trending down on a given keyword, this might mean you have a problem. Jump into your google search console or any other SEO tool and look for potential errors. Broken links, missing metadata, slow loading page, images with errors, etc.
Boost your Keywords that aren’t doing anything
If you have a keyword that isn’t going anywhere, give it a little love. Revisit your page, update your internal linking, and look for opportunities to add keyword-rich content. Try writing supporting blog posts that you can link back to your page.
Sign up for my free small business newsletter if you’re ready to take your SEO skills to the next level. I’ll include three of my favorite SEO tips as soon you sign up. Plus monthly inspiration and ideas for confidently running your photography business when you’re not shooting as when you are. Oh yeah… I’ll probably be sharing lots of pics of my dog.
Cheers MB!
A Spokane-based photographer, business consultant for creatives, and dog lover serving the Pacific NW.
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