Voices of Search Podcast Summary

Episode Title: The Best Ways to Effectively Measure SEO
Host: Jordan Cooney, Pre Visible
Guest: Jason Shafton, Founder and CEO of Winston Francois
Release Date: February 11, 2025

Introduction

In this insightful episode of the Voices of Search podcast, host Jordan Cooney engages in a deep conversation with Jason Shafton, the founder and CEO of Winston Francois. The duo delves into the complexities of measuring Search Engine Optimization (SEO) effectiveness, exploring strategies, challenges, and the evolving landscape influenced by growth marketing and artificial intelligence (AI).

Understanding the SEO Measurement Landscape

Jordan Cooney opens the discussion by highlighting the inherent challenges in measuring SEO compared to other marketing channels. Unlike paid advertisements with clear input variables and direct attribution, SEO lacks a singular Key Performance Indicator (KPI), making its effectiveness harder to quantify.

Jason Shafton provides a foundational perspective on how SEO fits into the broader marketing strategy:

"SEO just gets folded into that... primary and secondary engagement metrics, pursuing primary and secondary KPIs that I look at and I'm happy to take you through those." [03:37]

He emphasizes that at the executive level, SEO is often amalgamated with other marketing efforts to assess overall customer acquisition costs (CAC). However, delving deeper into the marketing hierarchy reveals the nuanced metrics that specifically gauge SEO performance.

Setting and Communicating SEO KPIs

Jordan draws attention to the disparity between typical marketing spend metrics and the more abstract input variables in SEO, such as content creation and site indexing:

"Those input variables are kind of funky, right? You've got an input variable of like, I need to build a thousand pages and I need to have them crawled and indexed before anything happens." [05:09]

Jason discusses the importance of foundational SEO practices:

"Ensuring that the site is fully indexed... technical SEO and having that infrastructure in place ensures that everything gets indexed right." [06:16]

He outlines both primary and secondary KPIs essential for measuring SEO success:

• Primary KPIs: Conversion events such as marketing qualified leads (MQLs), signups, and registrations.
• Secondary KPIs:
  • SERP (Search Engine Results Page) rankings
  • Total number of ranked keywords
  • Organic sessions and page views
  • Engagement metrics like time on page, bounce rate, and exit percentage

Aligning SEO Metrics with Core Business KPIs

A significant portion of the conversation centers around bridging the gap between SEO metrics and core business KPIs. Jordan points out the disconnect between SEO’s technical metrics and the business-oriented metrics that finance and other departments prioritize:

"When I'm talking about core business metrics, KPIs, you mentioned one earlier, like CAC... those are business metrics that finance teams and all these other departments are looking at on a regular basis. And then there's the SEO over here saying that our crawl rate decreased by 5%." [13:05]

Jason advocates for SEO professionals to take accountability for driving tangible business results:

"For SEO to have a seat at the table, we need to take accountability for the least... we're driving marketing qualified leads, MQLs or signups." [13:05]

He argues that SEO should not only focus on technical metrics but also on how these efforts translate into conversions and, ultimately, business growth. This alignment ensures sustained support and investment in SEO initiatives from leadership.

Educating and Collaborating with Stakeholders

Jordan emphasizes the ongoing need to educate various stakeholders within an organization about the nuances of SEO metrics:

"How do you recommend or what is your recommended approach to that conversation... between a consultant, agency and their client." [08:41]

Jason suggests fostering a multidisciplinary understanding among marketing teams. He encourages SEOs to broaden their knowledge beyond their core expertise to include areas like conversion rate optimization (CRO) and product design. This holistic approach enhances collaboration and ensures that SEO strategies are integrated seamlessly with other marketing functions.

"If you're an SEO and you know a lot about your practice... you can have content that ranks just as well... drive similar conversion events." [16:13]

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on SEO Metrics

The conversation shifts to the role of AI in shaping SEO practices and metrics. Jordan poses a timely question about how AI influences SEO measurement:

"As AI becomes a far more prevalent tool... how are the KPIs changing?" [16:41]

Jason views AI as a complementary tool that enhances SEO efforts rather than replaces human expertise:

"AI makes it even more important for us to be able to do things that machines can't... AI can supercharge the efforts of people." [16:41]

He discusses using AI to scale content production, allowing teams to generate a higher volume of content efficiently. However, he stresses the importance of human oversight to maintain quality, ensuring that AI-generated content meets the necessary standards to perform well in search rankings.

"If you can combine AI with humans in a thoughtful, clever way... you can have content that ranks just as well, has the same amount or better dwell time and bounce rates, and drives similar conversion events." [18:23]

Conclusion

Jordan wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of aligning SEO metrics with business objectives and adapting to evolving tools and technologies like AI. He thanks Jason for his valuable insights and provides listeners with ways to connect with both speakers for further engagement.

Key Takeaways

• Holistic Measurement: Effective SEO measurement requires a balance between technical metrics and business-oriented KPIs.
• Accountability: SEO professionals must demonstrate how their efforts contribute to concrete business outcomes to secure continued support.
• Education and Collaboration: Continuous education and interdisciplinary collaboration enhance the effectiveness of SEO strategies.
• Leveraging AI: AI can significantly boost SEO productivity, but human expertise remains crucial for ensuring quality and meaningful engagement.
• Setting Expectations: Clear communication about the timelines and nature of SEO investments is essential for stakeholder buy-in and realistic goal setting.

Notable Quotes:

• "SEO just gets folded into that... primary and secondary engagement metrics..." – Jason Shafton [03:37]
• "We're driving marketing qualified leads, MQLs or signups..." – Jason Shafton [13:05]
• "If you can combine AI with humans in a thoughtful, clever way..." – Jason Shafton [18:23]

For more detailed insights and to engage with the hosts, visit Voices of Search or connect on their social media channels. Subscribe to the podcast for daily updates on SEO and content marketing strategies.