There are numerous metrics used in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to measure the performance and effectiveness of a website. Below is a list of some of the different SEO metrics in alphabetical order, along with descriptions, origins, use cases, and their level of common usage. The most important thing to know: Google doesn’t use these SEO metrics at all. They are only for usage by SEO specialists to determine the relevance or value of a certain backlink or practice.
In alfabetical order:
Ahrefs Traffic
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- What it shows: The estimated organic search traffic a website receives according to Ahrefs, based on the keywords and rankings that Ahrefs found.
- Origin: Ahrefs.
- Use: SEO specialists use this metric to estimate a website’s search engine visibility and traffic potential.
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- Commonly Used: Very common, particularly among Ahrefs subscribers. Freely available: https://ahrefs.com/traffic-checker
- What it shows: The estimated organic search traffic a website receives according to Ahrefs, based on the keywords and rankings that Ahrefs found.
Alexa Rank
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- What it shows: A website’s global and country-specific ranking based on website traffic.
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- Origin: Alexa Internet, Inc.
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- Use: SEO specialists can use it to compare a website’s traffic to competitors and identify areas for improvement.
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- Commonly Used: Somewhat common, but not as popular as other metrics. Alexa Rank checker lets you check up to 100 links: https://www.alexarankchecker.com/.
Bounce Rate
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- What it shows: The percentage of visitors who leave a website after viewing only one page.
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- Origin: Commonly used web analytics metric.
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- Use: SEO specialists use it to assess the quality of landing pages and user engagement. In combination with the behaviour on the search page, this can tell Google either if a question is quickly answered, or if the page does not provide any answers.
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- Commonly Used: Very common.
CF (Citation Flow)
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- What it shows: Another Majestic metric that measures the quantity of backlinks to a website or web page.
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- Origin: Majestic.
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- Use: SEO specialists use CF to evaluate the volume of backlinks pointing to a site or page.
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- Commonly Used: Fairly common, often used alongside TF for a comprehensive backlink analysis. Majestic offers two free checks a day: https://majestic.com/.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
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- What it shows: The percentage of users who click on a specific link or ad.
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- Origin: Widely used in online advertising and SEO.
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- Use: SEO specialists use CTR to measure the effectiveness of title tags and meta descriptions in search results. Optimizing these should result in a higher CTR.
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- Commonly Used: Very common.
Domain Authority (DA)
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- What it shows: A metric developed by Moz that predicts a website’s ability to rank in search engine results.
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- Origin: Moz.
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- Use: SEO specialists use DA to assess the authority of a website and make decisions about link-building strategies. Paired with Page Authority (PA).
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- Commonly Used: Very common. Various free checkers, such as https://www.dapachecker.org/. (for up to 10 sites) or https://guestpostlinks.net/bulk-da-pa-checker-tool/ (for up to 20 sites).
DR (Domain Rating)
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- What it shows: Ahrefs’ metric that assesses the authority and strength of a domain’s backlink profile.
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- Origin: Ahrefs.
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- Use: SEO specialists use DR to gauge the overall strength of a domain, which can inform their link-building strategies. A high DA does not automatically mean a high DR and vice versa.
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- Commonly Used: Very common, especially among Ahrefs users. Freely available https://ahrefs.com/nl/website-authority-checker.
Keyword Difficulty
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- What it shows: A metric that estimates how difficult it is to rank for a specific keyword based on the competition.
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- Origin: Commonly calculated by SEO tools like Ahrefs, Moz, and SEMrush.
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- Use: SEO specialists use keyword difficulty to select target keywords that are realistic to rank for.
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- Commonly Used: Very common.
MT (MozTrust)
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- What it shows: A Moz metric that evaluates the trustworthiness of a website’s backlink profile.
- Origin: Moz.
- Use: SEO specialists use MozTrust to assess the reliability and trustworthiness of backlinks.
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- Commonly Used: Not very common, especially among Moz users.
- What it shows: A Moz metric that evaluates the trustworthiness of a website’s backlink profile.
OS (Off-Page Score)
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- What it shows: A metric that evaluates the overall strength of a website’s off-page SEO factors, which can include backlinks and social signals.
- Origin: Various SEO tools and platforms.
- Use: SEO specialists use off-page scores to assess the external factors influencing a site’s search engine performance.
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- Commonly Used: Varies based on the SEO tool or platform being used.
- What it shows: A metric that evaluates the overall strength of a website’s off-page SEO factors, which can include backlinks and social signals.
Page Authority (PA)
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- What it shows: Moz’s metric predicting the likelihood of a specific page ranking well in search results.
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- Origin: Moz.
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- Use: SEO specialists use PA to assess the strength of individual pages on a website. Paired with Domain Authority (DA).
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- Commonly Used: Very common. Various free checkers, such as https://www.dapachecker.org/.
Page Rank (by Google)
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- What it shows: Google’s algorithmic measurement of the importance of web pages, typically on a scale of 0 to 10.
- Origin: Google.
- Use: Although Google officially stopped updating PageRank publicly in 2013, it was historically used to assess the authority of web pages.
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- Commonly Used: Not applicable today, as Google no longer updates or provides public PageRank data.
- What it shows: Google’s algorithmic measurement of the importance of web pages, typically on a scale of 0 to 10.
Page Speed
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- What it shows: The time it takes for a web page to load fully.
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- Origin: Google and other web performance testing tools.
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- Use: SEO specialists focus on improving page speed to enhance user experience and search rankings.
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- Commonly Used: Very common, since it’s very important. Google offers the free tool PageSpeed Insights: https://pagespeed.web.dev/. Funny enough, Google.com doesn’t score 100/100.
QB (Quality Backlinks)
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- What it shows: The number of high-quality and authoritative backlinks to a website or page, according to Moz.
- Origin: Moz.
- Use: SEO specialists focus on quality backlinks as they have a more significant impact on search rankings.
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- Commonly Used: Common, especially among Moz users.
- What it shows: The number of high-quality and authoritative backlinks to a website or page, according to Moz.
Rankings
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- What it shows: A website’s position in search engine results for specific keywords.
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- Origin: Fundamental SEO metric.
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- Use: SEO specialists monitor keyword rankings to evaluate the effectiveness of their SEO efforts.
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- Commonly Used: This is a key SEO metric.
Return on Investment (ROI)
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- What it shows: The profitability of SEO efforts compared to the costs.
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- Origin: Common business metric.
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- Use: SEO specialists use ROI to justify SEO expenses and assess the financial impact of their work.
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- Commonly Used: Very common.
Search Impressions
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- What it shows: The number of times a web page appears in search results.
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- Origin: Standard metric in search engine analytics.
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- Use: SEO specialists use impressions to evaluate a website’s visibility in search results.
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- Commonly Used: Very common. The best tool is Google’s free Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console/.
Spam Score
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- What it shows: A metric by Moz that indicates the likelihood of a website being penalized or considered spammy by search engines.
- Origin: Moz.
- Use: SEO specialists use spam score to identify and avoid low-quality or potentially harmful websites for link-building. Do note: high SS does not automatically mean low traffic, but there is often a correlation.
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- Commonly Used: Common, especially among Moz users.
- What it shows: A metric by Moz that indicates the likelihood of a website being penalized or considered spammy by search engines.
TB (Total Backlinks)
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- What it shows: The total number of backlinks pointing to a website or page, as reported by Moz.
- Origin: Moz.
- Use: SEO specialists use total backlinks to understand the link profile’s scale and growth. Please note that not all backlinks will be found.
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- Commonly Used: Common, especially among Moz users.
- What it shows: The total number of backlinks pointing to a website or page, as reported by Moz.
TF (Trust Flow)
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- What it shows: A metric by Majestic that measures the quality of the backlinks pointing to a website or web page.
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- Origin: Majestic.
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- Use: SEO specialists use TF to assess the trustworthiness and quality of a website’s backlink profile.
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- Commonly Used: Fairly common, especially among SEO professionals who use Majestic as their primary tool. Paired with Citation Flow (CF). Majestic offers two free checks a day: https://majestic.com/.