What should I measure before starting SEO?
Before making SEO changes, record search clicks, impressions, important landing pages and useful business outcomes over a defined period. That baseline helps you assess later changes fairly. To apply this to your website, start with the specific page or setting involved. Each metric has a source and time window, allowing a fair before-and-after comparison without conflating visits and impressions. Follow the quick checks below or use the linked full guide for a more complete walkthrough.
A quick way to handle this
Start by confirming the live URL or record involved and what the visitor is trying to accomplish. From your analytics tool, record organic sessions and meaningful outcomes such as inquiries or purchases for the same period.
Save a list of current indexed or eligible priority pages, with their H1, target question and last substantive update.
Practical example
A local repair shop records 340 search impressions, 15 clicks and 3 inquiries in one period; those figures are an illustrative worksheet example, not a performance promise.
This is a hypothetical illustration; verify the facts and settings for your own website before applying it.
How to check the result
Each metric has a source and time window, allowing a fair before-and-after comparison without conflating visits and impressions.
Check the public version of the page, not only an editor preview. Record the affected URLs and whether any remaining issue needs a deeper review.
One mistake worth avoiding
Comparing a 28-day period against a 7-day period, or treating impressions as actual site visitors.
Search engines choose their own ranking and indexing outcomes. Focus on producing an accurate, usable page rather than promising a particular placement.
Key takeaways
- Record the last complete 28 days in Search Console: total clicks, impressions, leading queries and leading pages. Note the date range and search type.
- Save a list of current indexed or eligible priority pages, with their H1, target question and last substantive update.
- Each metric has a source and time window, allowing a fair before-and-after comparison without conflating visits and impressions.
Further reading
For technical search guidance, refer to the relevant official documentation. Verify changing platform details against the current source.