SEO forecasting is the technique of using data to estimate website traffic, click-through rates, and other analytics. It enables entrepreneurs and marketers to improve the amount and value of traffic, rankings, leads, conversions, sales, and overall performance.
Some businesses use search engine optimization services to forecast their key metrics, while others leverage SEO tools including Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, and Google Search Console. This blog post discusses nine effective ways to leverage data for SEO forecasting.
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List the metrics you intend to forecast
In the very first step, create a list of the metrics you intend to forecast. When it comes to SEO, metrics play an important part in finding out the best or the worst performing parameters. A few suitable metrics to forecast are potential traffic, click-through rate, conversion rate, keyword ranks, on-page optimization scores, and others. However, be extremely particular while selecting the metrics and make sure that they have direct relevance on the future SEO results. Reputable and trustworthy professional SEO service providers know exactly what metrics can help in SEO forecasting. Their help can make the process easier and more efficient.
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Use the right SEO and analytics tools
When it comes to SEO forecasting, selecting the right tool(s) is the key. Tools such as Ahrefs, Hubspot, Moz, SEMrush, Google Search Console, and a Google Spreadsheet can be immensely helpful. The trick is to use a keyword tool to list out target keywords and find their search volume. After that, use the spreadsheet to list the key queries and terms. Next, use an analytics tool to find out the amount of traffic for specific key terms. Though the tools may seem a bit complex, using them gets easy over time. While getting started, taking the help of professional search engine optimization services can be useful.
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Collect all relevant data
After listing the metrics and selecting the tools, collect all relevant data that can be useful for SEO forecasting. Try to gather as much relevant data such as previous impressions, click-through rates, and other information. Store data for each of the metrics in separate folders and name those. If possible, back up the data in an external hard drive or a cloud system to retrieve them easily from any computer system.
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Study the historical data thoroughly and find out patterns
After collecting the historical data, study them thoroughly, find patterns to understand the changes in different periods. This will require you to use analytics and use excel sheets to enter the relevant data. Make sure to invest quality time to understand the data. Use the SEO tools to evaluate past data and previous trends every month. Don’t worry if you are not a numbers person. With a bit of patience and focus, the task is easily achievable. But if you are too busy to churn out all the data and numbers, consider taking the help of a professional SEO agency.
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Predict competitors’ keyword rankings and website traffic
Just like a marketer can predict the changes in their website traffic, they can forecast the possible changes in their competitors’ websites. SEO tools are perfect for competitive analysis and they provide extremely valuable insights into competitors’ keyword rankings and traffic. By predicting its competitors’ rankings and traffic, a business can know how a particular strategy is conducive for its success and it can position itself vis-à-vis its competitors.
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Calculate the projected ROI and opportunity cost
Forecasting the return on investment of future SEO campaigns involves calculating all the expected revenues the SEO efforts will yield and subtracting all the costs related to it. The remaining amount is the projected return on investment. Calculating the opportunity cost of the SEO campaign is necessary to find the best alternative that has the potential to provide the best ROI. By evaluating that, entrepreneurs and marketers can focus more on promising SEO activities and rule out the less lucrative ones.
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Assess the existing growth rate
Many marketers assess their current rate of growth to forecast their future SEO efforts. To evaluate the current growth rate and forecast the future growth and performance they leverage the available data. Taking a look at the ongoing and the historical data can help in the SEO forecasting process.
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Study trending keywords and other SEO trends
Trending keywords and other available SEO trends can say a lot about the performance of targeted keywords. Apart from that, study available data to predict keyword performance. If some keywords are ranking better at the present, then look at their trends to estimate their future performance. Take the help of professional search engine optimization services to study key trends.
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Study keyword difficulty and search volume
Apart from keyword trends, study keyword difficulty and search volume. To find the efficacy of a keyword, one has to determine how difficult it is and what its search volume is. A reputable and trustworthy SEO service provider can find the best keyword difficulty as well as search volume for excellent SEO performance.
Taking everything into account,
SEO forecasting is extremely crucial for entrepreneurs and marketers as it enables them to predict the performance of their SEO efforts and websites ranking. But the process requires thorough analysis and study. However, there is nothing to worry about. Using the right tools and professional expertise, the process is easy.