There’s a lot that data-driven analytics can do for us. Like win arguments.

For example: I could easily prove that South Dakota is the best state ever by pointing out how many different websites highlight our state. Forbes lists Sioux Falls, SD, as #3 on its list of “Best Small Places for Small Business and Careers.” The Huffington Post even said in the past year that “SF” might soon mean Sioux Falls instead of San Francisco!

Really, though, data-driven analytics should be a main resource for your ROI as an auto dealer. Our team uses analytics to see where our automotive SEO for our clients needs work — and where it’s slaying. Numbers are our friend.

4 Ways to Sup-Plant-Ment Great Content

So, how do you figure out what is working from your content? After you have some high-yield content to plant into your blog, and you’ve prepped and nurtured your audience for growth, you get to reap what you SEO — er, sow.

Below are my favorite metrics and tools from which to harvest some tasty data-driven analytics.

1. Measure “Certified Organic” Traffic

Unlike when I’m stuck on the interstate, I’m a fan of traffic when it comes to measuring automotive SEO. An easy metric for measuring SEO work is organic traffic. These are the people who are coming to you via a major search engine — Google, Bing, Yahoo.

In a way, watching your organic traffic numbers is like watching the performance of your keywords, too. Numbers seem low? You might not be optimized for what your customers want to see.

On the other hand, by keying into the search bar some keywords you have optimized your content around, your customers will find you. If you build it, they will come!

2. Monitor New Visitors

When measuring SEO, new visitors are the people who come to your site for the first time. With an increase in new visitors comes (hopefully) an increase in customer engagement.

Provided you’ve fed these visitors some knowledge sandwiches through your blog, they will hopefully stay at the table longer, eat more sandwiches, and convert into a customer or ultimately a brand evangelist!

Automotive SEO depends on new and engaging content, especially if conquesting customers from other brands is important to you.

3. Use Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a fantastic resource, with an equally fantastic FAQ for newbies. Did I mention it’s fantastic? And free — double bonus.

Some of the work that Search Console can do for your website includes analyzing clicks from Google Search, alerting you regarding critical issues or errors, and testing whether Google can accurately understand your content. It’s basically your best friend for automotive SEO.

Search Console is also beneficial when you want to measure which products are most successful, so you can make the most of your time and focus on those. Search Console can and should be linked to your Google Analytics account. This will make each tool even more powerful for you.

I also really like this video they made. Alice is going to kill the custom jewelry game.

4. Take Your Data-Driven Analytics to Market

Set up conversion goals in Google Analytics to help track the value of specific keywords and landing pages. If those keywords aren’t generating conversions, then you will need to shift focus for your SEO efforts.

Keep in mind that like the best farm crop, powerful SEO comes over time. Follow through with your content schedule that uses your highest-trafficked keywords, and continue to reap what you SEO.

To best measure SEO, you need to be using the best tools for the job to find your crop’s worth. Watch our on-demand video series for Automotive SEO for more information and best practices for automotive SEO.