How to Know If Your SEO Is Actually Working
You’ve invested time (and probably money) into SEO—but how can you tell if it’s actually paying off?
Spoiler: it’s not just about watching your site rise in Google rankings. Real SEO success shows up in your traffic quality, user engagement, and ultimately, your conversions. If you're only tracking a few keywords or waiting for more clicks, you might be missing the full picture.
Here’s how to know if your SEO is working—and what to look for if you're not sure.
Start with the Right KPIs
Most people default to tracking rankings and traffic. Those are important—but they’re not the only signals that matter. To measure SEO properly, you need to zoom out and connect the dots across multiple performance layers.
Here are the KPIs I look at with every client:
Organic Traffic: Not just how many people visit, but who they are and what they do once they land on your site.
Engagement Metrics: Time on page, bounce rate, scroll depth, and clicks to other pages help show how valuable your content actually is.
Conversions from Organic Traffic: Are your SEO efforts leading to leads, sign-ups, calls, or purchases? GA4 and tools like HubSpot can help you track this.
Keyword Movement: Look for improvements across a set of target keywords—not just one or two.
Indexed Pages & Crawlability: If Google can’t index your pages, it won’t rank them. Make sure your pages are being seen.
Backlink Quality & Quantity: Are you earning links from trustworthy, relevant sources? It’s a sign your content is worth referencing.
Page Speed & Core Web Vitals: Technical performance influences rankings and user satisfaction.
A big SEO win might not look like 100% growth in traffic. It might look like better traffic, more engaged visitors, or a steady stream of leads.
How Long Does It Take for SEO to Work?
SEO doesn’t work overnight—and any agency that promises instant results is either cutting corners or setting you up for disappointment. A well-built SEO strategy typically takes 3 to 6 months to show significant traction, and even then, results vary based on your industry, competition, and starting point.
That timeline includes:
Month 1–2: Research, technical audits, and foundational changes (fixing site speed, mobile-friendliness, meta data, internal links).
Month 3–4: Content creation and keyword alignment begin to scale. Early signs of progress appear in impressions and rankings.
Month 5–6: If the groundwork was solid, organic traffic and conversions start to show measurable improvement.
But SEO is a compounding investment. The pages you publish and optimize today continue working for you months and years down the line—building momentum, not just quick wins. Just make sure you’re tracking the right indicators (not just vanity metrics) so you don’t abandon your strategy too early.
What If You’re Seeing Traffic, But No Leads?
It’s frustrating: you’re getting more visitors, but they’re not converting. Here’s what might be going wrong:
Wrong audience: Your content might be attracting traffic that isn’t aligned with your offer. Ranking for irrelevant keywords can inflate your numbers but deflate your ROI.
No clear CTA: If your pages don’t guide users toward the next step (contact form, booking, download), they’ll bounce—even if they found you helpful.
Poor user experience: Slow-loading pages, confusing navigation, or broken mobile layouts can turn potential leads away fast.
Misaligned intent: Your content may not match what users are really looking for. For example, an informational blog post might attract people still researching, while your goal is to attract buyers.
To fix this, look beyond traffic volume. Ask:
Are people spending time on key pages?
Are they navigating to contact or service pages?
Do they exit right after landing?
SEO without conversion optimization is just noise. Pair the two, and that’s where growth happens.
How to Get More Accurate SEO Insights
Google Analytics and Search Console are your best friends—if you know how to use them. But most business owners don’t dig deep enough, which means they miss signs of what’s working (or not working).
Here’s how to get more clarity:
Track conversions (not just clicks): Set up Goals or Events in GA4 to measure form fills, downloads, call clicks—whatever counts as a conversion for your business.
Monitor keyword movement: Use tools like Semrush or Ahrefs to track how your rankings change over time. A drop in traffic could be tied to just a few high-performing keywords slipping.
Look at engaged sessions: Traffic means nothing if users bounce immediately. Look at metrics like time on page, scroll depth, and internal clicks.
Use branded vs. non-branded filters: Separate the traffic coming from people who already know you (branded searches) from those discovering you through SEO (non-branded).
And if this feels overwhelming? That’s exactly why many small businesses benefit from a professional audit—someone who can interpret what the data actually means and suggest action steps.
Not Sure What the Data Is Telling You?
SEO tools are helpful—but interpreting the story behind the metrics takes experience. If you’re staring at a dashboard and wondering whether to feel excited or disappointed, that’s your cue to bring in a pro.
At Hot Brewed SEO, we help small businesses and growing brands translate SEO data into decisions. Whether you’re just starting out or need a second opinion on your current strategy, we’ll tell you exactly what’s working—and what’s not.
Book a free consultation and let’s take the guesswork out of SEO.
Your growth deserves more than vague reports and vanity metrics.
