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SEO
10 mins read
SEO
10 mins read
SEO benchmarking is simply the process of measuring your SEO results and comparing them either over time or against competitors.
Think of it like a race. If you want to win, you must first know:
– Where you are now
– Where others are
– What goals you want to reach
Just measuring traffic isn’t enough. You need deeper insights to grow.
SEO today is a lot more nuanced than what it was before. Google keeps updating search algorithms. AI is changing how we search. People expect better results and better content. Because of this, SEO benchmarking is critically essential.
Begin by laying down a clear plan. Your benchmarking process is something that you’ll adhere to to ensure that your SEO efforts are:
Here is the 7‑step process that many seasoned SEO pros use to set up benchmarking the right way:
First, decide what part of your site you want to benchmark. This makes your work focused and useful.
You have a few options:
Scope matters because data can change a lot by category. For example, a blog section may get different search traffic trends than your product pages.
You want to record this choice in your plan. It helps you compare apples with apples next time.
Goals are the reason you are tracking benchmarks. They must tie into real business results, like:
Instead of picking random metrics, choose 10–15 KPIs that directly map to your goals.
Examples of good SEO KPIs for benchmarking:
These aren’t just numbers. They tell you how your SEO efforts affect business results. The goal is to map KPIs to outcomes you care about, not just tracking generic numbers.
Example KPI table:
KPI | Tool | Why It Matters |
Organic sessions | GA4 | Tracks how many people find your site through search |
CTR | GSC | Shows whether your listings get clicks |
Keyword rankings | SEMrush/GA4 | Tells you if pages move up or down |
Pages published | Manual | Input activity that should lead to results |
Backlinks built | Ahrefs/SEMrush | Shows authority growth |
Before you compare anything, you need baseline numbers. This is your starting point that you will measure against in the future.
Use tools like:
Make sure you export the data with screenshots, CSVs, and clear labels. This makes your baseline verifiable and repeatable.
Here is what your baseline data pack could include:
Best practice: Always note the date and time when you pulled the data. This helps you track seasonal or platform‑specific shifts later on.
Benchmarking manually every month is tiring and error‑prone. It’s better to automate data collection so that you get fresh numbers without lifting a finger.
Here’s how to do it:
Automation perks:
You can also set scheduled exports to email your team weekly or monthly.
Documentation is like having a journal of your SEO progress. It makes audits clearer later.
Create a baseline documentation file (could be a Google Doc or Sheet) that includes:
This becomes your go‑to reference when someone asks, “How did we do this?”
SEO is not steady. Metrics change across seasons for many industries. For example:
You should document industry seasonality in your plan. This will help you set realistic expectations.
Here’s a simple way to track it:
Season | Typical Trend | Example |
Winter holidays | High traffic | Retail |
Summer lull | Lower search | B2B services |
Tax season | Spike | Financial services |
Note: Benchmarks should not always be the same month to month. Compare season‑over‑season where applicable.
Benchmarking is ongoing. Once your setup is in place:
Example checklist:
Always use metrics that impact your business outcomes.
Below is a list of the 11 key metrics you must benchmark. For each metric, we include how to measure it, why it matters, and tools you can use.
What it is:
The number of visitors who come to your site from search engines.
Why it matters:
More organic traffic means more people find your site without paid ads.
How to measure:
Track the number of sessions from organic search in Google Analytics 4.
Growth rate formula:
((Current Period − Previous Period) ÷ Previous Period) × 100%
Example table:
Month | Organic Traffic | Growth % |
Jan | 3,000 | – |
Feb | 3,300 | 10% |
Mar | 3,960 | 20% |
Tools: GA4, SEMrush, Ahrefs
Keyword rankings and share of voice are cornerstones of SEO benchmarking. They tell you where your content appears and how visible your brand is compared to competitors. Let’s break it down in a way that’s easy to understand and act on.
Keyword rankings show the position of your pages in search results for specific keywords.
But it’s not just about the first page. You also need to track your total keyword footprint across all ranking positions.
Here’s a simple way to categorize your keywords:
Position Range | What It Shows | Why It Matters |
#1 | Top spot | Highest CTR, brand authority |
#2–3 | High visibility | Still gets 10–20% CTR |
#4–10 | Page one | Helps with incremental traffic |
#11–15 | Page two | Close to first page, improvement possible |
#16–50 | Mid-tail | Low clicks, good for monitoring growth |
#51–100 | Long-tail | Mostly for content gaps and research |
By tracking all positions, you can see your potential traffic and improvement opportunities instead of only focusing on the top 10 keywords.
Share of voice measures how much visibility your brand has compared to competitors. It’s like asking: “Out of all searches for my keywords, how much do I dominate?”
Formula to calculate SOV:
Share of Voice (%)=Your Keyword VisibilityTotal Visibility of All Competitors×100\text{Share of Voice (\%)} = \frac{\text{Your Keyword Visibility}}{\text{Total Visibility of All Competitors}} \times 100Share of Voice (%)=Total Visibility of All CompetitorsYour Keyword Visibility×100
Example:
Tracking SOV helps you see your market dominance and find areas where competitors are outranking you.
SEMrush provides a “Traffic Cost” metric. It estimates the amount of money you would need to pay in PPC ads to get the same traffic your organic rankings bring.
Tip: Track both types separately to understand your traffic sources and opportunity gaps.
Click-through rates vary widely depending on keyword type:
Keyword Type | CTR Estimate | Why It Matters |
Head term (short, broad) | 10–15% | High volume, competitive |
Long-tail (3+ words, specific) | 30–35% | Lower volume, higher intent, easier to rank |
Long-tail keywords often drive more qualified traffic and lead to higher conversions.
Finding the keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t is critical. Here’s a simple workflow:
This ensures your SEO strategy targets opportunities your competitors are already capitalizing on.
CTR varies depending on ranking position. These are standard estimates:
Position | Avg CTR |
#1 | 25–30% |
#2 | 15–20% |
#3 | 10–15% |
#4–5 | 7–10% |
#6–10 | 3–7% |
#11–20 | 1–3% |
Knowing these benchmarks helps you set realistic expectations. For instance, a page at position 10 with 2.5% CTR is normal, not a failure.
Pro tip: Combine rank tracking tools with GA4 to measure how rankings translate to actual traffic and conversions.
When you do all this, you’ll know exactly
What they are:
CTR formula:
(CLICKS ÷ IMPRESSIONS) × 100%
Why it matters:
High impressions with low CTR means your title/description needs work.
Example:
Keyword | Impressions | Clicks | CTR |
seo tools | 10,000 | 1,500 | 15% |
seo tips | 8,000 | 400 | 5% |
Tools: Google Search Console, SEMrush
What they are:
Why it matters:
Google takes user engagement as a sign of quality.
How to improve:
Tools: GA4
What it is:
Visitors who return to your site again.
Why it matters:
Returning users show trust and ongoing interest — a strong signal for search engines.
Tools: GA4
What it is:
The percentage of visitors who complete desired actions (buy, subscribe, sign up).
Conversion formula:
(Conversions ÷ Visitors) × 100%
Examples:
Why it matters:
Traffic is good, but conversions make your business grow.
Tools: GA4, Google Tag Manager
What it is:
Why it matters:
Backlinks are one of the strongest ranking signals. But quality matters more than quantity.
Tools: Ahrefs, SEMrush, SE Ranking
Example table:
Site | Backlinks | Referring Domains |
You | 1,200 | 180 |
Competitor A | 2,500 | 350 |
Competitor B | 1,800 | 260 |
What it is:
A health score shows how well your site performs technically in search.
Common issues to fix:
Tools: Screaming Frog, SEMrush Site Audit, Ahrefs Site Audit
Why it matters:
Technical issues can block your pages from ranking.
What it is:
It measures how well your content answers search intent compared to competitors.
How to measure:
Why it matters:
Google favors content that satisfies the searcher’s intent.
Tools: SEMrush Content Gap, Clearscope, SurferSEO
What it is:
How fast your pages load and how good they look on mobile.
Why it matters:
Speed and mobile‑friendly pages rank better in search.
Tools:
Tips:
What it is:
Tracking opportunities for rich results like:
With AI search evolving, getting into these features can dramatically increase visibility.
Tools: SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Search Console
Why it matters:
SERP features attract more clicks and visibility.
Search in 2026 is no longer just about Google’s blue links. AI is reshaping how people find and engage with content online. That means your SEO benchmarking must now include AI‑driven search behavior, Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), zero‑click visibility, and voice search trends.
Let’s break it down in a simple way, like we’re sitting in a room with a cup of coffee.
When AI summaries (sometimes called AI Overviews or AI answer boxes) show up on a search page, they often answer the user’s query directly on the page. Because of this, fewer people click on website links.
For example:
This means traditional CTR benchmarks will be lower in places where AI answers appear. Ranking #1 is still good, but ranking isn’t enough. Your content must also be useful to AI systems so it’s cited inside AI results.
AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It’s a part of SEO focused on helping your content get chosen by AI, not just ranked on a search page.
AI answer engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google SGE don’t work like Google’s classic organic results. Instead of listing pages, they create a response based on many sources.
AEO metrics you should track include:
This is now a key part of visibility because AI responses are often the first place users look for answers.
A “zero‑click search” happens when the user gets the answer they need right on the search results page or within an AI answer, without clicking on any site.
This behavior has grown a lot:
This means brand visibility is now visible not only in traditional search results, but also:
Voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant answer questions in natural language. People use them to find quick answers, local info, and simple facts. And voice search usage keeps increasing.
Here are key stats:
This means that voice search should be part of your SEO benchmarking too, especially if you want to rank well for question‑style or local queries.
Traditional SEO tracking (like rank tracking and organic traffic) is still important. But now you also need to measure visibility inside AI ecosystems.
Here are simple ways to track it:
Metric | You | Competitor A | Competitor B |
AI Citations | 12 | 28 | 19 |
AI Answer Mentions | 18 | 32 | 25 |
Zero‑Click Visibility | Medium | High | Medium |
Voice Search Hits | 7 | 14 | 9 |
This helps you know not just how you rank, but how often you’re chosen by AI to be the answer.
Once you track your metrics, you must compare them with your rivals.
Choose 3–5 sites that rank for your target keywords.
Metric | You | Competitor A | Competitor B |
Organic Traffic | 5,000 | 8,000 | 6,500 |
Keyword Rankings | 40 | 65 | 55 |
Avg. CTR (%) | 12% | 15% | 10% |
Backlinks | 1,200 | 2,500 | 1,800 |
Engagement Time (sec) | 150 | 210 | 180 |
Page Load Speed (sec) | 3.2 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
This table shows where you lag behind. For example:
From this, you know what to fix first.
Knowing your numbers is helpful, but action matters.
Ask yourself:
Example priority list:
Instead of saying, “I want more traffic,” try:
Benchmark monthly or quarterly.
Look for trends — growth or decline.
Mistake 1 – Tracking Too Many Metrics
Focus on the 11 core metrics first.
Mistake 2 – Using Only One Tool
Different tools may show different numbers. Combine insights.
Mistake 3 – Ignoring Competitor Context
If everyone improves and you stay flat, your rankings may still drop.
Mistake 4 – Forgetting User Intent
Content must match what people want to find.
Tool | Best For |
Google Analytics 4 | Traffic, Engagement, Conversions |
Google Search Console | Rankings, Impressions, CTR |
SEMrush | Competitor analysis, keyword tracking |
Ahrefs | Backlinks, site audit |
SE Ranking | Rank tracking, benchmarking |
Screaming Frog | Technical site audit |
PageSpeed Insights | Speed & mobile experience |
SurferSEO/Clearscope | Content depth & optimization |
Different industries perform differently in SEO. What is “good” for a SaaS site may not be the same for an e‑commerce store or a healthcare provider. That’s why tracking industry-specific benchmarks is crucial. It helps you see where you stand compared to similar sites and avoid generic advice that doesn’t fit your niche.
Here are some real, research-backed average numbers by industry:
Industry | Avg Organic Traffic | Avg CTR | Avg Conversion Rate | Domain Authority |
SaaS | 15K–25K monthly | 3.2% | 2.1% | 45–60 |
E-commerce | 25K–50K monthly | 4.5% | 1.8% | 40–55 |
Healthcare | 10K–20K monthly | 3.8% | 3.5% | 50–65 |
Finance | 20K–35K monthly | 3.5% | 2.5% | 50–65 |
Travel | 30K–60K monthly | 4.0% | 1.6% | 35–50 |
When you benchmark SEO, not all metrics are equal. Some show what has already happened, while others show what you’re doing right now. Understanding this distinction helps you prioritize your efforts and make smarter decisions.
Lagging metrics tell you the results of past actions. They measure what has already happened, not what you’re actively doing.
Examples of lagging metrics:
Why it matters: Lagging metrics are important for reporting and seeing trends, but they don’t directly control future results.
Lead metrics measure current actions that will impact future performance. They are actionable and predictive.
Examples of lead metrics:
Why it matters: Focusing on lead metrics gives you control over outcomes and ensures your efforts drive results.
Metric Type | What It Measures | Examples |
Lagging Metrics | Results of past actions | Traffic, Rankings, Conversions, Backlinks earned |
Lead Metrics | Current actions driving future results | Content published, Pages optimized, Links built, Technical fixes implemented |
Copy this to Excel or Google Sheets:
Metric | Current Value | Target | Competitor A | Notes |
Organic Traffic | 5000 | 7000 | 8000 | Increase blog posts |
Rankings (# of top 10 keywords) | 40 | 60 | 65 | Focus on long‑tails |
CTR | 12% | 15% | 16% | Improve titles |
Backlinks | 1200 | 2000 | 2500 | Outreach plan |
Speed (sec) | 3.2 | <2.5 | 2.8 | Optimize images |
Update the values every month and track your progress.
SEO benchmarking may seem like a lot at first, but once you set it up, it becomes a powerful compass for growth.
It helps you:
Just start with small steps. Track consistently. Improve steadily.
Your SEO results will grow, not by chance, but by design.
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Yes, online lead generation works when it supports how clients research. Most people look online before they contact an architect. Helpful content and a clear website guide them during that early stage.
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