UPDATE: Since this blog post was originally written, there has been yet another Google Core Update in March 2025. It’s still unclear as to how this latest shift will impact search results, but what we do know so far is that it is affecting sites across various sectors, including retail, government, forums and content publishers. Keep an eye out for more of our thoughts on the March Core Update and SEO, in general.
Gone are the days when SEO teams must obsessively monitor keyword rankings, worried about every fluctuation. Today we seek the bigger picture, one that gives us a wider perspective on search. One of Google’s recent Algorithm Updates supports this approach.
The January 2025 Algorithm Update changed the way SEOs extract search results, making it more difficult for monitoring platforms to track rankings. Not only does this make obtaining ranking information more complicated, but we’re also likely to see a shift in how our monitoring platforms present this data.
It may seem like Google is intentionally making our jobs harder, but in the long run, these changes might actually improve the contextualization of metrics reporting. At RMG, we’ve started evaluating how to best relay metrics to our clients and how these changes will affect that process.
In the following article, our in-house SEO experts offer their perspective:
How Does Google’s January 2025 Algorithm Update Improve Organic Search Results?
The introduction of this recent Algorithm Update requiring users to enable Javascript in order to use Google Search, is Google’s attempt to tackle the influx of spam in search results. In short, Google wants to prioritize authority, relevance, and trustworthiness and we wholeheartedly agree!
Hopefully this update will offer reinforcement to hardworking SEO agencies and their clients who seek to get to the top of search results over others who remain focused on quantity over quality.
How does Google’s January 2025 Algorithm Update Affect SEO Metrics Reporting?
We often find ourselves saying, “search results were volatile this month” for one reason or another whether it be due to the news cycle, seasonality, or yet another algorithm update. So how do we assure our clients that their SEO metrics are reliable when the rules keep changing?
We consistently monitor several key metrics that we feel provide the most value from an SEO perspective:
- Impressions: Eyeballs are the first entry point. While we want to make sure we’re getting exposure for our client’s site, we need to be prioritizing the quality of those initial views.
- Click Through Rate: Rather than looking at rankings that may not result in visits, we’ll look at which search queries are actually encouraging users to click and hopefully land on our client’s website.
- Engagement Rate: What happens when a user arrives on our clients’ websites? Are they sticking around long enough to gain a better understanding or perform a call-to-action??
- Search Visibility: This is the bridge between rankings and awareness in your client’s desired geographic locations. Search visibility gives us a look at the overall exposure of your brand’s search results within a given geographic radius.
Meeting Clients Where They Are
All the metrics in the world don’t matter if the stats seem like a foreign language to the recipient of the data. It’s important to remember that most clients don’t have an in-depth understanding of how the SEO industry works. If they did, they wouldn’t need to hire a seasoned SEO agency!
We believe it’s our responsibility to educate our clients about the ins and outs of any service we offer. Even if we have to start from the very beginning, we will gladly do so, because ultimately we believe sharing our knowledge will lead to building trust and better communication.
Connecting an SEO Audit to Monthly Reporting
Results from an SEO audit form the basis of the SEO strategy. The primary purpose for an audit is to determine what needs our attention over the course of an SEO contract. All audits are not the same, because clients are not identical, nor are their marketing objectives. We make sure that each individual SEO audit reflects the unique goals we’ll be monitoring over the course of the various SEO campaigns we manage.
An audit presentation is often a client’s first interaction with key SEO metrics and terms. This becomes an opportunity to set expectations and familiarize clients with the data they’ll be seeing from the SEO team as we measure campaign success via our monthly metrics reporting.
Here are some metrics we like to include in our reports:
- Rankings in the top 100
- Rankings on page 1
- Branded vs Non-Branded Rankings
- Top Search Queries by Clicks vs Impressions
Adjusting the Timeframe of Reporting
Another phrase we often say is: “SEO is a marathon, not a sprint” and our metrics should reflect that. Even if you meet with your clients on a monthly basis, try to adjust your reporting to showcase the past three-to-six months. This will not only demonstrate the gradual evolution of search visibility, but it will also circumvent the inherent granularity of monitoring individual search rankings.
Some Things Change, Others Remain the Same
As the Google algorithm keeps changing, the way we use and report on SEO metrics needs to shift, too. Certain practices will always be true, things like educating our clients about key SEO terms, using audit results to inform SEO strategies and providing a broader perspective on search results over time.
For SEO to successfully meet our clients’ marketing needs, we must stay nimble and informed while recognizing and embracing the uncertainty of the search engine. We may never be sure of what is to come in regards to the Google algorithm, but we can prepare and be ready to address it when change inevitably happens.
Are you a marketing agency looking for an SEO partner or an organization in need of SEO support? Our partnership model is designed for collaboration, and we’d love to work with you. Let’s connect to explore how we can help!
