How to Track Content Performance with a WordPress SEO Plugin

As a WordPress user, you have the flexibility to create the website you want. But SEO is not easy right out of the gate in WordPress. You need plugins to get the most out of SEO.

If you want to know how to track your content performance in the search results and on your site with a WordPress plugin, look no further.

I’m going to show you how to do that easily right within our WordPress SEO plugin.

• WordPress content performance
• Mobile performance
• Author performance
• FAQ: How can I track my content performance with the WordPress SEO plugin?

WordPress Content Performance

Most WordPress users are not professional SEOs. So tracking content performance can seem overwhelming. To get important SEO data, you’d normally have to piece together info from more than one analytics tool.

This is a hassle, and when it becomes too complicated, a lot of WordPress users will abandon the process. This leads to uninformed content creation and potentially bad user experiences.

Knowing which webpages are performing well allows you to create a stronger traffic strategy for a website. It helps you better understand your audience and what they want. Create more of what your audience wants and do better in the search results — win-win!

In our WordPress SEO plugin, you get all the SEO data you need to understand content performance right within WordPress. The time savings alone are significant, but the integrated data within WordPress is the real power of the plugin.

Our SEO plugin is powered by three dynamic data sources you can trust:

1. Google Analytics
2. Google Search Console
3. SEOToolSet^® (our software-as-a-service advanced SEO tools)

Of course, you still need to have the Google account set up at a company level. But the advantage here is that content creators typically don’t have access to analytics data. Seeing that data puts power back into the hands of the writers.

The SEO team and the author can view the following data in our WordPress SEO plugin for each published page:

• Average time on page
• Page views
• Conversions
• Clicks
• Impressions
• Click-through rate

With this information, you can figure out:

• Which pages you should spend more time optimizing
• Which topics you should spend more time creating

This helps you uplevel your skills as a content creator and add more value to your role and the website.

Mobile Performance

Google’s mobile-first index is here. What it means to WordPress users is that Google bases its index and rankings on the mobile version of your content. (You can read more about what that means here and here.)

In a nutshell, mobile-friendly content refers to the way your webpages are set up for mobile users to consume your content. When you do not have mobile-friendly content, you create a bad user experience.

As we know, user experience matters to Google. By 2021, user experience signals will be officially part of the ranking algorithm. That includes mobile performance. Ultimately, a non-mobile-friendly webpage can cause your search rankings to suffer.

You could go outside of WordPress and use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test or PageSpeed Insights to see if your webpage is mobile-friendly, but that just adds another step. We pull the key mobile performance data about your webpage right into our WordPress SEO plugin.

That means never having to leave the WordPress dashboard to know if your webpage is mobile friendly.

Find out things like:

• Page speed score
• Mobile usability score

This helps you ensure that webpages offer a great user experience, so you can keep visitors on your site.

Author Performance

This feature is great for websites with many contributing authors. WordPress displays a list of all the site’s pages or blog posts. But what you can’t tell is which of those posts are the top performers.

With our SEO plugin, you can see at-a-glance metrics for pages and authors. This is measured by:

• Total views per page
• Average views per page
• Average time on page

You can also view sitewide metrics that show the top posts on the site and who authored them. Since these metrics can change daily or weekly, you can define time periods in which to analyze the data.

With this information, you can know which authors create the most impactful content. This can help you to assign topics, or even create a rewards system that encourages authors to hit certain goals for page views, engagements or posts published.

That means you can gamify your content creation program to get authors excited!

Our WordPress SEO plugin is a game-changer for content creators and SEO teams using WordPress to understand content performance. No other plugin gives this much detail on the meaningful metrics related to content and SEO.

Try the WordPress SEO plugin to start tracking your content performance data now.

Read more on how the Bruce Clay SEO plugin helps you with:

• Keyword optimization
• Real-time and customized data
• Avoiding duplicate content
• Custom SEO advice per keyword

FAQ: How can I track my content performance with the WordPress SEO plugin?

WordPress offers an abundance of SEO plugins that provide insight into the performance of your website.

1. Select an Appropriate SEO Plug-in: When setting up a WordPress website, install an SEO plug-in such as All in One SEO Package or Yoast SEO to maximize search engine optimization efforts.
2. To Activate the Plugin: After installing your plugin, visit its settings and activate it. Configure the basic settings like your website’s title and meta description.
3. Focus on On-Page SEO: Use the plugin’s on-page SEO features to optimize individual posts and pages. This includes optimizing your content for target keywords, ensuring proper headings, and adding meta descriptions.
4. XML Sitemap Creation: Most SEO plugins offer XML sitemap generation. Enable this feature to help search engines index your content more effectively.
5. Integrate Google Analytics: Connect your website to Google Analytics using the plugin’s integration options. This will allow you to access in-depth analytics data.
6. Monitor Keyword Rankings: Keep track of your target keyword rankings within the plugin. You can set up notifications for significant changes.
7. Utilize SEO Audits: Many plugins offer SEO audit features. Run regular audits to identify and fix any on-site SEO issues.
8. Utilize Social Media Integration: Some plugins provide social media integration options. Use these to share your content and track its performance on various platforms.
9. Track Click-Through Rates (CTR): Monitor the CTR of your posts and pages. This metric can provide insights into the effectiveness of your titles and meta descriptions.
10. Analyze Backlinks: Track the backlinks to your site using the plugin’s backlink analysis tools. This can help you identify opportunities for link-building.
11. Review Content Engagement: Pay attention to engagement metrics such as bounce rate, time on page, and scroll depth. Adjust your content strategy accordingly.
12. Leverage Schema Markup: Implement schema markup using the plugin to enhance your content’s visibility in search results.
13. Regularly Update Content: Keep your content fresh and up-to-date. SEO plugins can help you identify outdated content that needs revision.
14. Utilize AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): Some plugins offer AMP support, which can improve mobile performance and SEO.
15. Access SEO Reports: Regularly review the plugin’s SEO reports to gauge your content’s overall performance and make data-driven decisions.
16. Stay Informed: Stay updated with SEO trends and algorithm changes to adapt your strategies accordingly.
17. Seek Professional Assistance: If you’re uncertain about certain aspects of SEO or plugin usage, consider consulting an SEO expert.

Follow these steps to unlock the full potential of your WordPress SEO plugin, which will allow you to monitor the performance of your content and increase its search engine rankings.

Step-by-Step Procedure to Use Your WordPress Plug-in:

1. Choose and install a reputable WordPress SEO plugin.
2. Activate the plugin and configure basic settings.
3. Focus on optimizing individual posts and pages for on-page SEO.
4. Generate an XML sitemap and enable search engine indexing.
5. Integrate Google Analytics for in-depth analytics data.
6. Monitor keyword rankings and set up notifications for changes.
7. Run regular SEO audits to identify and fix on-site issues.
8. Utilize social media integration for content sharing and tracking.
9. Track click-through rates (CTR) and analyze their impact.
10. Analyze backlinks to identify link-building opportunities.
11. Review content engagement metrics (bounce rate, time on page, scroll depth).
12. Implement schema markup to enhance search visibility.
13. Keep content updated and relevant.
14. Utilize AMP support for improved mobile performance.
15. Regularly access SEO reports to gauge overall performance.
16. Stay informed about SEO trends and algorithm changes.
17. Seek professional assistance if needed.

By following these 17 steps, you’ll be well-equipped to track your content performance using a WordPress SEO plugin effectively.

This article was updated on December 20, 2023.

Bruce Clay is founder and president of Bruce Clay Inc., a global digital marketing firm providing search engine optimization, pay-per-click, social media marketing, SEO-friendly web architecture, and SEO tools and education. Connect with him on LinkedIn or through the BruceClay.com website.

See Bruce's author page for links to connect on social media.