Cannabis SEO and Analytics Reporting

Why SEO Tracking Matters

SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. To know whether your content is working—or why it might be underperforming—you need to monitor performance consistently.

Tracking key SEO metrics helps:

• Justify your SEO investment
• Identify optimization opportunities
• Tie organic visibility to real business outcomes

This lesson outlines which KPIs to track, what tools to use, and how to distinguish positive signals from warning signs.

Core SEO Performance Metrics

Organic Traffic

What It Is:
The number of visitors who arrive at your site via unpaid search results.

Why It Matters:
Rising organic traffic is a clear indicator that your SEO efforts are increasing visibility and discoverability.

How to Track It:

• GA4 > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition
• Filter by “Session default channel grouping = Organic Search”
  

🔗 Read: How to Grow Organic Traffic with Cannabis SEO

Keyword Rankings

What It Is:
Your website’s position in search engine results pages (SERPs) for target keywords.

Why It Matters:
Higher rankings = more impressions, more clicks, and more conversions. It also reflects content relevance and authority.

How to Track It:

• Tools: Semrush, Ahrefs, or Google Search Console
• Search Console > Performance > Queries
• Monitor weekly/monthly by keyword group
  

🔗 Guide: Monitoring Keyword Rankings for Cannabis Brands

Impressions

What It Is:
The number of times your page appears in search results—regardless of whether it was clicked.

Why It Matters:
Rising impressions mean your pages are being indexed and served by search engines, building brand awareness even before engagement.

How to Track It:

• Google Search Console > Performance > Impressions by query or page
  

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

What It Is:
The percentage of impressions that result in a click.

Why It Matters:
A good CTR signals strong metadata and relevance. A poor CTR may indicate that your titles and descriptions need optimization.

How to Track It:

• Search Console > Performance
• Monitor CTR = Clicks / Impressions
• Watch for changes after updating meta titles/descriptions

Conversions & Assisted Conversions

What It Is:
The number of goal completions—like form submissions, calls, or purchases—driven by or assisted through organic search.

Why It Matters:
SEO should be tied to revenue, leads, or growth metrics—not just rankings and traffic.

How to Track It:

• GA4 > Conversions > Filter by Source/Medium = google / organic
• Use assisted conversions or multi-touch attribution reports
  

🔗 Explore: SEO Attribution & Conversion Tracking

Page Engagement (Bounce Rate, Time on Page)

What It Is:
Metrics that show how users interact with your content: how long they stay, whether they engage, or bounce.

Why It Matters:
Poor engagement may mean a misalignment between content and intent, or UX friction.

How to Track It:

• GA4 > Engagement > Pages and Screens
• Look for patterns in high exit rates or low time on key pages
  

🔗 Learn: Reducing Bounce Rates on Cannabis Websites

Backlinks

What It Is:
Links from external websites pointing to your pages.

Why It Matters:
Backlinks are a top-ranking factor and can drive qualified referral traffic.

How to Track It:

• Use Ahrefs or Semrush > Backlink Profile
  
• Track:
  
  • Number of referring domains
  • Link quality
  • Anchor text distribution

Website Health Score

What It Is:
An aggregate score based on technical health, crawlability, and errors like broken links or duplicate content.

Why It Matters:
A low score can suppress your rankings even if content is great. Fixing these issues helps unlock SEO potential.

How to Track It:

• Tools: Semrush or Ahrefs > Site Audit > Health Score
  
• Look for:
  
  • Broken links
  • Redirect chains
  • Meta tag issues
  • Mobile or Core Web Vitals errors

🔗 See: Running a Technical SEO Audit

Recommended Tools

• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) – Conversion and behavior tracking
• Google Search Console – Keywords, CTR, impressions
• Semrush – Rankings, audits, backlinks, keyword tracking
• Ahrefs – Backlink monitoring, content gaps, site health
• BrightLocal – Local citation tracking and map pack visibility
  
  

FAQ: How Do I Measure Cannabis SEO Success?

Use tools like GA4, Search Console, and BrightLocal to track:

• Organic traffic growth
• Keyword visibility and rankings
• Click-through rates
• Engagement metrics
• Conversions and lead attribution
  

Then, correlate performance with specific content updates, campaigns, and keyword groups to determine what’s working and where to iterate.

Closing Tip

If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it. SEO tracking gives you data-driven insight into what drives traffic, trust, and conversions—so you can scale what works and fix what doesn’t. For cannabis brands, consistent tracking is your edge in a crowded and regulated space.