Whether rankings improved and whether you gained more qualified customers are different questions. We first set the definition and collection scope of indicators, and also consider search demand and other marketing activities when determining the cause of change.
Divide into three questions
| question | Mainly viewed materials |
|---|---|
| Are you found in searches? | Impression, click, search term, page data from Search Console |
| What do visitors do after arriving? | Landing pages, key actions and conversion data, including GA4 |
| What are the business outcomes? | Internal records such as orders, qualified inquiries, progress status after consultation, etc. |
If it is a B2B service, you can not only look at the number of inquiries, but also check whether inquiries fit the service and progress through evaluation. In e-commerce, you can view product groups and order data together. The required outcome indicators are tailored to the business and measurable scope.
Do not force the numbers of different tools to match
Guide to Google’s Search Console·Analytics integration explains that clicks and sessions are counted differently. Differences may occur due to consent settings, measurement code, time zone or aggregation criteria. Instead of calibrating until you get the same numbers, record the cause of the difference and a basis for comparison.
Search query data in general reports is not directly linked to a specific individual's purchase history. Comparisons are made across possible aggregate units such as URLs, time periods, and channels, and relationships that cannot be observed are marked as estimates.
Observations in AI search are also defined separately
Google introduced performance reports dedicated to generative AI in 2026. Interpret those impressions in conjunction with your existing overall performance, rather than treating them as metrics like brand mentions or source URL observations from our own prompt testing. You should also check the offerings and scope of each service's reports.
Be able to decide what to do next
If exposure has increased but clicks have decreased, look at changes in search result composition, title, and search intent. If you're seeing an increase in visits but a decrease in qualified inquiries, look again at the customers you're bringing in and the scope your page promises. Each observation should lead to different questions to ask next.
We also record the change date, the affected page, and the advertising/price changes that occurred simultaneously. A simple before-and-after comparison does not establish that SEO caused the entire change. Explain other known factors and measurement limitations.