Measuring SEO ROI requires connecting organic traffic metrics to business metrics. The basic formula is: (Revenue generated by organic traffic - SEO investment) / SEO investment x 100. The challenge is attributing revenue correctly to the organic channel.
Intermediate metrics that help build the calculation:
- Organic traffic: volume of visits coming from organic search (Google Analytics).
- Organic leads: form submissions, phone calls, and inquiries coming from organic traffic.
- Conversion rate by channel: what percentage of organic traffic converts into a lead or sale.
- Lead value: if you know the average value of a lead (average ticket x close rate), you can calculate the value generated by SEO.
For a complete picture, also compare your organic acquisition cost with your paid acquisition cost. If a lead via Google Ads costs R$ 150 and a lead via organic costs R$ 50 (SEO investment divided by the number of leads), SEO is saving you R$ 100 per lead. This kind of analysis is what justifies the investment to the executive team.