How to Track SEO Progress Without Paid Tools

Baris Akkol
Sep 20
5 min read

Imagine you’re training for a marathon. You don't need a professional coach or expensive high-tech gear to know if you're getting faster. You just need a stopwatch and a notebook. You can track your time and distance to see if you're making progress.

The same is true for SEO. While many companies rely on expensive paid tools to track their performance, you can get a remarkably clear picture of your site's health and growth using a few powerful, free resources. Knowing how to track SEO progress is a fundamental skill that every business owner and marketer should have. It’s about being smart with the data that’s already available to you.

At Social Geek, a digital marketing agency located in the heart of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we believe that understanding your SEO performance shouldn't require a huge budget. We empower our clients with the knowledge and tools to see real results, and it all starts with the right data.

Free Tools You Can Use (GSC, GA, etc.)

Before you can track your seo progress, you need to know where to find the data. Luckily, the two most important platforms are completely free and provided directly by Google.

Google Search Console (GSC): Think of GSC as your direct communication channel with Google. It tells you exactly how your site is performing in search results. You can see which keywords you're ranking for, your average position, and which pages are getting the most clicks. It also provides critical information about your site's technical health, like crawl errors, mobile usability issues, and security problems.
Google Analytics (GA): This is your website's traffic report. GA tells you what users do once they land on your site. You can see how much traffic you’re getting, where it’s coming from (organic, social, direct, etc.), which pages are most popular, and what your conversion rate is.

Bonus Tools:

Google Sheets: This is your digital notebook. You can use it to create simple reports, track key metrics over time, and visualize your data. It's the perfect tool for creating a DIY seo progress report.
GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights: These tools analyze your site's loading speed and performance, which are critical ranking factors. They'll give you a list of actionable steps you can take to make your site faster.

What Metrics to Watch Weekly or Monthly

With your tools in place, what should you be looking at? Don't get lost in a sea of data. Focus on these key metrics to get a clear picture of your seo progress.

Organic Traffic: This is your most important metric. Go into Google Analytics, select "Organic Search" as your source, and watch this number over time. Is it growing? Is it staying flat?
Impressions and Clicks (from GSC): In Google Search Console, under the "Performance" report, you can see how many times your site appeared in search results (impressions) and how many times it was clicked. A rise in impressions means Google is seeing your content as relevant for more search queries. A rise in clicks means people are finding your listing compelling enough to click on.
Keyword Rankings (from GSC): While Google Search Console doesn't give you a traditional ranking report, you can track the average position for your target keywords. In the "Performance" report, filter by the keyword you want to track and see how its average position changes.
Conversions: The ultimate goal of SEO isn't just traffic; it's conversions. Use Google Analytics to track how many organic visitors are filling out a form, making a purchase, or signing up for a newsletter.

Example: A local bakery in Toronto, Ontario wants to track its SEO.

Week 1: They write a blog post about "gluten-free cupcakes."
Month 1: They see 50 organic clicks from GSC and 100 organic visits in GA.
Month 3: The number of organic clicks from GSC has grown to 200, and their organic visits in GA are now at 400. They also notice their "gluten-free cupcakes" keyword's average position in GSC has gone from 25 to 8. This is a clear sign of progress!

Setting Simple SEO Benchmarks

To know if you're making progress, you need a starting point. This is where benchmarks come in.

Baseline: On the first day of your SEO effort, record your current organic traffic, top 10 keywords, and number of conversions. This is your baseline.
Set Goals: Don't set unrealistic goals like "rank #1 for a competitive keyword in one month." Instead, aim for realistic, incremental growth.
- Short-term Goal (3 months): Increase organic traffic by 20%.
- Mid-term Goal (6 months): Get three of your target keywords on the first page of Google.
- Long-term Goal (12 months): Double your organic traffic from your baseline.

This gives you a clear and measurable way to track your seo progress report without getting discouraged. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

How to Create a Progress Report with Google Sheets

You can turn a simple Google Sheet into a powerful seo progress report. This is the perfect way to present your data to a client or your team.

Create a New Sheet: Title it something like "SEO Performance Report - [Month, Year]."
Add Your Metrics: Create columns for each of the metrics you’re tracking: Date, Organic Traffic, Impressions, Clicks, and Conversions.
Add Your Data: Once a week or a month, go into GSC and GA and pull the data for those metrics.
Add a "Notes" Column: This is crucial. Use this column to document the actions you took in that time period. For example, "Published new blog post on local events," or "Fixed broken links on homepage." This helps you connect your efforts directly to the results.

This report will give you a clear, visual representation of your growth. You can even create simple charts to show trends over time.

Tracking Growth Over Time with Free Data

The magic of free tools isn't just about getting a snapshot of your site; it's about seeing the long-term trend. This is where you can truly see the value of your SEO work.

By consistently tracking your data, you'll start to see patterns. For example, you might notice a spike in organic traffic every time you publish a new piece of content, or you might see a gradual increase in rankings after a period of consistent link building. This trend analysis allows you to optimize your strategy and double down on what’s working.

This is the kind of insight that helps a business in Toronto, or anywhere else in Canada, build a sustainable growth engine. It’s a lot more powerful than just buying a report from a paid tool once a month.

Ready to Go Beyond the Basics?

You can do a lot with free tools, but what happens when you want to accelerate your growth? What if you're stuck and can't figure out why your rankings aren't improving? That’s when the expertise of a seasoned team makes all the difference.

While a stopwatch is great for training, a professional coach can analyze your form, create a personalized training plan, and help you get to the finish line faster and more efficiently.

If you're ready to stop guessing and start seeing real, transformative results, Social Geek is here to help. Contact us today for a consultation and a detailed growth plan based on your unique business goals.