When it comes to SEO, most small businesses are told to chase the same metrics as billion-dollar brands: domain authority, backlinks, traffic volume, and page speed scores. But here’s the truth—those numbers don’t win rankings on their own. What actually moves the needle in 2025 is structure, not size.

In today’s landscape, driven by both Google’s evolving algorithm and the rise of large language models like ChatGPT, the most successful websites aren’t always the loudest—they’re the most strategically built. And the only way to know if you're building smart is by tracking the right KPIs.

Let’s break down which analytics matter—and how you can use them to build a site that outranks competitors with ten times your budget.

The Real Problem with Traditional SEO KPIs

Bounce rate, average time on site, even pageviews—these metrics sound impressive in a dashboard, but they rarely translate to actionable insights. Worse, they can be misleading:

• A low bounce rate might just mean users clicked to a second page out of confusion.
• High traffic could be irrelevant if it’s not converting or aligned with buyer intent.
• Speed scores might be technically perfect but meaningless if your site has thin, poorly structured content.

Vanity metrics are distractions. You need KPIs that are tied directly to visibility, crawlability, and conversions.

The 5 KPIs That Actually Drive Rankings in 2025

Based on real-world analysis of brands like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Bigin, here are the metrics that matter:

1. Internal Link Density

In our crawl, HubSpot averaged 145 internal links per page. Bigin—despite being far smaller—still had over 43 internal links per page, and ranked highly in both Google and ChatGPT.

Why it matters:

Internal linking helps bots index your content thoroughly, improves user navigation, and distributes authority across your site.

Target KPI:

3–5 relevant internal links per blog post minimum. Pillar pages should link out to all supporting content.

2. Content Depth and Topic Coverage

Salesforce had perfect schema. Bigin had none. But Bigin still outranked Salesforce in ChatGPT results.

Why?

Because Bigin had clear, useful, and deep content targeted at real user questions—especially for non-branded queries.

Target KPI:

Track the number of supporting articles around each main topic. Aim to build out clusters of 5–10 pieces per core pillar.

3. Non-Branded Keyword Visibility

LLMs and Google alike prioritize helpfulness over brand power. In our study:

• Bigin had 73% of traffic from non-branded keywords
• Salesforce had only 29%

This means users found Bigin organically—because of relevant, optimized content, not brand awareness.

Target KPI:

% of traffic from non-branded search terms. Use tools like SEMrush or GSC to monitor this regularly.

4. Crawlability & LLM Indexability

Even without schema, Bigin ranked well due to its crawlable architecture. Every post linked to others. There were no dead ends. Internal linking, content clusters, and clean navigation were the secret.

Target KPI:

Pages with 0 internal links = danger zone. Audit for orphan pages monthly.

5. Engagement from Clustered Content

One post can rank—but clusters convert. We saw that content hubs like “CRM for Small Teams” performed far better when surrounded by related guides, FAQs, and comparisons.

Target KPI:

Engagement rate (clicks, time on page) within your cluster. Use heatmaps or behavior flow reports to see where users go next.

From Data to Decisions — How to Use Your SEO Analytics

Data means nothing if it doesn’t lead to action. Here’s how to move from insights to improvement:

1. Set Baselines:
2. Use Screaming Frog or our custom crawler to audit internal links, keyword coverage, and structure.
3. Build Dashboards Around KPIs That Matter:
4. Track content clusters, internal links per page, orphan pages, and non-branded traffic.
5. Run Monthly Reviews:
6. Content that isn’t earning traffic or links? Refresh it. Add links. Re-align the keyword.
7. Map KPIs to Action:

• Low internal links → Update posts with new cross-links
• Thin content → Expand with FAQs, how-tos, or stats
• Flat engagement → Check if users are bouncing due to poor CTAs or next-step options



Case Study Spotlight: Why Bigin Beat Salesforce

In a head-to-head comparison:

• Salesforce had the most backlinks and best schema.
• Bigin had a fraction of the authority—but far more useful internal structure and keyword targeting.

Bigin’s content aligned tightly with buyer intent, answered real questions, and was semantically rich and interconnected.

That’s the lesson: structure and usefulness beat prestige and polish.

Build an SEO KPI Dashboard That Works for You

Here’s what your analytics setup should track:

Final Thoughts: Out-Rank Through Strategy, Not Spend

SEO isn’t dead. It’s just evolved.

Your content doesn’t need to go viral—it needs to be visible, crawlable, and interconnected. You don’t need 10,000 backlinks—you need smart content clusters and optimized internal paths.

Start by measuring what matters.

Then build the kind of site that Google and ChatGPT want to recommend.

Try the AllGreatThings Website Crawler

→ Run a free crawl now and uncover how your site scores on the KPIs that actually move the needle. Email me at jason@allgreatthings.io