How to evaluate early SEO progress without overclaiming

Six evidence layers

Do not collapse every metric into “SEO worked.”

1. 1
   Delivery

   Was the agreed work completed and verified?

2. 2
   Discovery

   Can intended pages be found and indexed where appropriate?

3. 3
   Visibility

   Are relevant impressions, queries, and positions changing?

4. 4
   Visits

   Are the intended pages receiving qualified organic clicks?

5. 5
   Leads

   Are calls and forms relevant, attributable, and qualified?

6. 6
   Revenue

   Did qualified opportunities close and produce profitable work?

Comparison hygiene

State the periods, source, counts, and context.

• Use equal periods when making a simple percentage comparison
• Show the counts behind the percentage
• Name the data source
• Disclose seasonality, campaigns, tracking changes, or site changes when known
• Avoid causal language unless the design supports it
• Separate unavailable data from zero

Get Found’s current evidence

The completed 30-day case study retains its original checkpoint and explicit limits.

Across equal 30-day Search Console periods, clicks moved from 112 to 179 and impressions from 3,595 to 6,269. The page retains the original 19-day checkpoint, reports that CTR and aggregate average position declined, and discloses the missing lead, revenue, and causal evidence.

The next decision

Expand only when the evidence improves the business case.

A visibility increase may justify continued observation. Qualified leads may justify expanding the cluster. Revenue and margin evidence should govern material scaling or paid acquisition.