Measuring the effects of a site refresh on SEO

[InsightsDigital]

One of my client's site is actually going through a site refresh. As an analyst, I advise to monitor the site's web analytics for at least the first 6 months and see if there were any increase in traffic from the major search engines. What else do you monitor to determine if the site refresh help?

[jb1ker]

Do you also check the number of inbound links? Do you monitor the keyword ranking of the site? Your analytics are important off course, but it takes a little more time to see it change their. Monitor it at the root and you'll see the impact a lot sooner.

[jay 11]

Maybe make note of the "before and after" numbers for bounce rate and time spent on site. Also look at the traffic for internal pages. Have any dropped off significantly? Redesigns can sometimes throw off your existing users. It may take some time for them to get used to the new look and feel. Figure out what all the shiny new buttons do and re-learn how to navigate to their favorite parts of the site... so keep in mind that initial stats can be a little misleading.

[canadafred]

I apologize for the comment I had replied here. I was a tad confused.

[jay 11]

I personally think you're full of shit and are looking for a reason to feel good about yourself.

Okaaay... personal feelings aside, do you have anything worthwhile to add to this discussion?

[family checkout]

you would also have to check what keywords generate that traffic and if that traffic is valid or something...

[canadafred]

Okaaay... personal feelings aside, do you have anything worthwhile to add to this discussion?

Yes I do.
Targted traffic doesn't change very much, even if you change your presentation. If the search engines deem your site worthy of targeted traffic then they won't alter their minds overnight because of a few navigational changes. If something is working well for you, stick with it; don't go on the other side of SE ethics because I said so. Link strategists best to keep link strategizing less fall prey to SERP oblivion.

[jay 11]

Yes I do.
Targted traffic doesn't change very much, even if you change your presentation. If the search engines deem your site worthy of targeted traffic then they won't alter their minds overnight because of a few navigational changes. If something is working well for you, stick with it; don't go on the other side of SE ethics because I said so. Link strategists best to keep link strategizing less fall prey to SERP oblivion.

So you monitor the same thing that InsightsDigital monitors. Since it is obvious that we would all monitor SE traffic, and like you said, there shouldn't be much change, I believe the question asked was, "What else do you monitor to determine if the site refresh help?"

[InsightsDigital]

I appreciate all for the very insightful comments and recommendations.

I did ask, "what else" but all the responses are welcomed.

I sometimes go to WebTrends and due to time, I hope all the answers are there to digg, but we all know it takes some additional search engine investigational work to find the hidden gems.