Rate SEO performance using four core metrics: organic traffic growth, keyword rankings for target terms, conversion rate from organic visitors, and ROI. Track these monthly in Google Analytics and Search Console. A competent SEO effort should deliver 20–40% year-over-year organic traffic growth once the campaign matures, typically after the first six months. Keyword rankings matter, but context matters more. Moving from position 45 to 15 for a high-intent term drives more value than jumping from 4 to 2 for a low-intent keyword. Track rankings for terms that actually generate leads or sales, not vanity metrics. We typically monitor 15–30 priority keywords per client and expect 60–70% of them to improve meaningfully within six months. Conversion rate tells you if the traffic is worth anything. If organic traffic doubles but conversions stay flat, the SEO targeting is off. Measure form fills, phone calls, purchases, or whatever constitutes a conversion for your business. Industry average organic conversion rates sit around 2–4%, but this varies wildly by sector. ROI is the ultimate rating metric. If you're paying $2,000/month for SEO and it generates $8,000 in new monthly revenue after six months, that's a 4:1 return, which is solid. B2B service companies often see higher returns because customer lifetime value is large, while e-commerce might see tighter margins but faster results. Watch out for agencies showing you rankings for keywords you didn't prioritize, or traffic spikes from irrelevant content. At Ottawa SEO, we tie every report back to business outcomes, not just search engine numbers. If traffic climbs but revenue doesn't, we adjust strategy, not celebrate vanity wins. Give any SEO campaign 90–120 days before rating it harshly. Google's indexing and ranking delays mean early months show setup work, not results. After four months, you should see directional improvement. After eight months, you should see ROI or have a clear explanation why not.