While there's many different schools of thought, weighing the success of your SEO program is almost completely based on the commitment you or anyone else puts into it and your expectations of the results.

While you’re at it, you can use the results and revenue you’ll see as a benchmark for the program.

To start, if you don't already have it, you need to obtain tracking software for your website, like Google Analytics, and track the visits you receive (including PPC visits if you're doing a PPC program), conversions and leads.

So, how do you do that?
1.) Keep track of direct and referred visits. It’s a numbers game, after all. The more you put into it, the more results you get. So, track your numbers and using an analytical program to understand them.

2.) Check the visits for how visitors found you to understand if your keyword strategy is working correctly. Ensure you understand how it relates to that keyword list you put together. Remember, the SEO program is a flexible and living thing. It could work harder for you, if you really push it. Discuss your strategy with your SEO provider to understand how you can make your program do more for you.

3.) Compare those numbers of hits and leads with spikes you've seen in your revenue (assuming you've had spikes) after you've begun your program. Measure your current revenue and your revenue before your SEO program began. Look for additional revenue and hits. Take the difference between those two and subtract it from your SEO management cost to determine if the benefit of the program is worth the cost. Truth be told, any positive step forward is a step in the right direction. Remember SEO is a marathon, not a race. That marathon begins three to six months after you kick off your SEO program. So, don’t be overly concerned about the results until three to six months have passed. And, make sure you set goals you can and want to accomplish.

Goals you should set:

1. Increase the hits to your website and leads you are receiving from your website. It’s easy, but not so easy it's going to leave you without results.

2. Increase the revenue from your website via conversions of those leads. So, look for conversions to come from leads.

3. Blogging is a sure fire way to increase the benefit of SEO, so blog to improve your SEO and become a thought leader in the industry.

The more respected you are in the your industry via the web, the better your SEO program will perform for you. Again, it will take three to six months to ramp up the program, but it will pay back huge dividends in the long run.

You may think you can do this on your own, plan to hire someone to start a content marketing program for you, or plan to delegate extra tasks to a current employee to get it done. Truth be told, it won’t work out so well. We know the path to success is paved with good intentions but the path to failure is, also.

So, find a trustworthy and reliable content marketing partner to work with. You’ll be glad you did.