wiki/knowledge/seo/quarra-stone-performance-metrics.md · 650 words · 2026-04-05

Quarra Stone SEO & Ad Performance Metrics

Performance snapshot discussed during the Q4 marketing sync. Overall trajectory is positive across organic and paid channels, with the stone fabrication industry noted as behind the curve on SEO — creating meaningful first-mover opportunity.

Domain Rating

Current rating: 34 (up 3 points since last review)
Domain rating uses a weighted, non-linear scale — gains at higher numbers are significantly harder to achieve, making a 3-point jump meaningful
For reference, a competitor (Rock Solid) is in the 50s range; 34 is solid but room to grow
A paid service exists (~$250) that guarantees a rating above 40; decision deferred — current organic progress is strong enough to hold off for now
Decision: Revisit the paid boost only if organic progress stalls before breaking into the 40s

Organic Traffic & Keywords

Organic traffic is trending up
Organic keyword count is temporarily down — attributed to a Google indexing cycle, not a content or strategy issue
Consistent blogging is the primary lever to recover and grow keyword rankings
Two AI citations achieved (Google's AI Overview / SGE reference links) — FAQ sections in blog posts are the mechanism driving this; more citations expected as content volume grows
Website impressions and clicks show a clear upward trend over the past 6 months
Average position sits around 21 overall; highly variable by keyword (branded searches like "Quarra Stone" rank much higher than category terms like "Vaws Quartzite")
Completed project pages are a strong organic driver — specific project names generate direct search traffic

Ad Performance

Metric	Value	Benchmark / Notes
Click-through rate (CTR)	~5%	5% is the internal benchmark; performance is at or above target
Cost per click (CPC)	$3.39	Preferred target is ~$1.00; elevated but acceptable given high project values
Lost impressions (budget)	Some	Budget ceiling limiting top-of-page presence
Lost impressions (rank)	Some	New landing pages; rank penalty expected to decrease over time

CPC Context

The $3.39 CPC is higher than the general target but defensible for Quarra Stone's project scale. A single converted lead from a paid click can represent a project worth thousands of dollars, making the ROI math favorable even at elevated CPC. CPC is driven by keyword competition and bid strategy — no single direct lever.

Landing Pages

New dedicated landing pages were recently built for ad campaigns. Google's quality score for new pages is lower by default, contributing to the "lost due to rank" impression share. This metric is expected to improve naturally as the pages age and accumulate engagement signals.

Content Pipeline & SEO Impact

Blog content is the primary driver of both organic keyword growth and AI citation capture. Two blogs were approved for publication at this meeting:

Traditional vs. Digital Fabrication — Choosing the Right Approach for Custom Commercial Stonework (edits made in Surfer SEO; content score 95 vs. industry average of 37 — expected to rank near top of Google for target keywords)
Evolution of Stone Carving from Hand Tools to Precision Machines (no changes needed; approved as-is)

One additional blog (Stone Art Ideas — Inspiring Creations in Marble and Granite) is in review; Lincoln to complete edits in Google Sheets.

E-Guides status:
- CNC / Digital Fabrication E-Guide: Finalized
- Traditional E-Guide: Near completion; Lincoln to send final content
- Fine Arts E-Guide: Pending approval

Industry Context

Lincoln noted that the stone fabrication industry is broadly behind the curve on SEO and digital marketing. A Surfer SEO content score of 95 against a competitor average of 37 (top competitor at 53) illustrates the opportunity — well-optimized content can reach near-top Google rankings almost immediately upon publication.

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