Guideline for Web Ranking Performance Report Using

Semrush
Assignment requirement
Students are required to produce a web ranking performance report worth 20%. The report
should use Semrush or another SEO tool to analyse the Google Merchandise Store.
The report should focus on three main areas:
1. Keyword research
2. Competitor analysis
3. Technical website issues
This report should complement the GA4 web performance report. While GA4 shows what users
do inside the website, Semrush helps students understand how the website performs externally in
search engines, how it compares with competitors, what keywords it ranks for, and what
technical SEO issues may affect its performance.
The data should be collected for a period of 1 to 3 months (highly recommend 3 month), and this
period should be within the same timeframe used for the GA4 web performance report.

1. Introduction
Purpose of this section
Students should briefly introduce the purpose of the web ranking performance report.

What students should write

Students should explain that the report analyses the search visibility and SEO performance of
Google Merchandise Store using Semrush or another SEO tool. The report is not intended to
replace GA4. Instead, it provides a complementary view of website performance by analysing
keyword rankings, competitor visibility, backlink authority, and technical SEO issues.

Suggested writing
This report analyses the web ranking performance of Google Merchandise Store using Semrush.
The purpose is to evaluate how the website performs in search engines and how it compares with
selected competitors. The report focuses on keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink
profile, and technical SEO issues. It complements the GA4 web performance report by providing
an external view of website visibility, while GA4 provides first-party behavioural data inside the
website.
2. Data source and analysis period
Purpose of this section
Students must clearly state the SEO tool used and the data period.

Required information
Students should include:
 SEO tool used: Semrush
 Focal website: Google Merchandise Store;
 Data collection period: 1 to 3 months;
 Country or database selected in Semrush, if applicable;
 Device type, if using Position Tracking;
 Competitors selected;

3. Competitor selection
Purpose of this section
Students should select relevant competitors before conducting comparison.

How to select competitors

Students may choose two competitor websites using one of the following methods:
1. Use Semrush → Organic Research → Competitors.
2. Use Semrush → Traffic Analytics → Competitors.
3. Search Google for similar merchandise or branded product stores.
4. Select websites that sell branded merchandise, technology-related products, lifestyle
products, or promotional goods.
Competitors should be relevant. Students should not choose random websites.

Suggested competitor selection table

Website Domain Reason for selection
Google Merchandise Store Focal website
Competitor 1 Similar online merchandise or
branded product website
Competitor 2 Similar online merchandise or
retail website
4. Domain overview analysis
Business question
How strong is Google Merchandise Store’s website compared with competitors?

Semrush pathway
Go to:
Semrush → SEO → Domain Overview → Enter domain name
Students should collect data for:
1. Google Merchandise Store;
2. Competitor 1;
3. Competitor 2.

Required metrics
Metric Meaning Why it matters
Authority Score Overall indicator of domain Helps compare relative SEO
SEO strength authority
Organic Search Traffic Estimated monthly visits Shows organic visibility
from unpaid search
Paid Search Traffic Estimated visits from paid Shows possible reliance on
search ads advertising
Organic Keywords Number of keywords the Shows keyword coverage
domain ranks for
Paid Keywords Number of paid keywords Shows paid search activity
targeted
Backlinks Total inbound links to the Shows external link volume
domain
Referring Domains Unique websites linking to Shows backlink diversity
the domain
Traffic Cost Estimated cost of acquiring Shows economic value of
similar organic traffic through organic traffic
paid search

Data collection table

Google
Metric Merchandise Store Competitor 1 Competitor 2 Interpretation
Authority
Score
 Google
Metric Merchandise Store Competitor 1 Competitor 2 Interpretation
Organic
Search
Traffic
Paid Search
Traffic
Organic
Keywords
Paid
Keywords
Backlinks
Referring
Domains
Traffic Cost

Interpretation questions
Students should answer:
1. Which website has the highest Authority Score?
2. Which website has the strongest estimated organic search traffic?
3. Which website ranks for the largest number of organic keywords?
4. Does Google Merchandise Store rely more on organic or paid search?
5. Does Google Merchandise Store have fewer backlinks or referring domains than
competitors?
6. What does this suggest about its overall SEO strength?

5. Traffic and competitor benchmarking

Business question
How does Google Merchandise Store compare with competitors in estimated website traffic and
engagement?

Semrush pathway
Go to:
Semrush → Traffic & Market → Traffic Analytics → Enter domain name
Compare Google Merchandise Store with two competitors.
Required metrics
Metric Meaning Interpretation focus
Visits Estimated number of website Overall traffic volume
visits
Unique Visitors Estimated distinct visitors Audience size
Pages per Visit Average number of pages Browsing depth
viewed per visit
Average Visit Duration Average time spent on Engagement quality
website
Bounce Rate Percentage of visits leaving Landing page or relevance
without further interaction issue
Traffic Share Website’s share of traffic Competitive market position
among compared domains
Device Distribution Desktop versus mobile traffic Need for mobile or desktop
optimisation
Geographic Distribution Countries generating traffic Priority markets
Traffic Sources Direct, referral, search, social, Acquisition mix
paid, or other channels
Top Pages Pages estimated to receive High-performing content or
most visits landing pages

Data collection table

Google
Metric Merchandise Store Competitor 1 Competitor 2 Interpretation
Visits
Unique
Visitors
Pages per
Visit
Average
Visit
Duration
Bounce Rate
Main traffic
source
Main
country/regio
n
Top page
Interpretation questions
Students should answer:
1. Which website receives the highest estimated traffic?
2. Which website has stronger engagement based on pages per visit and visit duration?
3. Does Google Merchandise Store have a higher or lower bounce rate than competitors?
4. Which traffic source is most important for each website?
5. Does the website appear more dependent on search, direct traffic, referral, social, or paid
traffic?
6. How does this competitor comparison complement the GA4 acquisition and engagement
findings?

6. Organic keyword research

Business question
Which keywords does Google Merchandise Store currently rank for, and what do they reveal
about SEO visibility?

Semrush pathway
Go to:
Semrush → SEO → Organic Research → Positions → Enter domain name
Collect the top 10 organic keywords.

Required metrics
Metric Meaning
Keyword Search term for which the website ranks
Intent User search purpose: informational, navigational,
commercial, or transactional
4 types of keywords in SEO:
- Informational: Searchers want to gain knowledge
about a topic
- Navigational: Searchers want to find a specific
website or page
- Commercial: Searchers want to research brands,
products, or services
- Transactional: Searchers want to complete an
action (for example, make a purchase)
Position Website ranking position for that keyword
Search Volume Estimated monthly searches
Metric Meaning
Keyword Difficulty Estimated difficulty of ranking for the keyword
Traffic % Estimated share of organic traffic from that keyword
Ranking URL Website page ranking for that keyword
SERP Features Search result features such as snippet (the summary of a
webpage displayed in the search engine results page
(SERP). It typically consists of a page title, the URL, and
a brief description. Rich snippets can also include images,
ratings, prices, or FAQs), image, review, or sitelink

Data collection table

Search Keyword Ranking
No. Keyword Intent Position Volume Difficulty Traffic % URL Interpretation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Keyword classification
Students should classify the top keywords into:

Branded keywords
These include the brand name or closely related brand terms.
Examples:
 Google merchandise;
 Google store;
 Google T-shirt;
 Google swag.
These keywords show that users already know the brand.

Non-branded keywords
These do not include the brand name.
Examples:
  tech merchandise;
 branded gifts;
 company merchandise;
 promotional products.
These keywords are important because they attract users who may not already know the brand.

Interpretation questions
Students should answer:
1. Which keyword contributes the highest estimated traffic share?
2. Which keyword has the highest search volume?
3. Which keyword has the best ranking position?
4. Are the top keywords mostly branded or non-branded?
5. Are the keywords mainly informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional?
6. Which ranking URLs appear most important?
7. Does Google Merchandise Store have strong visibility beyond branded searches?

7. Keyword overview analysis

Business question
Which keyword should Google Merchandise Store prioritise for SEO improvement?

Semrush pathway
Go to:
Semrush → SEO → Keyword Overview → Enter keyword
Students should select one keyword from the organic keyword analysis or one potential target
keyword related to Google Merchandise Store.

Required metrics
Metric Value Interpretation
Search intent
Search volume
Keyword Difficulty
CPC
Competitive Density
Trend
SERP Analysis
Keyword Variations
Metric Value Interpretation
Questions
Related Keywords

Interpretation questions
Students should answer:
1. What is the search intent of the selected keyword?
2. Is the search volume high, moderate, or low?
3. Is the keyword difficulty realistic?
4. Does the keyword have commercial value based on CPC?
5. Is the keyword trend increasing, decreasing, or stable?
6. What type of pages currently rank for this keyword?
7. What content should Google Merchandise Store create or improve to target this keyword?

8. Position tracking analysis, if available

Business question
How visible is Google Merchandise Store for selected keywords over time?

Semrush pathway
Go to:
Semrush → SEO → Position Tracking → Create project → Add domain, location, device,
and keywords
This step is useful if students can create a Semrush project.

Required metrics
Metric Meaning Interpretation
Visibility % How visible the website is for Overall ranking visibility
tracked keywords
Estimated Traffic Estimated visits from tracked Potential traffic impact
keywords
Average Position Average ranking across Overall ranking strength
selected keywords
Top Keywords Strongest ranking keywords Keywords to protect
Improved Keywords Keywords with ranking Successful areas
improvement
Declined Keywords Keywords with ranking Pages needing attention
decline
Metric Meaning Interpretation
Lost Keywords Keywords no longer ranking Possible content or SEO issue
SERP Features Appearance in search features Rich visibility opportunity
Landing Pages Pages ranking for tracked Whether correct pages are
keywords ranking

Data collection table

Metric Result Interpretation
Visibility %
Estimated Traffic
Average Position
Top 3 keywords
Improved
keywords
Declined keywords
Lost keywords
Main landing pages

Interpretation questions
Students should answer:
1. Is the website visible for the selected keyword set?
2. Are rankings improving or declining?
3. Which keywords should be protected?
4. Which declined or lost keywords require improvement?
5. Are the correct landing pages ranking for the target keywords?

9. Keyword gap and competitor keyword analysis

Business question
Which valuable keywords do competitors rank for but Google Merchandise Store does not?

Semrush pathway
Go to:
Semrush → SEO → Keyword Gap
Enter:
1. Google Merchandise Store domain;
 2. Competitor 1 domain;
3. Competitor 2 domain.
Select: Organic keywords
Then click: Compare

Required keyword opportunity categories

Category Meaning What students should do
Missing Competitors rank, but Google Identify new content
Merchandise Store does not opportunities
Weak Google Merchandise Store Improve existing pages
ranks lower than competitors
Untapped At least one competitor ranks, Develop new pages or
but Google Merchandise content
Store does not
Shared Both the focal website and Compare ranking strength
competitors rank
Strong Google Merchandise Store Maintain and protect ranking
ranks better than competitors

Data collection table

Google
Keyword Merchandise
opportun Example Competitor Store Search Keyword Suggeste
ity type keyword ranking ranking volume difficulty d action
Missing Not ranking
Weak
Untappe Not ranking
d
Shared
Strong

Interpretation questions
Students should answer:
1. Which missing keywords are most relevant?
2. Which weak keywords should be improved first?
3. Which competitor has the strongest keyword profile?
4. Are the keyword gaps mainly informational, commercial, navigational, or transactional?
5. Which three keywords should Google Merchandise Store prioritise?
6. What new content, product page, FAQ, or landing page should be created?
10. Technical SEO site audit
Business question
What technical issues may affect Google Merchandise Store’s search ranking and user
experience?

Semrush pathway
Go to:
Semrush → SEO → Site Audit → Create project → Run audit
If students cannot use Semrush Site Audit because of account limitations, they may use another
tool such as:
 Ahrefs Webmaster Tools;
 Screaming Frog SEO Spider;
 Ubersuggest Site Audit;
 Moz Site Crawl;
 Google PageSpeed Insights;
 Lighthouse.

Required metrics
Metric Meaning Why it matters
Site Health Score Overall technical SEO health Gives a quick technical
diagnosis
Errors High-severity issues Should be fixed urgently
Warnings Medium-severity issues Should be planned for
optimisation
Notices Low-severity observations Useful for fine-tuning
Crawled Pages Number of pages scanned Shows audit coverage
Broken Links Links to unavailable pages Affect user experience and
crawlability
Duplicate Content Similar content across pages May reduce ranking clarity
Missing/Duplicate Title Tags Problems with page titles Affect relevance and click-
through potential
Missing/Duplicate Meta Problems with descriptions Affect search snippets and
Descriptions CTR
HTTPS Issues Security-related problems Affect trust and technical
compliance
Metric Meaning Why it matters
Crawlability Issues Problems affecting search May prevent indexation
engine access
Internal Linking Issues Weak internal link structure Affect page discovery and
authority flow
Core Web Vitals / Page speed and experience Affect user experience and
Performance Issues problems SEO readiness

Data collection table

Why it is a Recommended
Technical issue Result Severity problem fix
Site Health
Score
Errors High
Warnings Medium
Notices Low
Broken links
Duplicate
content
Missing or
duplicate title
tags
Missing or
duplicate meta
descriptions
HTTPS issues
Crawlability
issues
Internal linking
issues
Core Web
Vitals /
performance
issues

Priority classification
Students should classify technical issues into three levels.

Priority 1: Urgent issues

These may seriously affect indexing, ranking, security, or user experience.
Examples:
 Crawlability problems;
 Broken internal links;
 HTTPS issues;
 Severe page speed issues;
 Pages blocked from search engines.
Priority 2: Important optimisation issues
These may reduce SEO performance but are less urgent.
Examples:
 Missing title tags;
 Duplicate title tags;
 Missing meta descriptions;
 Duplicate content;
 Weak internal linking.
Priority 3: Minor improvement issues
These help improve overall technical quality.
Examples:
 Minor notices;
 Image optimisation issues;
 Small metadata improvements;
 Minor formatting issues.

Interpretation questions
Students should answer:
1. What is the overall Site Health Score?
2. How many errors, warnings, and notices are reported?
3. Which issues are most serious?
4. Are there crawlability or indexation problems?
5. Are there metadata issues that may reduce click-through rate?
6. Are there page performance or Core Web Vitals issues?
7. Which three technical fixes should be prioritised?
11. Backlink analysis
Business question
How strong is Google Merchandise Store’s backlink profile compared with competitors?

Semrush pathway
Go to:
Semrush → SEO → Backlink Analytics → Enter domain name
Compare:
1. Google Merchandise Store;
2. Competitor 1;
3. Competitor 2.

Required metrics
Metric Meaning Interpretation
Backlinks Total number of inbound Size of backlink profile
links
Referring Domains Unique domains linking to Diversity of external
the website authority
Authority Score of Referring Strength of linking websites Backlink quality
Domains
New Backlinks Recently discovered links Link growth
Lost Backlinks Links that disappeared Possible lost authority
Anchor Text Clickable text used in Link relevance and branding
backlinks (A backlink anchor
text is the visible, clickable
text in a hyperlink that points
to a webpage on another site.
It gives both users and search
engines context about what
the linked page is about.)
Link Type Text, image, form, or other How websites link to the
link format domain
Top Linked Pages Pages receiving most Linkable assets
backlinks
Data collection table
Google
Metric Merchandise Store Competitor 1 Competitor 2 Interpretation
Backlinks
Referring
domains
Authority
Score
New
backlinks
Lost
backlinks
Main anchor
text
Top linked
pages

Interpretation questions
Students should answer:
1. Which website has the strongest backlink profile?
2. Does Google Merchandise Store have fewer or more referring domains than competitors?
3. Are the backlinks from relevant and authoritative websites?
4. Are anchor texts mostly branded or keyword-rich?
5. Are there many lost backlinks?
6. Which pages attract the most backlinks?
7. What link-building opportunities can be identified?

15. Recommendations
Requirement
Students must provide three evidence-based recommendations.
Each recommendation should include:
1. Main issue or opportunity;
2. Evidence from Semrush or another SEO tool;
3. Explanation of why it matters;
4. Specific recommended action.
19. Connection with the GA4 web performance report
Students should clearly explain how Semrush complements GA4.

Suggested comparison
GA4 report Semrush report
Uses first-party website data Uses estimated external SEO and competitor
data
Shows what users do inside the website Shows how the website performs in search
and against competitors
Measures acquisition, engagement, events, Measures keywords, rankings, backlinks,
conversion, and monetisation domain authority, competitors, and technical
SEO
Strong for analysing user behaviour Strong for analysing SEO visibility and
market benchmarking

Suggested writing
The Semrush web ranking report complements the GA4 web performance report by explaining
the external search environment of Google Merchandise Store. While GA4 shows user
acquisition, engagement, and monetisation inside the website, Semrush shows whether the
website has strong organic search visibility, how it compares with competitors, which keywords
drive search presence, and what technical SEO issues may limit performance. Together, GA4
and Semrush provide a more complete picture of website performance.
