I just got finished reading an interesting set of tips about SEO written by Avinash Kaushik from Google. He makes it quite clear that "being #1 on Google" doesn't necessarily equal success. He makes mention that Google's sophisticated search algorithm has come along way and isn't standard across the board for everyone, but personalized or even "hyper-personalized". So "being at the top of Google" isn't a Holy Grail. Instead you should be looking at metrics like website depth rate (how far people get into your site), your incoming links and growth of your primetime keyword phrases. Also taking a close look at the websites that are referring traffic to your site and which ones are providing engagement instead of just dead end clicks.
From a purely marketing standpoint, one must remember that awesome SEO or paying a bunch of money for internet marketing doesn't mean sales. They are simply a means to get a potential audience to your website. Your website takes the next step, informing the visitor of what you have to offer them, remember it's not about you and your company...it's about what you and your company can do for them. If your website doesn't educate and inform and doesn't engage your visitors, what have you accomplished? The data contained in your analytic reports can show what's working, what's not...where people click and what captivates them. Make sure you pour through this data and use it to your advantage.
