Semrush: Large-Site SEO Should Start With Revenue

Revenue should be the starting point for managing search engine optimization on a large website, according to Semrush. The marketing platform argues that visit counts alone are not enough to establish which types of pages deserve the most attention. Instead, their contribution to sales should be part of the assessment.

Semrush illustrates the distinction with a comparison between two page types. One receives 3,000 visits and generates sales; the other attracts 40,000 visits but does not produce sales. Despite the larger audience for the second type, the first can be more valuable to the business.

The example challenges a traffic-first approach to prioritization. A team looking only at the largest visit total might focus on the second page type, while overlooking the one that contributes to sales. Comparing the two against a business outcome provides a different basis for deciding where SEO work may be most useful.

That does not mean traffic figures have no place in an SEO review. They show how many visits a page type receives, but the figures in the example do not by themselves explain its commercial value. Sales provide an additional point of comparison when the objective is to connect search activity with revenue.

For teams managing many pages, the comparison also offers a way to frame internal discussions. Rather than presenting visit totals in isolation, they can ask which page types are associated with sales and how those results relate to the traffic each type receives. The aim is to make the business outcome visible alongside the audience measure.

What this means for marketers

When reviewing SEO priorities, compare page types using both visits and the sales information available to your team. Avoid assuming that the page type with the most traffic is automatically the most valuable. Use the comparison to guide a closer look at where further SEO work supports the business objective.