How to Send Back-in-Stock Notifications in WooCommerce (& Recover Lost Sales)

Out-of-stock products don’t just mean missed sales. They also mean missed opportunities to keep customers coming back to your WooCommerce store.

The good news is that there’s an easy way to recover those lost sales.

Adding a “Notify When Back in Stock” feature to your WooCommerce store lets customers sign up to be alerted the moment a product is available again, which brings them straight back to your store and ready to buy.

Beyond recovering lost sales, back-in-stock notifications help build customer loyalty by showing shoppers you value their interest even when you can’t fulfill their order right away.

Since WooCommerce doesn’t include this feature natively, you’ll need a third-party plugin to make it work. In this guide, I’ll show you two easy ways for how to send back-in-stock notifications in WooCommerce – no coding needed.

🔖 TL;DR: Sending WooCommerce Back-in-Stock Notifications

There are 2 easy ways to send back-in-stock notifications in WooCommerce:

• Using Merchant Pro – The ultimate all-in-one WooCommerce toolkit. Instead of installing a single-use plugin, you get back-in-stock notifications plus 40+ other sales-boosting features to grow your store.
• Using Back in Stock Notifier for WooCommerce – The best free option available. It has a slightly steeper learning curve, but it’s a feature-rich solution if you are on a tight budget and only need waitlist functionality.

Why Send Back-in-Stock Notifications in WooCommerce?

Sending back-in-stock notifications in WooCommerce is one of the simplest ways to recover lost sales and keep customers coming back. Instead of losing a shopper the moment a product runs out, you give them a reason to stay connected with your online store.

I’ve found that stores using this feature are far more likely to convert interested shoppers into paying customers because the notification arrives exactly when the customer is most motivated to buy.

Here are some of the key benefits of adding back-in-stock notifications to your WooCommerce store:

• 🩹 Recover sales that would otherwise be lost — when a customer signs up to be notified, they’re telling you they already want to buy. A timely email brings them back before they shop elsewhere.
• 💙 Boost customer engagement and loyalty — showing shoppers that you’re keeping track of their interest, even when stock runs low, builds trust, and makes them feel valued. This also ties into creating a strong loyalty program.
• 📈 Drive repeat traffic on demand — when you restock an item, an automatic email brings ready-to-buy shoppers back to your store, which means more targeted traffic without extra ad spend.

Plus, customers who sign up for waitlists are already interested buyers. That makes them far easier to convert into loyal customers compared to cold traffic finding your store for the first time.

Here’s a quick overview of the topics I will cover in this guide:

• Before You Start: Set Up an SMTP Plugin
• Method 1: Sending Back-in-Stock Notifications Using Merchant Pro (Best for All-in-One WooCommerce Toolkit)
  • Step 1: Install and Activate Merchant Pro
  • Step 3: Open the Waitlist Module
  • Step 4: Configure the Waitlist Module
    • Form Settings
    • Email Settings
    • Shortcode Settings
  • Step 5: Enable the Waitlist Module
  • Alternative: Send Stock Update Emails Manually
• Method 2: Using the Back in Stock Notifier for WooCommerce Plugin (Free Method)
  • Step 1: Install and Activate the Plugin
  • Step 2: Access the Plugin Settings
  • Step 3: Configure Back in Stock Notifier Plugin Settings
    • Front End Form
    • Visibility Settings
    • Message Settings
    • Mail
    • Background Process Settings
    • Bot Protection
    • Auto-Delete Settings
    • Quantity Field Settings
    • Checkbox Subscribe Form
    • Estimate Stock Arrival
    • Troubleshoot Settings (Experimental)
  • Step 4: Visit Your Out-Of-Stock Product Pages
• Bonus: Optimize Your WooCommerce Store to Increase Sales
• FAQs About Sending Back-in-Stock Notifications in WooCommerce
• Next Steps to Improve Your WooCommerce Store Performance

Before You Start: Set Up an SMTP Plugin

WordPress uses the PHP mail function by default, which aggressive spam filters often block because it lacks proper sender authentication.

Installing an SMTP plugin routes your emails through a trusted provider, adding the necessary verification to ensure your back-in-stock emails reach the inbox. And if you have WP Mail SMTP Pro, you’ll have access to email logs, so you can see exactly which notifications were sent and when.

WP Mail SMTP is one of the best WordPress SMTP plugins to improve email deliverability. At WPBeginner, we use it across our business sites, and it’s been a great tool to work with.

For details on how to set it up, see our guide on how to use SMTP server to send WordPress emails.

Method 1: Sending Back-in-Stock Notifications Using Merchant Pro (Best for All-in-One WooCommerce Toolkit)

🎖️ Best for: Store owners who want to consolidate their plugin stack. Instead of bloating your site with dozens of single-purpose plugins, Merchant gives you back-in-stock notifications alongside 40+ other conversion tools in one lightweight package.

Merchant Pro is the ultimate all-in-one WooCommerce growth toolkit. Not only does it offer a streamlined, visual way to set up your waitlists, but it also equips you with trust badges, countdown timers, frequently bought together blocks, and much more.

Step 1: Install and Activate Merchant Pro

To get started, you’ll need to install and activate the Merchant Pro plugin on your WordPress site. It’s the best all-in-one WooCommerce growth toolkit, and it includes the Waitlist module for setting up back-in-stock notifications for your products.

First, let’s create a Merchant account.

On the aThemes website, go to the Merchant page and click the ‘Get Merchant Pro’ button.

💡 Note: To use Waitlist, you’ll need Merchant Pro. It also comes with more than 40 sales-boosting modules like trust badges, countdown timers, and frequently bought together blocks.

You can also try out the free version of Merchant, but it won’t let you send the back-in-stock notifications.

Upon signup, you need to download your Merchant Pro zip file and copy your license key.

With that done, it’s time to install and activate the plugin.

In your WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins » Add Plugin.

On the next screen, click ‘Upload Plugin’ and then ‘Choose File.’

Go ahead and upload your Merchant Pro zip file from your local computer.

Once uploaded, you can click the ‘Install Now’ button, followed by ‘Activate.’ For more information, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Now, let’s navigate to Merchants Settings to verify your license key. Paste it into the field.

Once the plugin is active, you’re ready to move on to the next step and start setting up your back-in-stock notification system.

Step 2: Open the Waitlist Module

With Merchant Pro installed, it’s time to find the Waitlist feature inside the plugin.

Merchant Pro organizes its features into modules, making it easy to find exactly what you need without any clutter.

To start, head to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Merchant » Modules » Boost Revenue. This section contains a collection of tools designed to help you increase sales and keep customers engaged.

From there, simply click on ‘Waitlist’ to open the module.

Step 3: Configure the Waitlist Module

Before you enable the Waitlist module, you’ll want to take a few minutes to configure it. This ensures everything looks and works the way you want it to before customers start seeing it on your store.

Form Settings

By default, the waitlist form will automatically appear on any product that is out of stock.

If you also sell products on backorder and want those customers to be able to join the waitlist, simply enable the toggle to include backorder products as well.

You can also customize the text that appears on the form itself. This includes:

• Form title — the heading that appears above the form
• Form email label — the text next to the email input field
• Form button text — what the sign-up button says, such as ‘Notify Me’ or ‘Join the Waitlist’

Every change you make will appear in the ‘Preview’ on the right panel.

You’ll also want to customize the messages customers see after they interact with the form. These include:

• The success message – shown after a customer signs up.
• The unsubscribe message – shown when they opt out.

Keeping these messages friendly and on-brand helps build trust with your shoppers.

Next, you might want to check the ‘Exclude products’ customization.

For example, if you sell limited-edition items or seasonal products that you never plan to restock, you can add them to this exclusion list.

This prevents customers from joining a waitlist for an item that will never return.

Email Settings

Next, scroll down to the ‘Email Settings’ section. This is where you control the notifications that go out to your customers.

Start by enabling the toggles for automatic email notifications. This ensures customers are contacted as soon as a product they signed up for comes back in stock without you having to do anything manually.

From here, you can customize the email content for two different scenarios – new subscriber and stock update.

Start with the email content for the new subscriber email, which is sent to confirm that a customer has successfully joined the waitlist.

You can then edit the stock update email.

Merchant will send this automatically when the product becomes available again.

It’s a good idea to preview both emails before saving. This lets you catch any formatting issues or typos before a real customer sees them.

You’ll see a blue ‘here’ link for both emails, go ahead and click on it to see the preview.

Shortcode Settings

If you’d like to display the waitlist form in a specific location on a product page — rather than relying on the default placement — you can enable the shortcode option in this section.

Once enabled, you’ll be able to use the [merchant_module_wait_list] shortcode to place the form exactly where you want it.

If you’re not familiar with how shortcodes work, our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress will walk you through it.

Once you’ve finished configuring all three sections, click the ‘Save’ button in the top-right corner of the page.

Step 4: Enable the Waitlist Module

Now that everything is configured and saved, it’s time to make the ‘Waitlist’ module live on your store.

Simply click the ‘Enable’ button at the top of the Waitlist page.

From this point on, customers visiting any out-of-stock product page will see the waitlist form and can sign up to be notified when it’s back.

That’s it – your back-in-stock notification system is now up and running!

🧑‍💻 Pro Tip: You can test your setup by marking a product as out of stock directly from its WooCommerce product page. Just scroll down to the ‘Product’ data section and set the ‘Stock’ status to “Out of stock.”

Alternative: Send Stock Update Emails Manually

If you ever need to notify a specific group of customers without waiting for a product to restock automatically, then Merchant Pro gives you a way to do that, too.

This can be useful if you want to send an early heads-up to loyal shoppers or follow up with customers who have been waiting a long time.

Just remember that these customers signed up specifically for back-in-stock alerts. Using this list for general marketing without additional consent may violate privacy laws.

To do this, navigate to Products » Waitlist Subscribers from your WordPress admin area.

Here, you’ll see a list of everyone who has signed up to be notified.

Click the ‘Bulk actions’ menu and select ‘Send Email’ from the dropdown.

Once the emails are sent, the status for each selected subscriber will update automatically from ‘Subscribed’ to ‘Mail Sent’, so you always have a clear record of who has been contacted.

I recommend checking this list periodically, especially after a long out-of-stock period, to make sure no subscribers have been missed.

Method 2: Using the Back in Stock Notifier for WooCommerce Plugin (Free Method)

🎖️ Best for: Store owners who are on a strict budget and are looking for a powerful, fully-featured free plugin dedicated solely to waitlists.

The Back in Stock Notifier plugin is highly capable and won’t cost you anything. While the settings interface has a slightly steeper learning curve than Merchant, it provides granular control over your alerts and built-in bot protection to keep your store secure.

Step 1: Install and Activate the Plugin

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Back in Stock Notifier for WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress site.

In your admin area, head over to Plugin » Add Plugin.

Next, you can use the search box to quickly find the plugin.

When you see it on the search result, click ‘Install Now’ and ‘Activate.’

Once the plugin is active, you’re ready to move on to configuring it from your WordPress dashboard. If you need help with the process, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Step 2: Access the Plugin Settings

Now, you’ll need to head over to the plugin’s settings to start configuring it for your store.

From your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Instock Notifier » Settings.

This is where you’ll find all the options you need to customize how the back-in-stock notification feature works on your site.

Step 3: Configure Back in Stock Notifier Plugin Settings

Now it’s time to set up how the button looks and behaves on your WooCommerce store. The settings page is organized into several sections, and I’ll walk you through each one so you know exactly what to do.

Front End Form

This section lets you customize the subscription form that shoppers will see on your out-of-stock product pages.

You can adjust the form display type, such as pop-up or inline, to match your store’s design.

You can also tweak the placeholders for your name and email address fields, as well as the button label.

Visibility Settings

Here, you can control where and how the subscription form shows up on your product pages.

For example, you can choose to hide the form for certain categories, like archived or discontinued products.

This way, customers don’t sign up for restock alerts on items that won’t return, keeping the shopping experience smooth.

Message Settings

This section lets you edit the messages that customers see when they interact with the form.

You can customize the text that appears after a customer submits the form, as well as the content of the notification email they receive when the product is back in stock.

I recommend keeping these messages friendly and on-brand — a warm, personalized message can go a long way in building customer loyalty.

Mail

In this section, you’ll set up how email notifications are sent to your customers.

You can configure details like the sender name, sender email address, and the email subject line. It helps to use your store’s name as the sender so customers immediately recognize where the email is coming from.

Background Process Settings

The background process setting ensures that notification emails are sent reliably without slowing down your site.

You have two options: WooCommerce’s built-in background process or the plugin’s default process. The WooCommerce option integrates seamlessly with your existing store infrastructure, while the default process works independently.

I recommend going with the WooCommerce option if you want consistency with your other background tasks. That said, you can use the default process if you encounter any compatibility issues.

Bot Protection

For improved security, you can switch to the Bot Protection tab. This helps protect your form from spam submissions — a small but important step for keeping your store’s data clean.

Back in Stock Notifier offers protection through Turnstile and Google reCAPTCHA.

• Turnstile is a modern bot detection service using advanced technology to identify and block bots without requiring users to solve a challenge or prove they’re human. This makes it invisible and frictionless. However, Turnstile requires a Cloudflare account to set up. 
• Google reCAPTCHA is the more widely-used option and shows a checkbox that says “I’m not a robot.” I recommend reCAPTCHA for most store owners because it’s free, doesn’t require a separate account, and most customers are already familiar with how it works.

When enabled, reCAPTCHA adds a verification check that ensures only real people can sign up for notifications, not automated bots. This protects both your email list and your site’s reputation from spam.

Setting up reCAPTCHA is straightforward, but you’ll need to install the Advanced Google reCAPTCHA plugin to handle the verification on your site.

In your admin dashboard, navigate to Plugins » Add Plugin and search for “Advanced Google reCAPTCHA.”

On the search result, click ‘Install Now’ and then ‘Activate’. See our step-by-step guide on installing a WordPress plugin for details.

Once activated, the plugin will ask you for your reCAPTCHA API keys, which you can generate for free from Google.

To do this, simply visit the Google reCAPTCHA website and sign in with your Google account.

In the ‘Register a new site’ section, you can fill in the form with a label, which is any name you choose for reference. Then, select the ‘Challenge (v2)’ option and choose ‘I’m not a robot Checkbox’.

In the ‘Domains’ field, enter your website domain without https:// or www (for example, mystore.com).

You can add multiple domain names if needed.

After submitting, Google will provide you with a Site Key and Secret Key.

You can go ahead and copy these keys.

Now, you can paste them into your Google reCAPTCHA plugin settings in the Back In Stock Notifier Bot Protection tab.

Here’s what you might see on the screen:

Auto-Delete Settings

This feature helps you maintain a clean subscriber database by automatically removing inactive records.

When enabled, the plugin will delete subscribers based on their status—such as those marked as ‘mail sent’, ‘unsubscribed’, or ‘purchased’—after a specified number of days.

This is useful for cleaning up old records and complying with data retention policies while keeping your database efficient.

Quantity Field Settings

The Quantity Field settings let you collect the number of items customers want when they join your waitlist.

You can customize the field placeholder text, for example, you might use something like “Enter quantity” or “How many would you like?”

The plugin also lets you edit the empty field error message shown when a customer submits the form without entering a quantity. If you prefer to keep the form simpler, though, then you can make the quantity field optional so customers can subscribe without filling it out.

Checkbox Subscribe Form

This section allows you to configure an alternative checkbox-style subscription option for your product pages.

So, instead of a standalone form, customers can simply check a box to sign up for a back-in-stock notification.

Estimate Stock Arrival

This feature allows you to show customers an estimated restock date. If you have multiple rules set up for a single product, you can use the ‘Rule Priority’ setting to determine which estimate displays first.

I recommend displaying this message just before the submit button so customers see it right before they sign up.

Troubleshoot Settings (Experimental)

This section contains experimental debugging tools for advanced users experiencing technical issues.

Only use these settings if you’re comfortable with technical troubleshooting or if you have support guidance from the plugin developer. Most users can safely leave this section unchanged.

Once you’ve finished configuring all the sections, you’ll want to make sure your changes are saved before leaving the settings page.

Simply scroll to the bottom of the page and click the ‘Save Changes’ button. This ensures all your configurations are applied, and your back-in-stock notification feature is ready to go for your customers.

Step 4: Visit Your Out-Of-Stock Product Pages

Now that you’ve configured the Back in Stock Notifier plugin, it’s time to see it in action on your store’s front end. Navigate to any product page for an item that’s currently out of stock.

When you land on an out-of-stock product page, you’ll notice a ‘Subscribe Now’ button, like this:

Clicking it opens a popup form where shoppers can enter their email address and subscribe to alerts.

If you have set quantity control and consent checkbox, you’ll also see the fields appear on the form:

If you’ve set up a discontinued product category and configured the plugin to hide the Subscribe Now button for those items, you might want to check those product pages as well.

If the page still shows the ‘Subscribe Now’ button, go back to your plugin settings to make sure they’re configured correctly for your discontinued products.

That’s it – you’ve successfully set up a back-in-stock notifier for your out-of-stock WooCommerce products.

To track your notification log, you can head over to Instock Notifier » All Subscribers in your WordPress dashboard.

Here, you’ll see a list of shoppers who subscribed to restock alerts, along with product details, subscription dates, and notification status.

Bonus: Optimize Your WooCommerce Store to Increase Sales

Setting up back-in-stock notifications is a great step toward building a more profitable WooCommerce store. But there’s a lot more you can do to keep customers engaged and drive more revenue once they’re back on your site.

From reducing cart abandonment to adding upselling features, small tweaks can make a big difference in sales.

Our guide on ways to increase WooCommerce sales with actionable tips covers a wide range of strategies that are beginner-friendly and easy to implement. It’s a helpful next read once you’ve finished setting up your waitlist system.

FAQs About Sending Back-in-Stock Notifications in WooCommerce

Here are answers to some of the most common questions we get about back-in-stock notifications for WooCommerce stores:

How do I set up email notifications for my WooCommerce store?

You can set up email notifications for your WooCommerce store by using a plugin like Merchant Pro, which includes a built-in Waitlist module that handles back-in-stock alerts automatically.

For best results, I also recommend pairing it with an SMTP plugin like WP Mail SMTP to improve email deliverability.

Is it possible to customize WooCommerce notification emails?

Yes, most back-in-stock notifier plugins let you customize WooCommerce notification emails directly inside the editor.

What happens if the emails aren’t delivered immediately?

If your back-in-stock emails aren’t delivering immediately, the most likely cause is that your site is using WordPress’s default mailer instead of a dedicated SMTP provider.

Setting up WP Mail SMTP with a provider like Gmail or Brevo will make your emails more reliable and ensure they reach your customers’ inboxes on time.

Can I view a log of sent notifications?

Yes, most back-in-stock notifier plugins allow you to do that.

For example, if you are using Merchant Pro, you can check the status by going to Products » Waitlist Subscribers. And if you’re using the Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce, you can access the report in Instock Notifier » All Subscribers.

How do I notify customers when products are back in stock?

You can notify customers when products are back in stock by using, for example, the Merchant Pro Waitlist module. It sends automatic email alerts as soon as a product’s stock is updated.

Next Steps to Improve Your WooCommerce Store Performance

I hope this guide has helped you set up back-in-stock notifiers for your WooCommerce store.

Next, you might want to see our other helpful guides on:

• How to Run a WooCommerce Flash Sale
• How to Add a Wishlist to Your WooCommerce Store
• How to Make a Smart WooCommerce Product Search
• How to Easily Create Post-Purchase Surveys in WooCommerce
• How to Build a WooCommerce Sales Funnel That Actually Converts

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Send Back-in-Stock Notifications in WooCommerce (& Recover Lost Sales) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Check If Your WordPress SEO Is Actually Working

Many WordPress site owners keep publishing content for months but still aren’t sure if their SEO is actually working.

The tricky part is that the results are usually already there but they’re just not always easy to notice at first glance.

Instead of appearing in one obvious place, SEO performance shows up across different areas of your site. You can spot it through clear signals like organic traffic, keyword rankings, indexed pages, click-through rates, and conversions.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to check if your SEO is working and measure your SEO progress on your site using tools like MonsterInsights, AIOSEO, and Google Search Console.

💡 Quick 2-Minute Check to See If Your WordPress SEO Is Working

If you just want a quick check-up of your SEO performance, you don’t need tools or deep reports yet. Start by answering these simple questions:

• Are you getting any organic traffic from search engines like Google Search?
• Are your pages indexed and appearing in search results?
• Are your keywords showing up in search results at all?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to at least one of these, then your SEO is already working in some way.

If not, it simply means you still need to focus on the basics, and the rest of this guide will help you fix that step by step.

What Does ‘SEO Working’ Actually Mean?

When people ask whether their SEO is working, they’re usually expecting a single clear answer. But in reality, SEO success shows up in a few different areas at the same time.

I’ve found it’s less about one big result and more about steady progress across your content and visibility.

Here are the main signs that your SEO is actually working:

• Your Organic Traffic is Slowly Increasing: You start getting more visitors from search engines over time. It may not jump overnight, but the trend moves upward.
• Your Pages are Appearing in Google Search Results: This means your content is getting indexed properly and showing up when people search for related topics.
• Your Keyword Rankings are Improving: Your posts begin to move higher in search results for the terms you’re targeting. Even moving from page 3 to page 2 is a positive signal.
• More People are Clicking Your Search Listings: This is your click-through rate (CTR). It tells you that your titles and meta descriptions are compelling enough to attract clicks.
• Visitors are Taking Action on Your Site: This could be signing up for your email list, filling out a contact form, or making a purchase.

The main thing to remember is this: you don’t need to see all of these factors improving at the same time or in big numbers. If even a few of them are moving in the right direction, then your SEO is working and building momentum over time.

5 Easy Ways to Check If Your SEO Is Working

Now that you know what ‘SEO working’ actually looks like, let’s get into the practical part: how to check it on your own website.

The good news is that you don’t need to guess or rely on assumptions. You can actually see clear SEO signals using a few simple tools and reports.

I have broken this down into 5 easy checks that give a pretty accurate picture of what’s happening behind the scenes. These are beginner-friendly, and you can do them even if you’re not very technical:

• Track Organic Traffic Growth Over Time
  • See Your Organic Traffic With MonsterInsights
  • How to Check Organic Traffic in Google Analytics
• Verify Your Pages Are Indexed in Google
  • How to Check Indexing in Google Search Console
• Monitor Your Target Keyword Rankings
• Analyze Your Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR)
  • How to Check CTR in Google Search Console
  • What Does CTR Tell You?
• Measure SEO-Driven Conversions and Goals (Conversions)
  • How to Track Conversions in Google Analytics
• 💡Simple Monthly SEO Checklist
• How Long Does SEO Take to Work?
• Frequently Asked Questions About Website SEO

1. Track Organic Traffic Growth Over Time

Organic traffic is simply the visitors who land on your website from search engines like Google Search without you paying for ads. So if someone searches for a topic, clicks your post, and visits your site, that’s organic traffic.

This is usually the first and most important SEO signal because it tells you one simple thing:
Are people actually finding your site through search?

To make this easier, here’s an idea of what healthy organic traffic can look like for different types of websites:

If this number is going up over time, then it usually means your content is getting more visibility, and your SEO strategy is moving in the right direction.

💡 Expert Tip: Organic search is still the main source of traffic, but search is evolving. Some websites are also starting to get traffic from AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

This is part of a newer strategy called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), which focuses on making content easier for AI systems to understand and surface in answers.

To prepare your site for visibility AI-generated answers, see our guide on Generative Engine Optimization.

See Your Organic Traffic With MonsterInsights

You can track your organic traffic using Google Analytics, which is one of the most popular and free tools for website analytics.

Inside Google Analytics, you’ll need to explore reports and filter traffic sources to find your organic search data. While it’s very powerful, it can feel overwhelming for beginners because there are multiple menus, reports, and settings to navigate.

That’s why I recommend MonsterInsights instead.

We use MonsterInsights across WPBeginner because it is the best analytics solution for WordPress.

It connects directly with Google Analytics but simplifies everything by showing your most important SEO and traffic data inside your WordPress dashboard.

Once MonsterInsights is installed and connected to Google Analytics, go to Insights » Reports in your WordPress dashboard, where you will see an ‘Overview Report.’

This gives you a simple breakdown of your website traffic, including how much is coming from organic search.

If you want deeper SEO insights, switch to the ‘Search Console‘ tab from the top (available in Pro).

This report shows:

• Top search queries bringing visitors
• Clicks and impressions from Google
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Average keyword position

It is one of the easiest ways to understand what people are searching for before landing on your site.

MonsterInsights also includes an AI Traffic report, which helps you track visitors coming from AI platforms like ChatGPT and other AI tools.

This is especially useful if your content is being discovered through AI-powered recommendations or answers.

To access it, go to Insights » Reports in your WordPress dashboard, then switch to the Traffic » AI Traffic tab from the top.

How to Check Organic Traffic in Google Analytics

If you prefer to use Google Analytics directly, then you can find your organic traffic there with just a few clicks. Once you know where to look, it’s pretty straightforward.

First, log in to your Google Analytics account and select your website. Then, go to Reports » Acquisition » Traffic acquisition.

Here, you’ll see a table showing different traffic sources. Look for the row labeled ‘Organic Search.’

This shows exactly how many visitors are coming to your site from search engines like Google.

You can also click on ‘Organic Search’ to get more detailed insights, like which pages are getting traffic and how users are interacting with your content.

While this method is powerful, it does require a bit more navigation compared to MonsterInsights. This is why many beginners prefer seeing this data directly inside their WordPress dashboards.

What Your Traffic Data Means

Once you open your reports in MonsterInsights or Google Analytics, you’ll usually see a trend line showing whether your traffic is going up, staying flat, or going down.

To make this easier to understand, here’s a simple breakdown of what those trends actually mean:

Traffic trend	What it means
Traffic is growing	Your SEO is working well, and your content is gaining visibility in search engines.
Traffic is flat	This is normal for new sites or during periods where you’re not publishing much new content.
Traffic is dropping	Something may need attention, such as content quality, indexing issues, or lost rankings.

The important thing here is not to panic over small changes. What really matters is the overall direction over time.

What Should You Do Next

If your organic traffic isn’t growing the way you expect, don’t worry. This is very common, especially for newer WordPress sites. The key is to focus on small, consistent improvements.

Here’s a simple action plan you can follow:

• Update Older Blog Posts: Refresh outdated content, improve clarity, and add new information where needed. Prioritize articles that are already ranking on page 2 or 3 of Google or that get a decent number of impressions but a low click-through rate.
• Publish New Content Regularly: Focus on topics people are actively searching for. This helps you build more entry points from search engines over time. I also recommend building content clusters around specific topics on your site.
• Improve Internal Linking: Link related posts together so search engines can better understand your site structure and users can navigate more easily.
• Target Easier Keywords First: If your site is still growing, focus on low-competition keywords to build momentum before going after harder search terms.

The goal is not to fix everything at once, but to make steady improvements that compound over time.

2. Verify Your Pages Are Indexed in Google

One of the most common SEO mistakes I see is people assuming that once you publish a post, it automatically shows up in search results. That’s not always the case.

Before your content can appear in search engines like Google Search, they need to index it. This means that search engines have discovered, analyzed, and stored your content.

If search engines haven’t indexed your pages, they simply cannot bring in any organic traffic, no matter how well you’ve written them.

To make it easier, I have added a visual that shows how indexing works.

How to Check Indexing in WordPress (The Easy Way)

You can easily check the index status of your pages and posts directly inside All in One SEO, which is the best WordPress SEO plugin.

It’s a powerful yet beginner-friendly tool that not only helps you optimize your content for search engines, but also gives you clear insights into how your site is performing, right inside your WordPress dashboard.

One of its most useful features is built-in indexing insights, so you can quickly see which pages are indexed, which aren’t, and why.

We use AIOSEO across WPBeginner to improve our SEO and keep track of how our content is performing in search engines You can read our full experience in our AIOSEO review.

To check your index status, you first need to set up All in One SEO properly. Once it’s active, connect it to your Google Search Console account so it can pull indexing data directly from Google.

For more information on that, see our guide on getting your WordPress site listed on Google.

After that, go to Search Statistics » Index Status from your WordPress dashboard. This section gives you a clear overview of how search engines are indexing your website content.

AIOSEO makes this even easier by showing the index status for each post directly on the main ‘Post Index Status’ screen.

Each post has a simple indicator that tells you whether it’s indexed or not, so you can scan your entire site at a glance without opening detailed reports for every page.

You can also expand the tab for each post or page to see detailed information about the index status pulled from Google Search Console.

AIOSEO all tells you whether the content was found through the sitemaps on your site, or through referring links from other content on your site. It also shows whether there’s any rich results for this content found by Google.

How to Check Indexing in Google Search Console

If you want to double-check indexing directly from Google, then you can use Google Search Console. I sometimes use this method when I want to confirm whether a specific page is indexed or not.

First, go to your Google Search Console account and select your website. Then, switch to the Indexing » Pages section from the left panel.

You can now use the URL Inspection tool at the top of the page. Just paste any page URL from your website into the search bar.

It will show you whether that page is indexed in Google or not.

If it’s not indexed yet, you can click ‘Request Indexing’ to ask Google to crawl it again.

What To Do If Pages Aren’t Being Indexed

If you notice that important pages are not being indexed, there are a few reliable ways to fix this and speed up the process.

One of the fastest methods is using IndexNow. It is an automatic ping that lets search engines know when a post or page (URL) on your website has been added, updated, or deleted.

With AIOSEO, IndexNow support is already built in, so you don’t need to install any extra plugin. Once you activate AIOSEO, simply go to AIOSEO » Feature Manager and enable the IndexNow feature.

After that, everything is handled automatically in the background. AIOSEO generates and manages your IndexNow API key, so your site can instantly notify search engines when you publish or update content.

If you want a full walkthrough, I recommend seeing our tutorial on adding IndexNow in WordPress to speed up SEO results.

Another important step is submitting your sitemap to Google Search Console.

A sitemap helps search engines understand your website structure and discover all your important pages more efficiently.

To do this, log in to Search Console and select your website. Then go to the ‘Sitemaps’ section in the left menu. In the ‘Add a new sitemap’ field, enter sitemap.xml and click submit.

💡Tip: You can find your exact sitemap URL in your AIOSEO settings by going to AIOSEO » Sitemaps. The plugin will show you the correct URL to use.

In many cases, Google will recognize this as a sitemap index file, often named sitemap_index.xml by SEO plugins. This is completely normal – it simply means Google has found your main sitemap file and is processing it correctly.

Once you submit your sitemap, Google will start crawling your site more effectively, and you can monitor indexing progress inside AIOSEO over time.

3. Monitor Your Target Keyword Rankings

Keyword rankings tell you how well your content is performing for specific search terms in Google Search results. Basically, it shows whether your pages are moving up, staying the same, or losing visibility for the keywords you care about.

This is one of the most important SEO checks because traffic growth usually starts with better keyword rankings. If your pages start ranking higher, then more people will see them, and more clicks will follow.

How to Track Keyword Rankings in AIOSEO

One of the easiest ways to track keyword performance in WordPress is by using All in One SEO, which is a powerful keyword ranking tracker. We use it to monitor our article rankings and track SEO progress across different websites.

AIOSEO’s Search Statistics feature works like a built-in keyword rank tracker inside your WordPress dashboard. This means you don’t need separate SEO tools just to understand how your keywords are performing.

📍Note: To see these insights, you’ll first need to connect AIOSEO to your Google Search Console account. This allows the plugin to pull your ranking data directly from Google.

Inside the Search Statistics dashboard, you’ll find widgets like Keyword Positions and Keyword Rankings.

They give you a clear overview of how your content is ranking in search results over time.

You can manually add keywords you want to track, import them from your focus keywords, pull them from Google Search Console, or even upload them via CSV.

This makes this method flexible whether you’re tracking a few posts or managing a full content strategy.

Once you add your keywords, AIOSEO shows you exactly where you rank for each term, along with helpful metrics like clicks, impressions, average click-through rate, and position history.

You can even expand individual keywords to see which specific pages are ranking for them.

Over time, this makes it much easier to spot trends, track progress, and see which content is actually improving in search.

For step by step instructions, I suggest reading our tutorial on how to check if your WordPress blog posts are ranking for the right keywords.

What to Do if Keywords Aren’t Ranking

If your keyword rankings aren’t improving, don’t panic. This is very common, especially for newer content or competitive topics.

I recommend making small, focused improvements that give your pages a better chance to rank.

Action	What it means	Why it helps
Improve Content Depth	Add more helpful information, examples, and answers to related questions.	Makes your content more complete and useful for search engines and readers. Also improves visibility in AI search systems by fully covering a topic in one place.
Target Easier Keywords	Focus on low-competition or long-tail keywords instead of highly competitive terms.	Gives your content a better chance to rank faster and start gaining visibility.
Add Internal Links	Link related blog posts and pages together within your site.	Helps search engines understand your site structure and boosts authority of important pages.
Build Content Clusters	Organize your content into topic groups where multiple related posts link back to a main “pillar” page.	Helps establish topical authority and makes it easier for both Google and AI systems to understand your expertise and surface your content in relevant answers.

These tips can often lead to better rankings over time, especially when combined with regular publishing and ongoing SEO optimization.

4. Analyze Your Organic Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Click-through rate (CTR) shows how often people click your link after seeing it in Google Search results. It reflects how well your title and meta description are able to grab attention and encourage clicks.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what a “good” CTR can look like depending on the type of website:

Even if your pages rank well, a low CTR can still hold back your traffic. That’s why CTR is an important SEO signal. It helps you see how your search listings are performing before users even land on your site.

How to Find CTR Data in AIOSEO

You can easily track CTR using the Search Statistics dashboard inside All in One SEO.

In the SEO Statistics report, you’ll see a clear overview of your site’s search performance for the selected date range.

This includes:

• Search Impressions – how many times your site appeared in Google search results
• Total Clicks – how many times users clicked through to your site
• Average CTR (Click-Through Rate) – the percentage of impressions that turned into clicks
• Average Position – your average ranking position in search results

All of this data comes directly from the Performance report in Google Search Console, but AIOSEO presents it in a much simpler, visual way inside WordPress.

You can also hover over the graph to see how these numbers change over time for specific dates. This helps you quickly understand whether your CTR is improving or dropping without digging into multiple reports.

How to Check CTR in Google Search Console

If you want to see CTR directly from Google, then you can use Google Search Console.

First, log in to your account and select your website property. Then, go to Performance » Search results from the left menu.

At the top of the report, you’ll see key metrics including:

• Total clicks
• Total impressions
• Average CTR
• Average position

You can also scroll down to see the exact search queries and pages that are generating clicks.

This gives you a more direct view of how your site is performing in Google search results, without using any plugin.

What Does CTR Tell You?

CTR helps you understand how effective your content looks in search results, not just how well it ranks.

Situation	What it usually means
High impressions, low CTR	Your page is showing in Google, but the title or description isn’t compelling enough
High CTR	Your titles and meta descriptions are attracting clicks effectively
Low impressions	Your pages may need better rankings before CTR becomes meaningful

Quick Fixes to Improve CTR

If your CTR is lower than expected, you can often improve it with a few small changes. You don’t always need to change your rankings—just make your search listing more appealing.

One of the easiest improvements is updating your title. Adding numbers, the current year, or a clear benefit can instantly make your result more clickable. For example, “10 Easy Ways…” or “Best Guide for 2026…” tends to perform better in search results.

Thankfully, AIOSEO comes with a headline analyzer, which gives a score and some practical tips for improving your post or page title.

Next, rewrite your meta description so it clearly explains what the page offers and why someone should click it. Think of it as a short “preview” that convinces users your page has the answer they’re looking for.

Make sure you’re also adding schema markup with AIOSEO where possible. This helps your listings stand out in search results with rich snippets like ratings, or FAQs.

For more tips and tricks, I recommend going through our guide on improving organic click-through rate in WordPress.

5.  Measure SEO-Driven Conversions and Goals (Conversions)

It’s wise to measure traffic, but it’s only half the story.

The real SEO success comes when visitors actually take action on your site, like signing up, buying a product, or submitting a form. These actions are called conversions.

Before you start tracking details, it helps to know what “healthy” conversion performance can look like depending on your website type:

How to Track Conversions With MonsterInsights

The easiest way to track conversions in WordPress is using MonsterInsights, which connects your site to Google Analytics.

One of the biggest advantages of MonsterInsights is its eCommerce addon. It makes it extremely simple to track product performance, revenue, and purchase behavior inside your WordPress dashboard.

This is super powerful because you can quickly see which products are generating sales, which traffic sources are converting best, and how users move through your buying process.

MonsterInsights also lets you track submissions using its Forms addon. It allows you to see which forms are getting the most views, how many submissions each form receives, and which forms are converting better than others.

I love how the plugin gives you a clean, easy-to-understand overview of how visitors interact with your site and which actions are actually driving results.

For detailed instructions, please take a look at our WordPress conversion tracking guide.

How to Track Conversions in Google Analytics

If you prefer to track conversions directly in Google Analytics, then log in to your account and select your website. Then, go to Reports » Engagement » Conversions (or Events, depending on your setup).

Here, you’ll see different user actions that Google tracks as events, such as:

• Form submissions
• Button clicks
• Purchases (for eCommerce sites)
• Sign-ups or other key actions

You can also mark specific events as conversions inside Google Analytics, so they appear in your main reporting dashboard.

While this method is more flexible, it can feel a bit technical for beginners, which is why many WordPress users prefer using MonsterInsights instead.

What to Improve if Conversions are Low

If your traffic looks good but conversions are low, here are some practical improvements I’ve seen work well across WordPress sites:

• Add Clear CTAs: Guides visitors to the next step instead of leaving them unsure what to do.
• Improve Content Intent: Makes sure your page matches what users are actually looking for when they land on it.
• Simplify Navigation: Helps users find what they need faster, without friction or confusion.

For more tips and how to implement them, check out our ultimate guide on conversion rate optimization.

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💡Simple Monthly SEO Checklist

Now that you know what to look for, I suggest creating a simple monthly SEO check-in for your WordPress site.

This doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming, just a quick routine to make sure your SEO is moving in the right direction.

Every month, take a few minutes to review the key signals covered in this guide:

• Is my organic traffic growing?
• Are my pages properly indexed?
• Are my keyword rankings improving over time?
• Are people actually clicking my search results (CTR)?
• Are visitors taking action on my site (conversions)?

If most of these are trending upward, then your SEO is working well. If one or two are not improving, that’s your signal to focus on that specific area next. This routine takes less than 20 minutes a month but provides the clarity you need to keep your SEO strategy on track.

For a complete step-by-step system, I suggest taking a look at our ultimate WordPress SEO guide.

How Long Does SEO Take to Work?

One of the most common questions I hear from WordPress site owners is: how long does SEO actually take to start working?

The honest answer is that SEO is not instant. It builds up gradually over time as search engines like Google crawl, understand, and trust your content.

To set realistic expectations, here’s a simple timeline of what most sites typically experience:

Keep in mind that these timelines can vary depending on your niche, competition, and how consistently you publish and optimize content.

The most important thing to remember is this: slow progress is completely normal in SEO—consistency matters far more than speed.

Small improvements over time add up to strong long-term results. For a deeper breakdown, see our guide on how long website SEO takes to show results.

Frequently Asked Questions About Website SEO

Even after checking all the key SEO signals, you might still have a few questions about how to know if your WordPress SEO is really working.

That’s completely normal because SEO can feel a bit confusing at first, especially when results don’t show up right away.

Below are some of the most common questions beginners ask, along with simple answers to help you stay on track.

How do I know if my WordPress SEO is improving?

You’ll know your WordPress SEO is improving when you see steady growth in organic traffic, better keyword rankings, and increasing impressions in search results on Google Search.

Even small upward trends over time are a strong sign that your SEO is moving in the right direction.

Why am I not getting traffic from SEO yet?

If you’re not getting traffic yet, it’s usually because your site is either still new or your pages are not fully indexed in search engines. In many cases, it just takes time for search engines to discover and rank your content properly.

Can I check WordPress SEO for free?

Yes, you can check your WordPress SEO for free using Google Search Console. It gives you insights into indexing, keyword performance, and search visibility. This makes it a powerful starting point for beginners.

What is more important in SEO: traffic or conversions?

Conversions are more important because they show real results from your SEO efforts. While traffic helps bring visitors to your site, conversions tell you whether those visitors are actually taking meaningful actions like signing up or making a purchase.

I hope this article helped you learn if your WordPress SEO is actually working. You may also want to see our guide on tracking SEO changes on your WordPress site and our list of WordPress site settings that are critical for SEO success.

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