Knowing how to create an SEO report correctly can make a huge difference to your clients’ SEO campaigns and their understanding of your work so far, as well as your thought process when developing an overall SEO strategy.

An SEO report isn’t just a collection of data; it’s a strategic tool that helps you gain a greater understanding of progress, identify what’s working and find new opportunities for improvement.

However, not all SEO reports are created equal. After all, anyone can compile data into a document and claim it to be a report. A strong SEO report, however, is clear, concise, and provides a detailed summary with tangible next steps.

In this guide, we’ll break down the key elements of an effective SEO report, how to present data in a meaningful way and how to recommend strategic actions for further growth.

 

What makes a good SEO report?

Knowing what to include in an SEO report is key to the success of an overall SEO strategy. However, simply highlighting SEO metrics isn’t enough, as this data is somewhat redundant without clear, actionable next steps.

When SEO data isn’t explained, simply including data from Google Search Console or Google Analytics can be misleading and very confusing. Below, we’ll be talking through the steps of creating SEO reports and best practices for providing clear recommendations.

 

What this guide covers:

If you’re trying to create an SEO report but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to the right place.

This guide aims to cover everything you need to know about creating a great report that concisely explains current SEO efforts and performance, with actionable insights that prove your SEO knowledge and reasoning behind your strategy.

Of course, when it comes to each client’s business, there is no one-size-fits-all site audit or necessarily an SEO report template that won’t need tweaking accordingly. However, there is a format you can follow to ensure you cover all bases when creating your next SEO report. Here’s what you need to include and the best ways to explain your findings.

 

What to include in an SEO report: Essential metrics

A well-structured SEO report focuses on data that matters – not just numbers for the sake of numbers. Below are some of the essential KPIs to include in your next report.

 

Website traffic and performance

Understanding how users find and engage with a website can help refine your SEO strategy.

However, standalone screenshots from the likes of Google Analytics are simply not enough and need further explanation to explain what this data really means.

Here are some examples of data to include in your SEO report and what each element demonstrates:

  • Organic traffic trends: This is crucial data to monitor changes in search-driven visitors over time.
  • Traffic sources: A breakdown of organic traffic, direct, referral and paid traffic.
  • User demographics and behaviour: Where a website’s visitors are coming from and whether they are engaging with content.
  • Device and location data: Where users are located and whether they are visiting on mobile or desktop.

Alongside organic traffic data, you may want to explain how and why these changes have taken place. For example, a change in organic traffic could be due to Google updates or different tactics, such as an increase in social media followers driving more visitors than organic search traffic.

 

Keyword rankings and visibility

Whether you’re writing long-form articles or creating case studies for your client, keyword rankings are a key metric in any SEO report.

SEO experts will leverage SEO tools to track the performance of keywords – before displaying the progress of these efforts in their report. Again, much like reporting on site traffic, there needs to be a summary of actionable next steps and details of your findings.

Keyword rankings directly impact search visibility and traffic potential. But it’s not just the positioning of target keywords that counts. Here’s what else you need to include in your SEO report:

  • Ranking changes: Are key terms moving up or down in search results? What has affected these changes, and what can be done to improve them further?
  • Search impressions and click-through rate (CTR): How often is the site appearing in searches, and how many users are clicking?
  • Competitor benchmarking: How do rankings compare against industry rivals?
  • Our top tip: Instead of listing dozens of keywords, focus on those that bring the most traffic and conversions.

 

Engagement metrics

Traffic alone isn’t enough – understanding how users interact with a site is crucial.

  • Bounce rate: Are visitors staying or leaving quickly?
  • Pages per session: Do users explore multiple pages or exit after one?
  • Top performing pages: Which pages attract the most visitors?

Remember the importance of explaining all the data above. For example, a high bounce rate isn’t always a bad thing, as this can depend on the page type. Blog pages, for example, can naturally have higher bounce rates than service web pages.

A perfect SEO report covers these important details, as SEO data left unexplained can be difficult to understand when handing over your report to the client.

 

Conversions and business impact

SEO success isn’t just about search engine rankings, it’s about driving real business results.

When putting together an SEO report, it’s incredibly important to identify how search engine results are driving real business for your client, whether it’s via calls, contact form entries or even newsletter sign-ups.

Here are some examples of relevant data to include:

  • Goal completions: How many leads, sales or sign-ups came from organic traffic?
  • Conversion rate: What percentage of visitors took a desired action?
  • Attribution analysis: How does SEO contribute to the wider marketing strategy?

Remember, it’s important to align your SEO reporting with business goals, as tracking the wrong metrics can lead to misleading insights.

 

Technical SEO and backlinks

SEO isn’t just about content and keyword performance, it also requires a solid technical foundation. Multiple SEO tools will allow you to examine elements, such as site speed, to help you keep on top of a website’s health.

Here’s what you should cover in your SEO report:

  • Page speed and core web vitals: How fast does the website load? Does it meet Google’s experience benchmarks?
  • Indexing and crawlability: Are there any broken links, duplicate pages or indexing errors?
  • Backlink profile: How many high-quality links are linking to your site? Is the website gaining or losing backlinks?

While SEO reporting tools will demonstrate these changes, it’s important as a part of your site health report to explain the importance of elements such as site speed – especially since this could directly affect other areas, such as bounce rate.

Our top tip is to use tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Semrush to monitor technical SEO errors and backlinks.

 

Presenting data in an easy-to-understand format

SEO reports shouldn’t be overwhelming. The goal is to make them clear, concise, and easy to act on. Here’s how:

 

Use visuals to demonstrate data

  • Replace complex spreadsheets with graphs and charts to highlight key trends.
  • Compare data month-on-month or year-on-year for better context.
  • Include a summary table with key figures at the start of the report.

 

Avoid SEO jargon

Not everyone understands search engine algorithms or technical SEO terms. Keep explanations simple and include brief definitions where necessary.

 

Structure your SEO report logically

A clear layout makes it easier to digest insights. A simple format could be:

  • SEO performance actions: Key takeaways in bullet points.
  • Performance overview: Traffic, rankings, and engagement metrics.
  • Insights and trends: What’s changed and why.
  • Action plan: Next steps to improve performance.

 

The importance of actionable insights to drive growth

SEO reports should lead to improvements, not just provide information. Based on performance data, here’s how to translate insights into action:

  • Address declining keyword rankings: If organic search results have dropped, detail how you aim to improve them, whether it’s updating content or improving internal linking.
  • Improve conversion rates: If traffic is high but conversions are low, review how you can optimise landing pages, refine CTAs or test different content formats.
  • Reducing bounce rates: If users are leaving certain web pages too quickly, consider including in your site audit how you can improve page speed and enhance content readability.
  • Building a stronger backlink profile: If a website doesn’t have enough high-quality backlinks, report how you can run link-building campaigns, write guest posts and create shareable content.

 

Take your SEO report to the next level

With the steps above, you’ll be well on your way to creating an SEO report that demonstrates your knowledge and expertise. Remember, it’s important to not just showcase data but give explanations and actionable steps for improvement.

 

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