Step-by-Step SEO Reporting Process

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Last Updated on August 15, 2025

SEO Audits and Reporting are necessary. If you can’t measure it, you can’t really use it. And sure, they may seem scary and time-consuming, but so are most things that matter. Reports matter.

SEO Reporting can be a weekly or a monthly activity that shows your website’s visibility. It can also be a part of an SEO Audit.

There are four important takeaways in any SEO Report:

  1. What is working well
  2. What must be done (easy to do or red flags from the system)
  3. What should be done
  4. What can be done

SEO takes time, and is often a frustrating, complex subject for many business owners.

  1. Give them the good news – feeling good moves us forward
  2. Get working on the quick wins and fix the red flags
  3. While these are bearing fruit, work on those items that will take time to bear fruit.

If you haven’t looked at how to conduct an SEO Audit, you may find the following articles useful.

How You Can Conduct a Free Website SEO Audit
TechTalk #4 How You Can Easily Conduct a Mini Site Audit

SEO Reporting Step 0: Identify Your Target Group – It’s always about who and why?

Before diving into KPIs or metrics, ask:

  • Who will read this report?
  • What do they care about most?
  • How comfortable are they with SEO terminology?

Common target groups & focus areas:

  1. Executives / C‑Suite → ROI, conversions, high-level trends, visuals (minimal jargon)
  2. Marketing Managers → Campaign results, keyword performance, competitor insights
  3. SEO Specialists / Web Team → Technical audits, rankings, backlink details, implementation steps
  4. Clients → Progress towards goals, wins, next steps in plain language

SEO Reporting Step 1: Define Goals & KPIs

  • Identify the purpose of the report: Is it for tracking growth, identifying problems, or proving ROI?
  • Agree on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with stakeholders (e.g., organic clicks, keyword rankings, conversions, backlinks, site health score).
  • Prioritize metrics relevant to your client or business (ecommerce = conversions, content site = traffic growth, etc.).
  • Remember: all KPIs are metrics but nit all metrics are KPIs. A KPI is an indicator if you will reach your goal or not. Example: your goal is 1000 clicks in 4 weeks. End of week 2: only 250 clicks is an indicator you won’t reach your goal. In this case Clicks is a KPI.

SEO Reporting Step 2: Choose the Right Metrics

From the Semrush framework, standard SEO metrics to consider:

  1. Organic clicks (traffic from search)
  2. Click-through rate (CTR)
  3. Conversion rate
  4. Keyword rankings
  5. Backlinks (quantity & quality)
  6. Site Health
  7. Authority Score

Tip: Only include metrics that have a direct link to objectives — avoid overwhelming with data.

SEO Reporting Step 3: Collect the Data

Use a combination of tools:

a) Google Search Console (GSC) – Bing Webmaster Tools

  • Go to Performance → Search Results
  • Select metrics like Total Clicks and Average CTR
  • Filter by date range and export page-level data

b) Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

  • Navigate to Reports → Engagement → Landing Page
  • Track conversions (key events) from organic search with filters
  • Export traffic & conversion data

c) Semrush Tools

  • Organic Traffic Insights → Combines GSC & GA data, uncovers “not provided” keywords
  • Organic Research & Position Tracking → Track keyword positions and changes over time
  • Backlink Analytics → Track new/lost backlinks, referring domains, and Authority Score
  • Site Audit → Identify technical issues, get a Site Health score

c) Other Tools

SEO Reporting Step 4: Analyze & Add Insights

  • Don’t just show numbers — explain why changes happened and what to do next.
  • Example:
    • Traffic dropped on product page? — Possible cause: keyword ranking loss or technical issue
    • Keyword rankings improved? — Attribute to new content or backlink acquisition

SEO Reporting Step 5: Structure Your Report

Suggested layout:

  1. Executive Summary — Key wins, challenges, and recommendations in a short overview.
  2. Traffic Summary — Quantity, quality, and sources of traffic.
  3. Keyword Rankings — Movements for focus keywords.
  4. Conversions — ROI-focused data showing business impact.
  5. Backlink Profile — Gains, losses, and quality scores. Don’t forget Social Media.
  6. Content Performance — Top content by traffic/conversions.
  7. Technical SEO — Site health score, major issues.
  8. Recommended Actions — Clear next steps.

SEO Reporting Step 6: Choose Format & Frequency

  • Agree with stakeholders: weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
  • Choose delivery format: PDF, Google Slides, Google Docs, dashboard (Looker Studio).
  • Keep a consistent structure so readers can track progress over time.

SEO Reporting Step 7: End on a Positive Note

  • Even if reporting issues, always close with:
    • Actions in progress
    • Next steps
    • Confidence in strategy
    • Identify Quick Wins that show progress
  • This maintains stakeholder motivation.

SEO Reporting Step 8: Automate Where Possible

  • Use Semrush My Reports to:
    • Drag-and-drop widgets (GA4, GSC, Site Audit, Backlink Analytics)
    • Use ready-made templates
    • Schedule automatic PDF sends (daily/weekly/monthly)

Read More about SEO Reporting

https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-report

https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-create-an-seo-report-for-your-wordpress-site

https://www.wix.com/studio/academy/courses/seo-reporting

https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-reporting