If you have been working in the digital marketing space, especially search engine optimization, for some time now, you must be aware of the fact that a lot depends on how you report the results of your work to the client. Understandably, your clients may know much about search engine optimization or SEO quite a bit, yet they might not be following the trends and tips as closely as you are. Every client has different business goals, and one strategy is not going to serve all as efficiently. Therefore, it is how you explain the impact of your work on their business that is going to help the clients understand the importance and benefits of SEO.
In many cases, your report must be both elementary yet very precise. Achieving that balance is not an easy task. Depending on who is receiving the report, you will have to change the composition and elements of your report. In case, you have been wondering, how you can compose an SEO report that will impress your client, take a look at the following points.
Traffic channels
Most clients have a common goal – to increase website traffic. If that is what your client is aiming for, then start your report with organic traffic analysis. Using the Source/Medium section of Google Analytics is an excellent idea. This tool will provide a clear picture of the existing and potential traffic channels and how they are faring. This information will help the business owner understand where they should spend their money and how much.
Conversion rate
No matter how much traffic a site is getting, it will not be of much use if it is not doing what it is actually meant to do, which is making conversions happen! Clients are likely to be most interested in this section of the report, so it will be wise to make this part detailed. Note that once you know the conversion rates and which channel is bringing in the traffic that is converting the most, it will be easier to explain in the report why it is how it is. Put it in a Conversions > Goals > Overview format.
Page level traffic
So you are what the source of traffic is. However, it is also vital to know where the traffic is going. For example – it is nice to know that somebody has landed on your website from Google organic search, but if you get to know that they headed towards the latest blog post, it is better, isn’t it? You will know which part of your content is capturing the interest of your visitors, and which part is not. This information will help you figure out the trends and determine which trends are worth following. Now they can decide whether they want to focus on improving their products page or they want to concentrate on enhancing the experience of the visitors by emphasizing on some other element of their website.
Rankings
You must already know that this is the most important part of any SEO report and most professionals report the ranking data for each keyword. While there is still value in that, it should be used as a part of the overall ranking metrics, not just the beginning and end of it. Also, monitor the links that you are constantly gaining and losing. This way you will know more about the competition you face and track more SEO opportunities.
Future plans
Now that you have detailed all the aspects of the SEO campaign and the results of each aspect, the client needs to know what you have scheduled for the future. The ‘recommendations’ part shows that you have identified the comparatively weaker portions of the campaign and that you plan to work in those areas to get positive results. It will strengthen the client’s faith in you as well give them a clear idea of what to expect from the campaign in the upcoming phase.
The above points shed light on the essential elements of a good SEO report. Remember, the effectiveness of SEO services should be evident from the figures you are stating. Clients do not have the time to go through long chunks of text, and they rely much on numbers. Comparative analysis is a much appreciated element of SEO reports. Irrespective of what kind metrics you are including, always keep the option of comparing timeframes. The client must be able to compare month to month and quarter to quarter. The more they compare, the clearer their idea about the effectiveness of a campaign will be. A clear understanding is instrumental in producing satisfactory results.
Author Bio: Jenny Williams is a search engine optimization expert who has worked in the digital marketing industry for half a decade now. She carefully follows search engine optimization trends and often blogs about them. Her articles on the benefits of SEO services are liked by SEO professionals as well as business owners.