A step-by-step guide to creating SEO reports in under 5 minutes

SEO reports can often feel time consuming, and pulling together data from different sources adds to the time it takes to compile a report, that said, they are essential for letting your clients know what’s happening with their performance. The truth is, an SEO report is your chance to demonstrate your impact, catch trends early, and, crucially, justify your strategies.  

So, how exactly do you create a great SEO report, and how can you simplify this process?  

TLDR: Creating SEO reports  

Creating an effective SEO report means pulling together key metrics like keyword rankings, traffic, conversions, and domain authority to clearly show progress and guide next steps. It’s crucial for building trust, demonstrating ROI, and spotting performance trends.  

Traditionally a time-consuming task involving multiple tools, SEO reporting is now simplified with ASK BOSCO®, which automates data collection and delivers powerful insights in one dashboard, saving time and giving agencies and marketers the clarity they need to make smarter decisions.  

Let’s get into the detail. 

What is an SEO report? 

At its core, an SEO report is a document that shows progress using key metrics to measure your website’s performance. It’s how you clearly communicate to your clients, your managers, or your stakeholders exactly how your SEO efforts are paying off. Or where improvements need to be made on your website. 

Typically, an SEO report includes key metrics such as: 

• Keyword rankings – Showing how your site is performing on search engines.
• Impressions and clicks – Metrics pulled from tools like Google Search Console, indicating how often your pages appear and how often they’re clicked. 
• Sessions, conversions, and revenue – Sourced from Google Analytics (GA), these metrics reflect how organic traffic impacts business outcomes. 
• Domain authority and backlinks – These are indicators of your site’s strength and credibility relative to competitors. 

Why is SEO reporting important? 

For agencies 

The importance of SEO reporting cannot be undervalued. It’s about proving the value of your work. SEO changes often take weeks, if not months to show results, so a comprehensive monthly report helps agencies clearly demonstrate the ROI of the actions implemented and building trust with clients. Reports are also essential for catching and responding to changes, ensuring you’re continually improving your strategy rather than working in a vacuum. 

For clients or internal stakeholders 

Regular reports provide visibility and assurance that your SEO investments are effective. It gives business leaders tangible evidence of how SEO drives revenue or leads, bridging the gap between technical jargon and real-world business outcomes. 

Creating the perfect SEO report: A step-by-step approach 

Here’s how to create a useful SEO report: 

Step 1: Gather the data

 You’ll typically collect data from multiple sources: 

• First-party tools like Google Analytics and Search Console for tracking sessions, conversions, revenue, impressions, and clicks. 
• Third-party tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs for keyword rankings, domain authority, backlinks, and competitor insights. Tools such as ASK BOSCO® can help streamline this process.

Step 2: Format your report clearly 

Although it’s tempting to dump data into a spreadsheet, this can overwhelm or confuse stakeholders and clients. Instead, create a concise, visually engaging presentation, as it highlights important metrics and adds helpful commentary. 

Step 3: Contextualize your data 

Don’t just share the numbers. Explain why they’ve changed: 

• Identify trends (positive or negative). 
• Highlight actions taken and the impact of those actions.
• Suggest strategies moving forward based on recent performance. 

For instance, if you notice certain product categories losing visibility, like colour specific product pages for an ecommerce client, flag this as something to investigate and optimize for the next month. 

Step 4: Provide actionable next steps 

Suggest clear next steps, making it obvious to the client or manager exactly what will happen next and why within your report. 

How to speed up your SEO reporting 

Creating an SEO report traditionally means manually pulling data from multiple tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Analytics, and Google Search Console, as previously mentioned. This process is laborious, prone to human error, and often is still incomplete. 

ASK BOSCO® completely changes this approach. Instead of manually collating data, ASK BOSCO® integrates and consolidates data from all these sources automatically. You get comprehensive, real-time SEO insights without needing to juggle different platforms and spreadsheets. 

Here’s why agencies and marketing teams love it: 

• All-in-one automation: No more data silos. ASK BOSCO® pulls everything into a single, easy-to-use dashboard, giving you instant visibility across all your key SEO metrics.
• Accuracy and speed: Automated reporting means data accuracy and saves significant time, allowing your SEO experts to focus on strategy and implementation rather than data gathering. 
• Detailed insights: From high-level summaries for CEOs to detailed drill-down analytics for SEO specialists, ASK BOSCO® ensures every stakeholder has exactly the insights they need. 
• Instant competitor analysis: ASK BOSCO® integrates competitor benchmarking, helping you understand how you stack up in real-time which is essential for strategic decisions when reporting.