# SEO Reporting Template > Creates SEO reporting templates with KPI tracking, ranking changes, traffic analysis, and conversion attribution. Use when building regular SEO performance reports. - Skill: `reaperinvest/seo-reporting-template` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/seo-reporting-template` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/seo-reporting-template/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Marketing & Growth - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/seo-reporting-template --- # SEO Reporting Template ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Build a recurring SEO report template for monthly or quarterly reviews - Define which KPIs to track and how to present them - Create a reporting framework that connects SEO efforts to business results - Design dashboards or report documents for stakeholders or personal tracking **DO NOT** use this skill for technical SEO audits, content strategy, or keyword research. This is for building the reporting structure that tracks SEO performance over time. --- ## Core Principle AN SEO REPORT MUST ANSWER THREE QUESTIONS: WHAT CHANGED, WHY IT CHANGED, AND WHAT WE ARE DOING ABOUT IT — DATA WITHOUT CONTEXT AND ACTION IS JUST NOISE. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Report audience** | "Who reads this report? (yourself, client, team)" | Yourself (solopreneur) | | **Reporting frequency** | "How often? (weekly, monthly, quarterly)" | Monthly | | **Business goals** | "What business outcomes should SEO drive?" | Traffic, leads, and sales | | **Data sources** | "What tools do you have? (GSC, GA4, Ahrefs, etc.)" | Google Search Console + Google Analytics | | **Key pages** | "Which pages matter most to track?" | Homepage, top 10 content pages, service pages | | **Baseline** | "Do you have historical data to compare against?" | Last month and last year | **GATE: Confirm reporting needs before building the template.** --- ## Phase 2: Report Structure ### Monthly SEO Report Template ``` ## SEO Report — [Month Year] ### Executive Summary (3-5 sentences) - [Biggest win this month] - [Key metric change: traffic up/down X%] - [Primary action taken and result] - [Focus for next month] --- ### Traffic Overview | Metric | This Month | Last Month | MoM Change | Last Year | YoY Change | |--------|-----------|------------|------------|----------|------------| | Organic sessions | [X] | [X] | [+/-X%] | [X] | [+/-X%] | | Organic users | [X] | [X] | [+/-X%] | [X] | [+/-X%] | | Organic pageviews | [X] | [X] | [+/-X%] | [X] | [+/-X%] | | Avg session duration | [X] | [X] | [+/-X] | [X] | [+/-X] | | Bounce rate | [X%] | [X%] | [+/-X%] | [X%] | [+/-X%] | --- ### Keyword Rankings | Keyword | Current | Last Month | Change | Target Page | |---------|---------|------------|--------|-------------| | [keyword] | [X] | [X] | [+/- X] | [URL] | **New keywords ranking (top 50):** [X] new keywords **Keywords improved:** [X] **Keywords declined:** [X] --- ### Top Performing Pages | Page | Sessions | MoM Change | Top Keyword | Position | |------|---------|------------|-------------|----------| | [URL] | [X] | [+/- X%] | [keyword] | [X] | --- ### Conversions from Organic | Goal | Completions | MoM Change | Conversion Rate | |------|------------|------------|-----------------| | [Email signups] | [X] | [+/-X%] | [X%] | | [Sales] | [X] | [+/-X%] | [X%] | | [Contact form] | [X] | [+/-X%] | [X%] | --- ### Actions Taken This Month 1. [Published X blog posts targeting [keywords]] 2. [Acquired X new backlinks from [sources]] 3. [Fixed X technical issues] ### Plan for Next Month 1. [Content to publish] 2. [Link building targets] 3. [Technical fixes planned] ``` **GATE: Approve the template structure before customizing.** --- ## Phase 3: Customize and Populate ### Data Collection Guide For each section, document: - Where to pull the data (which tool, which report) - How to calculate the metric (formula if needed) - What comparison period to use - How to identify anomalies vs. trends ### Visualization Recommendations ``` ## Chart Types by Section **Traffic overview:** Line chart showing 12-month trend **Keyword rankings:** Table with color-coded changes (green up, red down) **Top pages:** Bar chart of top 10 pages by sessions **Conversions:** Funnel visualization or simple table **Month-over-month:** Comparison bar charts ``` ### Commentary Framework For each data section, answer: 1. **What happened?** — state the data change in plain language 2. **Why?** — attribute the change to a specific cause (algorithm update, new content, technical fix, seasonal trend) 3. **So what?** — what does this mean for the business 4. **Now what?** — what action to take based on this data --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Report Automation Tips - Set up Google Search Console email alerts for coverage issues - Create saved segments in Google Analytics for organic traffic - Use Google Looker Studio (free) for automated dashboards - Schedule monthly calendar reminder to pull and review data ### 2. Reporting Cadence - Weekly: quick check of GSC for errors, traffic anomalies - Monthly: full report with all sections - Quarterly: strategic review with trend analysis and goal reassessment - Annually: year-in-review with ROI analysis ### 3. Presentation Tips - Lead with wins, then areas for improvement - Use percentages for changes, absolute numbers for totals - Compare to goals, not just previous periods - Include 1-2 screenshots of SERP wins or notable rankings --- ## Anti-Patterns - **Data dump with no analysis** — 50 charts with no explanation is not a report. Every metric needs a "so what." - **Tracking vanity metrics only** — impressions and rankings matter, but conversions and revenue are what the business cares about. - **No comparison periods** — a number without context means nothing. Always show month-over-month and year-over-year. - **Reporting on everything** — focus on 8-12 key metrics. Too many metrics dilute attention. - **No action items** — a report that doesn't end with "here's what we're doing next" is an FYI, not a strategy tool. --- ## Recovery - **No historical data:** Start tracking now. The first report establishes the baseline. Month 2 is when comparisons begin. - **Only Google Search Console available:** Build the report around impressions, clicks, CTR, and average position. Add GA4 for traffic and conversion data when available. - **Report takes too long to produce:** Automate data collection with Looker Studio dashboards. Manual analysis time drops from hours to 30 minutes. - **Nobody reads the report:** Shorten to a one-page executive summary with a link to the full data. Lead with the most interesting finding.