One area that many agencies lack in general, especially in local SEO, is reporting.
Unlike corporate and international businesses with C-level executives and shareholders, many local businesses only care about getting more people through their doors.
So by simplifying our approach and focusing on reporting only highly relevant data, agencies can better serve local businesses and build stronger relationships.
Here are seven tips to improve your local SEO reporting and serve your local clients.
1. Simplify Reports
Simplifying your SEO reports isn’t just advice that local SEO agencies should follow – it should be for every agency in general.
Our first impulse as marketers and communicators is to provide as detailed a report as possible. That’s even more true when marketers have to bury poor campaign results under a mountain of information.
However, our reports should tell a clear and concise story about how well our marketing campaigns are performing.
Complicated reports with unnecessary data distract from campaign success and will make some eyes roll.
Screenshot from Google Analytics, September 2022
Follow these tips to make local SEO reports simple and easy for clients to digest:
2. Choose The Right Metrics
Part of telling a story with data is choosing the right data that is relevant to that story.
Most local businesses only care about two vital indicators:
However, this does not mean that you should ignore every important metric, but that you should choose the metrics that are relevant to your story.
Even a metric like total traffic doesn’t show how qualified that traffic is or from which channels that traffic originates.
That’s why I like to include the following vital metrics from Google Analytics:
Screenshot from Google Analytics, September 2022
These metrics tell our clients which campaigns are driving the most traffic and from which cities and sources.
I also like to include Google Search Console data in my reports to track SERP (search engine results page) data such as clicks, impressions, and CTR (click-through rate).
You’ll also need a keyword data reporting tool, such as Semrush or Ahrefs. Semrush even provides a handy tool to easily create reports and templates for future clients.
3. Segment Keywords By Location
Getting into some more local aspects of SEO, we’ll need to ensure that our reports are properly optimized to only report local keyword data.
For this section you will need an advanced keyword tool like Semrush, Moz or Ahrefs.
I used Semrush to create a new project and implement position tracking on my most important strategic keywords in this example.
As you can see below, I have set up position tracking for searches specifically in the Houston metropolitan area. I can then load the keywords I’m tracking from Semrush or even Google Analytics for reporting.
Screenshot from Semrush, September 2022
To filter the keywords I’m tracking, I can also add tags that separate them into specific categories.
Screenshot from Semrush, September 2022
You can get your list as granular as you want by separating keywords with query phrases, “nearby” searches, or by including a city-based keyword from your list.
Once you’ve set up position tracking and tags, you can easily export or add those keywords to a CSV or Semrush reporting tool.
4. Segment Traffic By Device
Equally crucial to tracking local SEO campaigns is filtering data by device.
This is why I like to include sections in my reports that show traffic by device and even as detailed as by location and device.
Screenshot from Google Analytics, September 2022
When it comes to local SEO, mobile search traffic is arguably more important than desktop traffic, especially when you consider click-to-call and mobile ordering, which are typically done on a smartphone or other mobile device.
5. Track Local SERP Results
Another big difference in how Google approaches local searches is the use of tools like the Local Search Pack and Google Business Profile.
For several local businesses, Google Business Profile ads can be a significantly greater source of business conversions and traffic than their actual website.
You will need to sign up for the Google Business Profile data tracking connector using any conventional reporting tool.
Screenshot from Google Data Studio, September 2022
However, many keyword tools like Semrush offer detailed keyword information on local search results, such as local bundle results and featured snippets.
Screenshot from Semrush, September 2022
This information is very relevant for businesses that want to rank in “near me” searches that generate a lot of traffic for their business.
Export this data to CSV or upload it directly to Semrush’s reporting tool.
6. Go Beyond Standard SEO Tools And Metrics
Going beyond the local package, we can add several additional KPIs (key performance indicators) to our local SEO reports that are highly relevant to businesses.
Screenshot from Semrush, September 2022
For example, consider including the following metrics in your next local SEO report:
Screenshot from Semrush, September 2022
You may need to purchase a social listening tool or upgrade your Semrush account to track social mentions and engagement.
However, you can also manually research to track changes in review scores, unrelated brand mentions, or social media engagement on trending posts to add to your reports.
7. Provide Actionable Information
Finally, we like to round out our reports by adding a section at the end that summarizes campaign results and future actions based on the data you present.
This section will help you complete your story using the data provided and help your customers understand what you have presented to them.
I also feel that adding the final referral section is important as many campaigns can be hindered by low budgets or reluctant clients who don’t want to take all the necessary steps to change their website.
So if your campaign is stuck because a local business won’t update their page or implement the recommended changes, make sure to remind them nicely at the end of your report and explain the benefits of your recommendations.
Featured image: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock
An SEO strategy is the process of organizing a website’s content by topic to increase its likelihood of appearing in search results. Basically, it’s a process you follow to maximize your opportunity to get organic search engine traffic.
How do I create a SEO strategy report?
Create your SEO report in 6 steps
- Title Card. This is the first step in your SEO report. …
- Content. As its name suggests, this page is just content to help you structure your SEO report.
- Overview. Customize this template and make it your own! …
- KPIs. …
- Organic traffic. …
- Backlinks.
What does an SEO report look like? To summarize, a perfect SEO report should: Look good and be easy to read, with a great UX (user experience) Include your client’s or your company’s logo. Be available in the format your audience wants. Include all the data from the tools you already use to do your SEO work.
What does a SEO report contain?
Ranking and Backlinks If you’ve helped your client get backlinks as part of your SEO strategy, you’ll show their impact in this section of the report. In terms of ranking, you should indicate where the site ranks for the keywords that you have determined are most valuable to the client.
Why SEO report is important?
SEO reporting plays a key role in developing a strong digital marketing strategy. Collecting the right data and knowing how to sort and understand the information can let marketers know what efforts are bringing customers and what areas need improvement to ensure quality ROI for the company.
What does an SEO report include?
The SEO report is a summary of SEO metrics that illustrate the performance of your site. Reports typically cover areas such as total organic traffic, conversions, backlinks and website technical health.
How do you read SEO reports?
First, the SEO score is displayed, which lets you know how optimized your site is. The following items include how many factors were tested that passed, how many have warnings associated with them, and how many failed. If any tests were performed with tied results, they will be displayed in a list box.
What is first step for on page SEO?
Page content is the heart of on-page SEO. It tells both search engines and readers what your website and business is about. The first step to creating high-quality content is choosing relevant keywords and topics.
What is essential on page SEO? On-page SEO (or on-site SEO) is the practice of optimizing web pages for specific keywords to improve search visibility and traffic. This includes aligning page-specific elements such as title tags, headings, content and internal links with keywords.
What are the main parts of on page SEO?
On-page SEO refers to the SEO elements that you control on the website or at the website itself. Examples of on-page SEO include content, titles and headers, image optimization, title tags, meta descriptions, structured data, and more.
Which is ideally first step of SEO?
The SEO process begins with building a clear picture of what kind of content your target audience likes to consume. Once you understand what your audience is looking for, you can start deciding what content you should create and what keywords you should target.
What is the first step in SEO?
Defining relevant keywords is the first step in creating search engine optimized website content. By using keywords and building your topics around them, you will create content that answers Google searches.
What is a website analytics report?
A website analytics dashboard is a visual report used to display and monitor web performance metrics such as website traffic, visit rate, conversion rate, and session duration. Website analytics dashboards and reports can be embedded in tools such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics.
What is included in web analytics? Web analytics is the process of analyzing the behavior of website visitors. This includes tracking, reviewing and reporting data to measure web activity, including the use of the website and its components, such as web pages, images and videos.
What is web analytics report?
A web analytics report is the process of evaluating the progress and overall performance of any website. It usually has historical data, collects raw data and presents it in a digestible format.
What should be included in web report?
While the report should include the bigger picture of site traffic, you should show traffic, engagement and conversion by source. Because each channel differs in scope and performance, separate out organic search, paid search, display advertising, social media referrals, and other key sources.
What web analytics can tell you?
They look at statistics on âpageviews,î visits, and unique visitors and measure their progress in terms of how much traffic increases over time. They could look at engagement statistics such as time on site and pageviews per visit to determine how much people are enjoying the site after they come to visit.
What is web analytics used for?
Web analytics is the measurement and analysis of data to understand user behavior on web pages.
What is website analytics and reporting?
Web analytics is the collection, reporting and analysis of website data. The focus is on identifying metrics based on your organizational and customer goals and using website data to determine the success or failure of those goals and to drive strategy and improve the customer experience.
What do Google Analytics reports include?
Basic Analytics Reports Acquisition provides information about where your traffic is coming from, how users are getting to your site or app, and the marketing efforts you’re using to drive traffic.
What are the three different types of reports in Google Analytics?
There are also three different types of reports: explorer, flat table, and map overlay.
What are the 4 main reports in Google Analytics?
While you can use data from Google Analytics in countless ways, the four most useful reports for your content marketing cover traffic, navigation summary, organic search traffic, and conversions.
What type of report does Google Analytics generate?
Explorer: Standard analytics report. It includes a line chart and a data table that includes dynamic elements such as search/sort options and secondary dimensions. Flat Table: A static, sortable table that displays data in rows.
What are the 4 main reports in Google Analytics?
While you can use data from Google Analytics in countless ways, the four most useful reports for your content marketing cover traffic, navigation summary, organic search traffic, and conversions.
What are the 4 goals in Google Analytics?
There are four basic types of goals you can create within Google Analytics: destination, event, duration, and pages per session. If you use Google Ads, you can also use Smart Goals to track qualified visitors to your site from a pay-per-click campaign.
How many reports are there in Google Analytics?
There are 7 different types of Google Analytics reports that you can create in your account. It is important to have a general understanding of the options you have in advance so that you can make the best possible choice for your property.
What is good reporting system?
A good reporting system is helpful to management in planning and control, each level of management needs information related to the center of activity in order to plan effectively. can be undertaken and correct activities can be controlled and necessary corrective measures can also be taken in time.
What does good reporting look like? A good report will show the connection between the resources and the capital that the entity has. In covering factors relevant to users, corporate reports must strike a balance, fairly discussing significant aspects and presenting them in a neutral manner. Finally, brevity is key.
What is a reporting system?
What is a reporting system? A reporting system is a general term applied to a wide range of applications that extract data from databases, organize that data into reports, manage and distribute these reports to decision makers to help them make better informed business decisions.
What is a good reporting system?
A good reporting system is the basis for successful strategy implementation. What is a management reporting system? It is a structured and scheduled set of reports designed for specific stakeholders that enable an organization to monitor performance, identify trends, analyze data and align performance with overall goals.
What do you mean by reporting system?
The reporting system is a key process in every organization and for every type of project. The information is used to provide all interested parties with information about the status of the project and of course it is also used for decision making.
What is reporting system in management?
What is a management reporting system? A management reporting system is a part of a management control system that provides business information. This information may be in the form of reports and/or statements. The system is designed to assist board members by providing timely relevant information.
What is the role of reporting system?
Management reporting systems help collect the data that managers need to run an efficient business. Data can range from financial data, headcount, client, accounts, products, client assets under custody, investment performance, etc. The scope of the management reporting system is wide.
What is the importance of reporting system?
Reporting systems help track individual incidents and responses, as well as trends over time. When developing a reporting system it is important to: make it easy – people are more likely to report when it is easy to do so. maintain reports in a way that shows problems and patterns that appear over time.
What are the benefits of reporting?
The report provides a basis for deciding on operational policy, volume of sales or production, inventory policy, quality production, product design, etc. 9. Assists management in maintaining the operational efficiency of all employees and the business in general.