What to Include in an SEO Client Report

A monthly SEO report that's actually useful — not just long — tends to cover the same core sections regardless of agency size. What varies is depth. Here's what each section needs.

Executive summary

One or two paragraphs on what happened this month and what it means. This is the only section some clients read — it needs to stand alone.

Keyword ranking performance

Movement on tracked keywords, with enough context to know if a change is meaningful or noise.

Authority and backlink metrics

DA/PA and backlink profile changes, framed against last month, not just as a snapshot.

Analytics and leads

Organic traffic and lead numbers, tied back to the work done — not just a traffic graph with no explanation.

Google Business Profile performance

Searches, views, calls, and direction requests where the client has a GBP listing — pulled from real GBP data, not estimated.

Next month's strategy

What the team plans to focus on next, so the report reads as forward-looking, not just a rear-view mirror.

Client-friendly summary

• Written in plain language, no SEO jargon
• Leads with outcomes, not metrics
• Short enough that a busy client actually reads it