SEO reporting is where scope ambiguity turns into client frustration.
"Monthly reporting included" sounds straightforward — until the client expects a 20-page deck with competitor analysis, and your team planned a 2-page dashboard summary. Or until the client doesn't read the report at all, and your team spends 4 hours a month on a deliverable nobody values.
Reporting scope needs the same rigour as delivery scope: what's reported, how often, in what format, and what action it drives.
Who this is for
- SEO agencies defining reporting deliverables within retainer scopes
- Account managers setting reporting expectations with new clients
- Teams standardising reporting across multiple clients
- Agencies where reporting consumes disproportionate time
Variables that change reporting scope
| Variable | Impact |
|---|---|
| Reporting cadence | Weekly, monthly, quarterly — each has different depth and effort |
| Report format | Dashboard, slide deck, PDF, Google Doc, live walkthrough |
| KPI complexity | Traffic + rankings vs full attribution with revenue impact |
| Number of locations | Multi-location reporting multiplies data and formatting effort |
| Competitor tracking | None vs basic vs detailed competitor benchmarking |
| Client sophistication | Technical buyers want data depth. Executive buyers want summaries |
| Data sources | GA4, GSC, rank tracker, backlink tool, call tracking, CRM |
What reporting scope should define
| Section | Key details |
|---|---|
| Report contents | Specific sections and metrics included in each report |
| Cadence | Monthly report, quarterly strategy review, weekly pulse (if any) |
| Format | Slide deck, dashboard, PDF, live meeting |
| Data sources | Where metrics come from — and who maintains access |
| KPIs tracked | Exactly which metrics, with definitions |
| Delivery timeline | When reports are delivered after the reporting period |
| Review meeting | Whether a walkthrough meeting is included, and duration |
| Exclusions | What reporting does NOT include |
Monthly performance report
Contents:
- Organic traffic (sessions, users) — month-over-month and year-over-year
- Keyword rankings — tracked keywords, movement summary, top movers
- Technical health — crawl errors, Core Web Vitals, indexation changes
- Content performance — top pages by traffic, new content impact
- Backlink profile — new/lost links, domain authority trend
- Conversion data — goal completions or revenue from organic (if tracked)
- Work completed — summary of activities delivered during reporting period
- Next month priorities — upcoming focus areas and planned deliverables
Format: Google Slides / PDF Delivery: By [Xth] business day of the following month Review meeting: 30-minute walkthrough included — monthly
Quarterly strategy review
Contents:
- 90-day performance summary with trend analysis
- Progress against annual KPI targets
- Competitor landscape update
- Strategy adjustments and recommendations
- Updated 90-day roadmap
Format: Google Slides with appendix data Delivery: Within 10 business days of quarter end Review meeting: 60-minute strategy session included — quarterly
KPIs tracked
| Metric | Source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Organic sessions | GA4 | Monthly |
| Keyword rankings (target list) | [Rank tracker] | Monthly |
| Keyword visibility score | [Rank tracker] | Monthly |
| Organic conversions | GA4 | Monthly |
| Core Web Vitals | GSC / PageSpeed Insights | Monthly |
| Referring domains | [Backlink tool] | Monthly |
| Crawl errors | GSC | Monthly |
| Local pack rankings | [Rank tracker] | Monthly (if local SEO in scope) |
Reporting exclusions
- Custom data analysis beyond standard report sections
- Real-time dashboards or daily monitoring
- Attribution modelling or multi-touch analysis
- Competitor content audit (beyond ranking comparison)
- Ad-hoc reporting requests (available as change requests)
- Tool procurement or setup (client provides tool access)
Reporting effort by cadence
| Cadence | Typical effort | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly report | 2–4 hours | Standard metrics, work summary, next month priorities |
| Monthly report + meeting | 3–5 hours | Report + 30-minute walkthrough + prep |
| Quarterly strategy review | 4–8 hours | 90-day analysis, competitor update, strategy adjustments |
| Weekly pulse | 1–2 hours/week | Key metrics snapshot, no analysis (dashboard or email) |
How RuleDox helps
Reporting is often the most templated part of an SEO scope — yet it's rarely standardised across clients. Different account managers promise different reporting depths, and the team spends inconsistent time per client.
With RuleDox:
- Cadence drives deliverables — monthly, quarterly, and weekly reporting sections include/exclude automatically
- KPI tables populate from service scope — if local SEO is included, local pack rankings appear in the KPI list
- Effort estimates are consistent — reporting hours are calculated from cadence and format, not guesswork
- Exclusions prevent scope creep — "custom data analysis" and "ad-hoc requests" are excluded by default
FAQ
How much time should reporting take per client? 3–5 hours per month for a standard monthly report with meeting. If it's taking more, the report structure is too custom or the data collection process isn't standardised. Templates and dashboards reduce this significantly.
Should I include competitor reporting? Basic competitor ranking comparison: yes, include it. Detailed competitor content and backlink analysis: scope it separately or include it quarterly only. Competitor analysis can easily consume 3–5 hours per report if not bounded.
What's the best report format? Whatever the client will actually read. Executive stakeholders prefer slide decks with key takeaways. Marketing managers prefer dashboards with drill-down capability. SEO-literate clients prefer data-rich PDFs. Ask during intake.