Purpose
This SOP aims to create a better understanding of the SEO report format and data in order to have more productive and informative communication with clients.
Procedure
SEO reports need to provide insight for clients, not just a simple presentation of statistics. Clients should be provided with a story about their website’s SEO performance; understanding where the campaign has been and where it’s going.
If there are decreases in stats, not only do we need to explain why those decreases have occurred, but what are some highlights that happened that can balance the bad with the good.
V5 Reports
This SOP covers how to perform a report call based off of the V5 report format.
Report Structure
This section will highlight each slide of the report to showcase the different metrics that are displayed. Reviewing the report data prior to the call can help you establish a narrative to deliver to the client. Some key questions to consider are:
*add questions here
For Accuranker: We are comparing the last day of the previous month to the last day of the month prior to that.
*Example (February 2024 Reports): Data pulled would show 1/31/24 - 2/29/24.
Report Call Story Telling
The following information is to be used as an outline for the report call; covering each metric and drawing connections/correlations across data so that the client is informed and valuable insight is provided.
Introduction
Provide the client with a brief overview of the agenda for the discussion. Explain how the focus of the call is to review the optimizations that were performed in the previous month and how the data reflected in the report stands as the current SEO performance.
Keyword ranking metrics use a 90 day time frame period due to the rate at which search engines crawl and index websites.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Highlight the following key metrics that demonstrate SEO performance:
a. Impressions: Impressions represent the number of times a website appeared in search results. Emphasize that a higher number of impressions suggests increased search exposure to potential site visitors. Discuss how optimizing website content and improved rankings contribute to higher impressions.
b. Organic leads: Organic leads are visitors who come to the website through organic search results and convert into potential customers. Explain that organic leads can be a direct result of effective SEO strategies, as they target users actively seeking relevant information or products/services. Discuss how the quality of leads can indicate the effectiveness keyword targeting and content optimization.
c. Visits: Visits indicate the total number of sessions on the website that were brought in through an organic traffic source (SERPs). Elaborate on the significance of visits as a measure of overall website traffic and discuss how previous SEO strategies could have led to increased visits—if one of the top landing pages was the optimization focus from months prior, this would indicate how the efforts made in SEO resulted in higher visits to a webpage of interest.
d. Visit Trends: Visit trends illustrate the amount of site visitors the website registered over the past month, when compared to the month prior. This can signify organic traffic growth from the beginning to the end of the month.
e. Keyword Performance: Examine both the Top Clicked and Most Improved keyword lists with the client. Make note of high-performing keywords that coincide with previous months of work, as this illustrates the cause and effect of SEO.
The dealership name will often appear in the Top Clicked keywords section. This not only can be the most straightforward way for users to find the deaelrship online, but also indicates good brand recognition.
Analyzing Performance
Guide the client through the report, focusing on the key metrics mentioned above. However, the report call should NOT be limited to simply presenting numbers alone. The report should tell a story about the website’s performance. Consider the following steps:
a. Provide context: Start by giving a summary of the client’s SEO goals and objectives by reviewing the campaign plan. Remind them of the previous discussions and how the current report aligns with those goals set in the campaign plan.
b. Identify trends and patterns: Analyze the data and identify any trends or patterns that emerge. Look for month-to-month changes and compare them to historical data. Identify any significant increases or decreases in the KPIs and discuss their implications for the website’s performance.
c. Explain contributing factors: Explain the factors that have influenced the observed changes in metrics. For example, highlight the impact of the on-page optimization, keyword research, link building, or content updates. Relate these factors back to the client’s SEO strategy and how they have contributed to the current results.
d. Discuss opportunities and challenges: Identify areas of improvement based on the report findings. Highlight opportunities for further optimization, such as targeting specific keywords, re-evaluating dealership priorities/targets, and . Other considerations should be seasonal, regional, and historical search trends. These are factors the SEO Specialist is taking into account when developing the campaign plan for the dealership. Additionally, address any challenges or obstacles that may be hindering the website’s SEO performance and provide recommendations for overcoming them.
Recommendations and Next Steps
Conclude the report call by summarizing the key takeaways and providing actionable recommendations for the client. Ensure that these recommendations are aligned with the client’s goals and address the areas for improvement identified during the analysis.
Reviewing the campaign plan helps provide direction for goals and objectives for the next 3 months. Explain to the client what factors play into determining the focuses that are in the campaign plan.
Discuss the next steps for implementing these recommendations and establish a timeline for progress evaluation. Additionally, field any updates from the client about campaign plan updates, additional keywords to be added to the list, or target location updates. Any updates here can be requested of the SEO Specialist through the SEO Support Queue.
Q&A/Closing
Allow time for the client to ask questions or seek clarification on any aspects of the report (whether those questions come at the end or throughout the report). Provide thorough and clear answers to ensure mutual understanding. If a question is asked by the client and there is not a sufficient answer that can be provided, inform the client that you plan to follow up with them once you have a confident answer.
Once all queries are addressed and the call is over, be sure to immediately contact any relevant departments to facilitate any questions or updates. All SEO-related actionables can be submitted by using the SEO Support Queue.
The purpose of the SEO report call is not only to present data but to deliver a compelling story about the client’s website performance. By highlighting key metrics, recognizing trends, and providing actionable recommendations, you can help the client understand the impact of their SEO efforts and drive continuous improvement in their website’s performance.
Pulled from existing CS report call training:
Clicks/Impressions Graph (GSC / 12 months)This is a visual graph of the number of organic clicks and impressions your website has received over the past 12 months. This helps us monitor for year-over-year improvement and identify seasonal trends.
Bounce Rate (GA / 30 days)A bounce occurs when a user clicks through to your website, does not interact with your website, but clicks the back button to return to search results. A bounce rate between 0and 40%, is phenomenal/excellent. From 41 to 55% is good, 56 to 69% is higher than average but still okay, 70 to 100% is where we need some serious work.
Top 10 Landing Pages (GA / 30 days)This metric represents the top ten pages on your website generating the most visitsover the previous 30 days.
Point out pages that line up with recent keyword focuses
Point out inventory list pages that show up (especially if they match recent keyword focuses)
Campaign Plan: This shows the next seven months-worth of focuses for the dealership that the SEO specialist has researched.
Reasons for focuses within the campaign plan can include seasonal, regional, and historical research that was performed to ensure we optimize for keywords to perform when we see the greatest search interest.
Other reasons: client requested focuses or dealership priorities.
Last Month’s Focus: This is the keyword phrase/on-site optimization that your SEO specialist performed this month
Pages Worked On: These are the pages the SEO specialist optimized on your website.
Content Link: This is the URL of the page(s) worked on in the month of focus.
Content Focus: This lists the overall focuses for each line of the Pages Worked On section. These focuses include the page that was worked on, any additional content that was added (per the client’s SEO package), and any YouTube videos as well.
Content Type: This is a label that identifies the type of work for each line of the Pages Worked On section. Labels include:
Blog Post: This is a blog article that will be posted to the dealership’s blog.
Inventory - Header: This is the top-of-the-page content for inventory list pages and some showroom pages.
Inventory - Footer: This is bottom of the page content for inventory list pages and some showroom pages.
Inventory - Header & Footer: This is both top and bottom of the page content.
Audit: This is a type of work that involves the SEO Specialist working on multiple pages to examine the functionality and overall health of the website.
Custom Page: This is non-inventory list pages, such as service department, parts department, rentals, financing, etc.
YouTube Video: This is a label for when a YouTube video for the dealership’s channel has been posted.
Always click on the youtube video so you know what the subject of the video is.
Off-Site: This is a label for work that was done off the website domain, such as backlink scans, GMB optimization, business listing optimization, etc.
Results of Work Done (SEO Monitor / 90 days): This is a list of the different keyword focuses the SEO specialist has optimized over the last 90 days. Our results keywords show the current rank and rank improvement for that same time range.
Next Month Keyword Focus (Keyword tracking tool): This is a short list of the recommended keywords that the SEO specialist has researched and considers to be valuable to optimize for next month.
Proposed Keywords : These keywords are meant to demonstrate to the dealer why the SEO specialist chose the keyword focus listed under This Month’s Proposed Focus.
Both positive AND negative rank change can be used to justify why someone might want to optimize a keyword phrase.
Most Improved Keywords (SEO Monitor / 90 days): These are the keyword phrases that have seen the most significant rank change over the last 90 days.
Best Performing (SEO Monitor / 90 days): These are the keyword phrases that are current ranking the highest or performing the best for your website over the last 90 days.
Organic Leads Summary (GA / 30 days): This is the total number of organic leads generated through your website over the last 30 days.
Organic Leads Bar Graph (GA / 12 months): This bar graph represents the last 12 months of organic leads broken down month by month. This helps us identify periods of user engagement to prepare our SEO campaign for success.
Top Clicked Organic Searches (GSC / 30 days): This is a list of the keyword searches that potential customers typed in and then clicked on over the last 30 days. Usually the dealership name will dominate this list because that name is the easiest way for users to find the dealership online.
Higher dealership name instances show better brand recognition.
Point out high-value keyword phrases that have nothing to do with their name and everything to do with their SEO campaign.
CTR (Click Through Rate): impressions divided by clicks, the standard is between 3 and 4%, anything above that is excellent.
Searches by Device Summary/Line Graph (GA / 30 days / 12-24 months): The numbers listed here are the breakdown of traffic by device over the last 30 days, while the line graph charts the total organic search traffic between mobile and desktop over the last 12 months.
Traffic by Device Pie Chart (GA / 30 days): This chart breaks down the device of your major organic traffic over the last 30 days.
If there are any actionables that the client requested for the SEO specialist to fulfill, create an SEO support ticket.
Additional Resources
https://arinet.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DMSRV/pages/4391043149
https://arinet.sharepoint.com/sites/DigitalMarketingTeam/SitePages/seo-report-call.aspx
https://arinet.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DSCS/pages/3937501483