What to Include in a Client SEO Report (With Examples)
Practical guide • Templates included
Quick Answer
A strong client SEO report should include: executive summary, traffic overview, keyword rankings, conversions, backlinks, technical SEO checks, content performance, and next steps. Keep it visual, keep it short, and always tie numbers to business goals.
Client SEO reports don’t have to be 20 pages of screenshots. They should tell a clear story: what changed, why it changed, and what you’ll do next. This guide shows the sections that matter, the KPIs clients actually read, plus copy-paste templates and ready-made visuals you can reuse.
The essential sections
Most winning reports include the following eight parts. Keep it simple and consistent month to month.
| Section | Why it matters | Typical sources |
|---|---|---|
| Executive Summary | Clients read this first (and sometimes only). Call out wins, risks, and next steps. | Written summary |
| Traffic Overview | How organic traffic behaved vs. last month/period. | GA4, GSC |
| Keyword Rankings | Movement on priority terms & opportunities. | Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz |
| Conversions | What organic traffic produced (leads, sales). | GA4, CRM |
| Backlinks | Authority changes and noteworthy links. | Ahrefs, Majestic |
| Technical SEO | Core issues impacting crawl, speed, UX. | GSC, CWV, crawlers |
| Content Performance | Pages that drove value + topics to pursue. | GA4, GSC, CMS |
| Next Steps | What you’ll do now. Clear, prioritized actions. | Strategy notes |
Executive summary (with example)
This month organic sessions grew 12%, driven by higher click-through on our “how-to” posts and improved visibility for “{primary keyword}.” We added 5 new keywords into the top 10 and organic conversions increased 9%.
Risks: product pages still load slowly on mobile; several collection pages show thin content. Next month we’ll (1) fix LCP on /category pages, (2) publish two comparisons, and (3) build links to the top three converting posts.
Traffic overview (table + chart)
Show the trend and the context: month-on-month and year-on-year where useful.
| Metric | Last Month | This Month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic sessions | 5,200 | 5,820 | +12% |
| New users | 3,900 | 4,320 | +11% |
| Bounce rate | 47% | 45% | -2pp |
| Avg. session duration | 1:45 | 2:10 | +25s |
Tip: show the smallest set of KPIs your client recognizes quickly. Everything else can go in an appendix.
Keyword rankings (table + movement visualization)
Highlight movement on money terms, then show new opportunities (keywords entering positions 11–20).
| Keyword | Last | Now | Δ | Search volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| seo report template | #12 | #7 | +5 | 2,400 |
| local seo agency | #9 | #10 | -1 | 3,600 |
| affordable seo services | #15 | #9 | +6 | 1,800 |
Conversions & ROI (table + funnel)
Tie visibility to value. Even simple goal completions are better than traffic alone.
| Goal | Last | Now | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact form leads | 42 | 47 | +12% |
| Demo requests | 11 | 14 | +27% |
| Direct sales | 8 | 9 | +13% |
Explain attribution simply. If assisted conversions are relevant, include them as a separate line.
Backlinks & authority (table + bars)
Quality over quantity: highlight domains gained, relevance, and any standout mentions.
| Metric | Last | Now | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referring domains | 320 | 342 | +22 |
| New backlinks | 55 | 61 | +6 |
| Lost backlinks | 18 | 12 | -6 |
Technical SEO snapshot (checklist)
Use a one-screen status. The goal is signal, not every tiny warning.
Content performance (winners & ideas)
Surface the pages that drove outcomes. Then propose 2–3 pieces that extend what’s already working.
| Page | Sessions | Conversions | Top query |
|---|---|---|---|
| /blog/seo-audit-checklist | 1,200 | 12 | seo audit checklist |
| /services/local-seo | 980 | 22 | local seo agency |
| /blog/ppc-vs-seo | 720 | 7 | ppc vs seo |
- Update “SEO audit checklist” with 2025 items + internal links to service pages.
- Create “Local SEO pricing (transparent guide)” to support /services/local-seo.
- Comparison article “SEO vs Google Ads: When to use each (with calculator).”
Reusable SEO report template
Copy this outline into your doc or reporting tool. Keep to one page per section.
<!-- Client SEO Report Template --> 1) Cover - Client, month, your logo 2) Executive Summary (5–8 bullet points) - Wins, risks, next steps 3) Traffic Overview - Sessions, users, CTR, bounce - MoM and YoY where helpful 4) Keyword Rankings - 10–15 priority terms (movement) 5) Conversions - Goals/leads/sales from organic - Funnel snapshot (visit → lead → sale) 6) Backlinks & Authority - New/lost domains, notable links 7) Technical SEO Snapshot - Speed, coverage, structured data, UX 8) Content Performance - Top pages + next content plan 9) Plan for Next Month - 3–5 prioritized actions with owners