Why Most SEO Reports Are Useless (Our SEO Agency Is Different!)
SEO agencies bombard their clients with technical jargon. Not only is this type of reporting complicated to understand, but it also doesn't deliver what the clients need to know. Business owners want to know how the SEO efforts they're paying for are impacting their business goals. They're not concerned about keyword rankings or impressions.
Want to know what's really frustrating? According to the 2025 State of SEO Survey, 91% of respondents reported an increase in their website's performance, largely due to search engine optimization. This shows that SEO works, driving business results. However, most reports fail to prove this value.
In fact, most SEO reports are not made for the clients. They're packed with complicated data, tons of numbers, and lots of charts. What SEO reports lack are actionable insights that brand owners can use to improve sales or generate leads. This is why many businesses move from one SEO agency to another, as they never receive a clear action plan for better SEO outcomes.
So, what are clients looking for when it comes to SEO reporting? There is no such thing as a perfect SEO report. But what's important is how an SEO agency communicates monthly, quarterly, or yearly SEO performance in simple-to-understand words. An SEO report should provide focused insights while improving the client's SEO knowledge and strengthening the foundations to achieve their business goals.
At Sapphire SEO Solutions, our experts go beyond vanity metrics. After a detailed website SEO audit, we create reports that provide value while driving real business results. In this guide, we will go over why most SEO reports are useless and what makes our SEO reporting stand out from the rest.
How You Present SEO Reports Matters: Why Presentation Is Important in SEO Reporting
Most SEO companies use automated SEO tools to generate monthly SEO reports and stick their logo onto them before sending them to a client. In fact, they have a standard SEO report template that they use for every client. This type of reporting fails to show how an agency's SEO strategy has helped the business owner achieve their business goals.
Data from popular platforms like Ahrefs or Google Search Console don't mean a thing if the SEO reports aren't readable. Remember: business owners are not SEO experts. This is why it's incredibly crucial to pay close attention to presentation.
An SEO report should always start with a clear executive summary. It acts as a roadmap that informs clients how the agency's SEO efforts are helping them achieve their bottom line.
To avoid overwhelming readers, use bullet points instead of writing long paragraphs.
Visual Elements That Work
Breaking down complicated data into easy-to-understand visuals can help clients understand the SEO reports they receive. To improve SEO reporting, it's crucial to consider the following:
Well-designed graphs that show organic traffic trends
Comparative tables for click-through rate improvements
Funnel charts that track landing page optimization results
Skip the Technical Jargon
SEO agencies sabotage their own SEO reports with technical jargon. While many SEO companies believe that complex information impresses clients, it does the opposite.
In fact, a complicated read doesn't prove expertise but signals a poor understanding of SEO. It leaves a bad impression, prompting clients to consider other SEO companies down the road.
SEO reports should simplify things. They should help clients understand what it means to face a "no meta description" issue instead of just mentioning a list of technical SEO errors. SEO companies shouldn't expect their clients to be experts at search engine optimization. This makes it incredibly crucial to tone down the language and simplify things.
Design for User Experience
Most SEO reports, if not all, are plagued with poor structure, making it impossible to analyze information. It's important to have digestible, short sections that make it easy to read.
Build Trust Through Good Presentation
Thoughtful presentation builds trust. It also reinforces strategic value. Polished, easy-to-follow reports separate good SEO agencies from their competitors who send cluttered data exports.
A great presentation transforms reports into actionable tools focused on better SEO outcomes.
What Matters to the Client in SEO Reports: An SEO Report That Clients Want to See
Clients don't care about fancy charts or that an SEO agency uses advanced tools. Not one bit.
Business owners want measurable ROI. They need to know how an SEO agency is helping them achieve their business goals. What matters to them more than keyword rankings and SEO metrics are conversions and lead generation.
Don't just take our word for it. 30.55% of marketers say analytics guide their best strategies. When SEO efforts are in line with business objectives, they influence decision-making at all levels.
Turn Technical Wins into Business Impact
While it is important to highlight the improvements in search rankings, SEO reports should also explain their impact on sales, leads, or conversions. Here is an example:
Improved rankings drove 25% more organic traffic
That traffic generated 80 additional leads this month
Those leads directly support client success goals
Linking SEO results to digital marketing KPIs is crucial. It's the only thing that the clients look for when skimming through SEO reports.
Inform the Client on What to Do Next
Every insight needs actionable recommendations. These might include:
Fixing broken links that hurt indexing
Improving content marketing strategies
Refining pages for better conversion opportunities
Without clear next steps, clients get information without any direction.
Focus on What Drives Results
Effective reports always focus on ROI, conversion, and SEO success. SEO agencies should show why they're not just another service provider. They must highlight the ground-level impact of their SEO efforts.
Our Secret to SEO Reporting: Why Clients Love Our SEO Reports!
Most agencies deliver white-label SEO reports that are automatically generated by advanced SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush. These fail at many points. They don't guide clients on what's important.
Sapphire SEO Solutions is different. We transform complex analytics into actionable insights that produce better results.
87% of marketers admit data is their most underused asset. We ensure every metric connects directly to your business goals.
Beyond Basic Metrics
Our SEO services don't just pull authoritative data from search engines, GSC, or Ahrefs. We analyze those numbers and show you exactly what to do next.
Here is a screenshot of a generic SEO report we pulled from Semrush:
The above screenshot shows the different technical SEO errors a website is experiencing. Duplicate title tags, missing meta description, and low-text-to-HTML ratio. Like we mentioned before, business owners are not SEO experts. They don't know what all of this means and what they should focus on next.
Here is a screenshot of our SEO report following the technical SEO errors faced by our client:
As you can see from the image above, we break down each technical SEO error our client faced that month. Our SEO manager clearly explains what the issue is, how it's impacting the client's website, and how we can help them fix it. It's concise, to the point, and easy to understand. This is what business owners are looking for when it comes to SEO reporting.
At Sapphire SEO Solutions, every report includes a comprehensive audit. It goes over the different opportunities business owners can capitalize on to strengthen their SEO campaign and boost conversions.
Smart Keyword Strategy for Improved Conversions
We track the right metrics for growth. Instead of focusing on keyword research for high-volume terms, we evaluate long-tail keyword performance. These targeted keywords often drive higher conversion rates and better-qualified traffic.
Flexible Solutions
Sapphire SEO Solutions offers customized reports for business owners and white label reporting for partner SEO agencies. We don't just stick to one standardized format, as we believe that every client is different and tailoring our SEO reports to their needs is crucial.
Whether it's SEO done for you services (done for you SEO) or just SEO copywriting services, our flexible solutions have you covered.
Most SEO Reports Are Useless. Here's What Sets Us Apart
With our SEO reports and a thorough audit, clients don't just see their SEO performance. They understand it and know how to turn it into sustained growth and measurable SEO success.
Our SEO reports follow the three "one-word" rules that help move the client's current SEO forward. They include the following:
Clarity
Strategy
Results
Partner with Sapphire SEO Solutions for Easy-to-Understand Actionable SEO Reports and Audits!
Stop getting lost in technical jargon. Move past the confusion with our easy-to-digest client SEO reports.
Sapphire SEO Solutions offers a free SEO consultation to evaluate your site's performance. Connect with us on LinkedIn or fill out our online contact us form for better SEO services and reporting!