Library·SOP·SEO
Turn monthly search and business results into a clear report with wins, problems, prioritized actions, owners, and follow-ups.
Last reviewed: · Editorial review
Clarity, structure and references reviewed in this version. This is not a test in a live account.
Turn monthly search and business results into a clear report with wins, problems, prioritized actions, owners, and follow-ups.
This SOP covers:
This does not cover:
Make one copy of the shared SEO results workbook and use it for this client and reporting month.
Open the Monthly SEO Results — Traffic, Leads & Sales workbook and select Make a copy. Keep this copy for one client and one report month.
Read Read Me before filling cells. Use Worked Example to see how a fictional result becomes a client finding and action.
Use Monthly Summary to set the report window and write the client-facing report. Use GA4 Results and GA4 Landing Pages for Analytics data, and Search Console Summary and Search Console Details for Google search results.
Choose a completed reporting period and a fair comparison period before collecting the numbers.
By default, report the most recent completed calendar month and compare it with the previous calendar month. Name the exact dates, such as August 1–31 versus July 1–31. Months can have different numbers of days; for example, February has 28 or 29 days and March has 31. The month with more days may have more clicks or sessions even when the daily pace is similar. If day count changes the conclusion, add a separate average per day in Client-ready findings (total divided by days) and keep the report’s raw totals. If results are strongly seasonal and the property has enough history, add a separate same-month-last-year check and state its exact dates in Client-ready findings.
Check the latest available data in Search Console and GA4 before choosing the period. Search Console’s newest data can be preliminary; GA4 reports may change while recent data is processing. Use dates complete in both tools.
If the website or Analytics property has only partial history, report the exact first available dates and call it a partial-period or first available report. Leave the previous period blank if no fair comparison exists. Do not compare a partial month with a full month as if they were equal.
On Monthly Summary, enter Client/site and Prepared by.
Enter Current period start/end and Previous period start/end on Monthly Summary. Use the dates Search Console and GA4 will both report.
In Google Analytics, select the website property and open Admin → Property details to read its Time zone. Enter it in Monthly Summary → GA4 property time zone. Use that zone for reporting-day and month boundaries. If you cannot view it, ask the property owner or reporting contact to confirm it.
On Monthly Summary, enter Comparison method and Report as-of date. Use the date you checked the reports.
Enter Search Console property, Search type, and Search Console scope / filters on Monthly Summary. Search Console Summary links these fields and dates; enter its local Time granularity only.
Confirm that both reports use the right site/property and cover the dates you selected.
In Search Console, select the property that covers the website and the relevant Search type. Record these on Monthly Summary. Search Console Summary will show the linked property, type, and dates; do not replace linked cells.
In GA4, confirm the website property the client uses for reporting. Enter its name and ID in the GA4 property name and Property ID fields at the top of GA4 Results. Record each metric’s report name or path in its Report source column. Check that Monthly Summary → GA4 property time zone matches Admin → Property details.
If one source starts later, a metric is unavailable, or a selected event is not confirmed, record the gap in Problems or limits. Keep verified zero separate from unavailable data.
Record the overall Google Search results and a short list of pages or queries that help explain the month.
In Google Search Console, open Performance → Search results. Confirm the property, Search type, shared dates, and filters match Monthly Summary. Use the complete report window you selected.
Choose More time ranges → Date range → Compare → Custom. Enter the later/current period in the first Start date / End date pair and the earlier/previous period after vs. Select Apply, then confirm both date ranges on the cards or table before recording values.
Turn on and record Clicks, Impressions, CTR, and Average position in Search Console Summary. Clicks count visits from Google results; impressions count appearances; CTR is clicks divided by impressions; average position summarizes the topmost result from your site. The workbook calculates changes.
On Search Console Details, set Dimension type to Summary for the overall pattern, then Page or Query for important rows. Put the matching URL, query, or summary label in its field and record the displayed values. Include pages the client cares about and changes that could alter the next action; the table may omit some searches.
If the property does not cover the dates, a value is blank, or the table omits queries, explain that in the row’s evidence or Problems or limits. A valid zero stays zero when the report covers the dates.
Use the linked GA4 procedure to collect Organic Search sessions, selected lead and purchase key events, revenue, and landing-page results.
Follow the linked GA4 measurement procedure in this same monthly workbook copy and keep the dates already set on Monthly Summary. It shows how to find the Organic Search row, selected lead and purchase key events, and landing-page results.
In GA4 Results, record Sessions, Engaged sessions, and Engagement rate for the Organic Search row.
Record Key events — selected lead event(s), Key events — purchase event, and Total revenue in GA4 Results. A key event is an action GA4 marks as important; its count is the number of recorded events, not necessarily unique leads or orders. Name the event and enter the GA4 property/report in Report source and its definition in What it means.
In GA4 Landing Pages, record important page paths, current and previous Organic Search sessions, change, and engaged sessions. Use the evidence, next action, owner, and follow-up fields for page findings.
Use the metric name shown in GA4. Total revenue can include purchases, subscriptions, in-app purchases, and ad revenue. Report it as GA4 Total revenue for the Organic Search row; do not rename it “purchase revenue” unless that exact purchase-specific metric is shown.
If a lead event or purchase metric is missing or its setup is not confirmed, leave it unavailable and write the issue in Problems or limits. Do not change tracking or key-event settings during the monthly review. Ask the analytics owner to choose a suitable existing setup route using the linked tracking-method procedure.
Compare the two sources without expecting their traffic counts to match.
Keep Search Console Clicks and GA4 Organic Search Sessions on their own source rows. A click is a click from Google results; a session is a visit measured by GA4. Organic Search in GA4 includes eligible non-ad search visits from search engines, so the counts and coverage will differ.
Review the counts before using percentages. If the previous value is zero, the worksheet leaves percent change blank. Use the count change and read GA4 Results → Percent-change note or Search Console Summary → Change % note. For a detail row, explain the change in Search Console Details → Evidence / likely explanation. Example: “2 recorded lead key events this month; none in the comparison month.”
Record the GA4 time zone and as-of date. If the comparison method, property, filters, event definition, or dates changed, explain how that limits the comparison. Do not compare different lead events as if they were the same outcome.
Look for changes that matter to the client and check the pages behind them.
Compare the direction of Search Console clicks and impressions with GA4 Organic Search sessions, selected lead and purchase key events, and reported revenue. For example, more organic sessions with fewer recorded lead key events may call for a landing-page or event-measurement check; it does not by itself prove that SEO caused the change.
Use GA4 Landing Pages and the recorded Search Console page rows to identify which important entry pages gained or lost traffic or engagement. Use overall key-event and revenue rows for business outcomes; prefer a concrete page and result over a sitewide claim drawn from one small row.
On Monthly Summary, record a win when a verified result improved or met a client goal. Record a problem when a measure fell, a goal was missed, or an important metric could not be confirmed. Include the measure and period so the reader can check each statement.
Route only the findings that need deeper diagnosis to the matching procedure.
If Google Search clicks fell enough that the decline could change the client’s next action, follow the linked traffic-drop investigation. There is no universal percentage cutoff; a stable month with no actionable decline does not need a full cause investigation.
If you follow the linked decline investigation, use its first step to make the one separate diagnostic copy. Do not create another copy here. Keep the current and previous month fields in the main monthly copy unchanged.
When the investigation is complete, return to the main monthly copy. Add its supported finding and next action to Client-ready findings and the action table, then confirm Monthly Summary still shows the client’s original report dates.
If several pages or queries need to be compared and ordered by opportunity, use the linked Search Console page-improvement guide. Bring the monthly periods, client-priority pages, and evidence.
If several important pages share a Search Console indexing reason, use the linked report-level indexing guide.
If one page needs an indexing or canonical check, use the linked one-page inspection guide.
If the question concerns one page’s visible title, description, or content, use the linked on-page review guide.
Only after the owner approves a WordPress edit, use the linked page-update guide.
If the review raises several technical questions about the website, follow the linked Semrush audit guide. Bring the website address and client-priority pages. Add the checked findings to Client-ready findings in Monthly Summary, then put the next actions and owners in its action table.
If the client wants to follow a chosen set of search phrases, use the linked Semrush rank-tracking setup guide. Bring the keyword plan, desired pages, location, and device. In Client-ready findings, link the first ranking snapshot and state that it is the starting point. Add the next review date to the action table.
Order actions by client importance, evidence, likely benefit, and who can do the next check.
Use the Priority choices in Monthly Summary → Actions to take: 1 - High for a supported problem on an important page or business result, or the largest loss when evidence points to a useful next check; 2 - Medium for a useful but less urgent or narrower check; 3 - Low for a weak or low-impact item to monitor or do later. Rank the strongest important issue first.
For each action, state the next piece of work in one sentence and put the reason it comes first in Why this comes first / evidence. If the next step is to watch for more evidence, write Monitor or Needs data in Action or Problems or limits; those words are not Status choices. Do not turn an uncertain cause into an unapproved site change.
Choose Status from the dropdown: Not started when no work has begun, In progress while someone is working, Waiting when blocked on a person or input, and Complete only after the action and any promised check are finished. Fill a named Owner, Due / recheck date, and How to explain it. Leave no important action with “SEO team” or “TBD” as its only owner.
Turn the measurements and chosen actions into a short report that a client can understand.
In Monthly Summary → Client-ready findings, make the opening sentence a headline that names the reporting period and the most useful result. Example: “Organic search sessions rose in August; two priority product pages received fewer Google Search clicks.” Adjust it to match the data.
Use Wins and Problems or limits to state what improved, what needs attention, and what could not be measured. Include key counts or changes and define the source when needed.
After the opening headline, use Client-ready findings to explain what changed, where, what the numbers support, what is uncertain, and the next action. Say “GA4 recorded fewer key events” when that is what you know; do not say “SEO caused fewer leads” without evidence.
Review the whole workbook before calling the report ready for client review.
Check that both source tabs use the selected property and date window, the metrics match the reports, the four Search Console figures are in the correct period columns, GA4 dates use the recorded time zone, and all selected event names are clear.
Confirm a zero is entered only when the covered report shows zero. Keep unavailable, unconfirmed, and blank values empty and explain them in Problems or limits. Do not state that no leads or sales occurred when the tracking source is unverified.
For every priority finding, check there is an action, named owner, due or recheck date, status, and wording the client can understand. Check that an unfinished cause is called a possibility, not a conclusion.
Record that the client report is ready for review and keep the next check visible.
Update each action’s Status from the dropdown and its Due / recheck date so the next check stays visible. Keep As-of date on Monthly Summary as the date you checked the reports. Put Monitor or Needs data in Action or Problems or limits, not in Status.
Save the report for the account owner to review. The account owner handles client delivery through the normal reporting process.
