SEO reporting software is indispensable for keeping campaigns organized and effective. The right tool should allow you to generate clear, concise, and visually engaging reports β€” while also supporting growth, tracking KPIs in real-time, and automating analytics. This guide covers what to look for in SEO reporting software, what reports to provide clients, and how leading tools compare. ## πŸ“Š The Importance of SEO Reporting for Agencies & Freelancers Search engine optimization can be hard to explain to non-SEOs. Clear reports help you: - Provide reasoning behind your SEO strategy - Demonstrate short- and long-term results - Justify rate increases or renewals - Present the monetary value of your SEO-generated traffic - Keep clients informed and confident in your expertise ## πŸ•’ When to Present SEO Reports & What KPIs to Include ## Pitch to Potential Clients with Preliminary Reports Use data-driven reports to win new clients without excessive research. Include: - Domain rating - Competitors’ domain ratings - Page speed (desktop & mobile) - 5 potential target keywords ## SEO Case Study Reports Create and share visual case studies showing past campaign results. These can double as year-end reports that highlight measurable growth and tell your client success stories. ## On-Boarding SEO Reports Establish a baseline for new clients to measure growth over time. Include: - Domain Rating - Keyword positions and rankings - Traffic sources by country - Organic traffic and EVOT β€” **Estimated Value of Traffic (EVOT)** is an approximation of the monetary worth of your organic traffic based on equivalent paid search costs, surfaced inside your Search Atlas dashboard alongside organic traffic metrics - Referring domains, referring backlinks, and indexing speed - Technical SEO score, site issues, backlink profile ## Active Campaign Reports Provide ongoing updates monthly, quarterly, or annually. Use automation to save time. **Recommended metrics:** - Keyword position history - Change in organic traffic and impressions - Growth in total ranking keywords - Overall rank change - Top-performing keywords and pages - Organic traffic value ⚠️ **Note on Keyword Rank Tracker trend labels:** The 'Stable' trend indicator may appear for newly added keywords that only have a single historical snapshot (known issue KE-1282, awaiting release). Wait for multiple snapshots to accumulate before relying on trend direction labels in your reports. **Technical report data:** - Backlinks and broken links - Indexing and page speed - Content scores - Inaccessible/orphaned pages πŸ’‘ **Tip:** Use **GSC Insights** to export real-time data and reports in PNG or CSV formats for easy sharing. ## As-Needed Reports Generate focused reports during sudden SEO shifts β€” like algorithm updates or industry changes β€” to communicate strategy adjustments. ## Contract Renewals & End-of-Campaign Recaps Show campaign ROI and value delivered. Highlight: - Total traffic value generated - Organic traffic growth - Ranking improvements - Conversions and CTR increases Include a summary of strategy, results, and recommendations for future campaigns. ## 🧩 How to Produce SEO Reports (Including PDFs) Search Atlas supports several report formats out of the box: **PNG** snapshots of dashboards, **CSV** exports of raw data, and **PDF** reports assembled from the steps below. White-label PDF reports and shareable report links are also available for client-facing deliverables β€” see the limitations noted in the White Label and Local SEO sections. ⚠️ **Known issue (Classic Report Builder):** The Classic Report Builder may hang, show an infinite loading spinner, or crash Chrome due to a known race condition (RB-1273). If this happens, open the report by reloading the report URL directly in a new tab rather than navigating to it from within the app. ## Step 1: Create SEO Reports with Report Builder 1. Navigate to **Left sidebar β†’ Reports (Report Builder)**. 2. Click **Export to PNG**. 3. Insert the image into a Word Doc, Google Doc, or PowerPoint. ## Step 2: Create PDF Reports 1. Export your dashboard to PNG. 2. Open **Google Docs β†’ New Blank Document**. 3. Go to **Insert > Image > Upload from Computer**. 4. Crop as needed and go to **File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf)**. ## Step 3: Convert CSV Reports to PDF 1. Click **Export to CSV**. 2. Upload to **Google Drive** β†’ open with **Google Sheets**. 3. Select **File > Download > PDF Document (.pdf)**. ## βš™οΈ What to Look for in SEO Reporting Software 1. **Accurate Data** – Choose tools that pull from trusted sources like Google Search Console. 2. **Real-Time Insights** – Ensure up-to-date metrics for responsive decisions. 3. **Comprehensive Site Crawls** – Vital for indexing and technical SEO data. 4. **Clear Visualizations** – Reports should be graphically engaging and easy to interpret. 5. **Fresh Performance Insights** – Tools like GSC Insights provide page groupings and comparative metrics. 6. **Local SEO Capabilities** – Support for geo-specific keyword tracking and SERPs. ⚠️ **Known issues with shared Local SEO reports:** (1) Location labels in shared report links may display as generic placeholders such as 'Local SEO ##' instead of the actual location name β€” please flag affected reports to support while the fix is being deployed; (2) Heatmap pins do not currently render in externally shared report links (RB-106) β€” access heatmaps directly inside the platform as a workaround until this is resolved. 7. **Flexible Formatting Options** – Support for PDF, CSV, and PNG exports. 8. **Multiple Client Profiles** – Manage all client campaigns from a single dashboard. ## 🧱 White Label SEO Reporting White-label reporting automates the process and allows you to share branded, scalable reports in PDF format. Ideal for agencies serving multiple clients with varied reporting needs. ⚠️ **Caveats for shared client-facing reports:** Local SEO location labels in shared links may currently appear as generic placeholders (e.g., 'Local SEO ##') instead of the real location name, and Local SEO heatmap pins do not load in externally shared reports (RB-106). When sharing visual heatmap reports, walk clients through the heatmap inside the platform directly, and flag any mislabeled shared reports to support. ## πŸ“ˆ Comparing Top SEO Tools for Reporting ## 1. Our Dashboard All-in-one SEO suite with tools for auditing, keyword research, backlink tracking, and reporting. - Reporting: CSV and PNG exports - Features: Site Events tracker, schema creator, local SEO, and social tools (coming soon) ## 2. SEMrush Comprehensive toolset for technical and content SEO. - Reporting: PDF, XLSX, CSV exports - Note: Full access comes at a premium price. ## 3. Ahrefs Powerful for link analysis and keyword tracking. - Reporting: CSV exports (quick, full, or custom reports) - Note: No free trial and fewer integrated tools. ## 4. Moz Pro Clean, user-friendly dashboard with core SEO metrics. - Reporting: Custom, automated, branded reports (PDFs, CSVs) - Note: Limited SEO content and local tools.