How to Handle Client Requests for Weekly SEO Reports

Search engine optimization professionals know that significant changes do not generally happen overnight or even over the course of a week; for this reason, offering weekly reports to clients is not recommended, particularly if they do not fully understand how SEO works today. In some cases, clients are business owners who are used to weekly operational reports, and you can't blame them for their weekly report requests.

Let's say you run into a situation whereby the client insists on a weekly report. This is when SEO professionals are put to the test; clients will expect some sort of narrative that makes sense to them. Some clients are eager to learn, and this should not be construed as a potential loss of business because out of fear that the client will figure out the secret sauce. You may be expected to provide answers that explain why the click-through rate decreased, why the bounce rate is on the rise, and why traffic is climbing while conversions are still down.

While monthly or year-over-year reports will always be preferable to weekly explanations, you have to be prepared to write a clear narrative. Some SEO professionals will segment narratives into highlighting positives and downplaying negatives; this is a matter of style, but it is not generally recommended. Being able to answer "why" questions should be considered as providing value to clients, especially when they insist on doing things in ways that are detrimental to conversions.

Everyone has seen those automated traffic and analytics insight reports that can be purchased for about $5 per month. The boilerplate narrative generated by algorithms is what you want to avoid; you may be able to understand it, but this is not what clients expect.

On weekly reports, you have to be able to qualify your answers because everything else is already quantified. Traffic sources must be explained in terms of the kind of demographics they are providing. Main keywords should be explained as to what makes them stand out over others. Seasonal or instant trends should also be evaluated and ironed out. If bounce rate is becoming an issue, take advantage of heat maps in order to elucidate the exit points. In the end, write human answers that highlight what you know about the industry. For more information click here https://www.reddit.com/r/SEO/comments/h9crtl/howtoanswerthewhyfortheweeklyreporting/.