What should a monthly local SEO report show?

What is a monthly local SEO report for?

It answers two questions. Did more of the right people find and contact your business? And what did your agency do that month to make that more likely?

A good report is short and plain. You should be able to read it and explain it to a partner or a bookkeeper. If you need a glossary to follow it, the report is not doing its job.

Which Google Business Profile numbers should it show?

Google gives verified profiles a performance report. It shows how people found your profile on Search and Maps and what they did next. Your report should pull from it. The useful measures are:

• Views: how many people viewed your profile on Search and Maps. Google counts unique visitors and counts a person once a day, so this number can be lower than the views you see in email notifications.
• Searches: the search terms people used to find your business. Google updates this metric at the start of each month, so a report built too early in the month can miss it.
• Calls: how many times customers clicked the call button. This only works if your phone number is on the profile.
• Directions: how many people asked for directions to your business.
• Website clicks: how often people clicked the website link on your profile.
• Messages and bookings: if you use them.

Google also says that only metrics that apply to your business appear. A plumber who travels to customers should not be judged on a metric built for a shop.

Should the report show my rankings?

Rankings can be one line in the report. They should not be the headline.

Google says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and prominence. Distance depends on where the searcher is standing. So a ranking check from one spot is a snapshot, not the whole truth. Google also says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Be careful with any report that treats a ranking as something an agency can promise.

If the report shows rankings, it should say which search terms were checked and from where. Ask for the same terms each month so you can compare like with like.

What should it say about reviews?

Google lists the number of reviews and positive ratings as part of prominence. So the report should show:

• New reviews this month and your current rating.
• Whether each review got a reply.
• Any review that looks fake or breaks Google’s rules, and what was done about it.

The report should never describe bought or invented reviews as a win. In Canada, the Competition Bureau treats misleading reviews as a deceptive marketing practice. If your agency sends review requests by email or text for you, CASL consent rules apply. Ask how consent is recorded.

What should it show about my website and enquiries?

The profile numbers only tell part of the story. Your report should connect them to enquiries: calls, form submissions, and messages that came from search. Even a rough count that you can check against your own phone log and inbox is better than a graph with no source.

Ask the agency to say where each number came from.

What work should be listed?

A report that only shows numbers cannot tell you whether anyone did anything. It should list the month’s work in plain words, for example:

• Profile details checked or corrected.
• Photos added.
• Reviews answered.
• Website pages changed.
• Problems found, such as a duplicate profile.

Google’s guidelines say there should be only one profile per business. They also say the business name should match how the business appears in the real world. A report that lists these checks shows someone is looking after the basics.

What should make me suspicious?

Watch for these:

1. A report with only rankings and no calls, directions, or enquiries.
2. Numbers with no source named.
3. No list of work done.
4. A promise that a ranking will rise.
5. Changes to your business name that add keywords. Google’s guidelines do not allow this and it can lead to suspension.

How do I check a report myself?

1. Sign in to the Google account that manages your profile.
2. Open your Business Profile and click Performance.
3. Pick the same date range the report uses and click Apply.
4. Compare views, calls, directions, and website clicks with the report.
5. Compare the calls and enquiries in the report with your own phone log and inbox.
6. Ask about any number that does not match.