The three kinds of SEO reports you should be building
You’re doubtless already aware that there is little point in doing SEO work into the ether without properly recording and analysing your efforts – otherwise it becomes a meaningless exercise.
SEO reports come in several different formats, but all should include data from multiple sources. Here, we talk about which ones you should use and how.
As with anything else, you should have your goals clearly in mind from the outset, whether you want to track visibility in the search engine results pages (SERPs), identify the most effective link-building tactics or identify ideas for content.
These are the three report types which will help you retain a competitive edge, in 2020 and beyond.
- Run a website health audit
Understanding your website’s general health in terms of internal (on-page) and external SEO is a vital first step, and acts as building blocks for all report-based work that follows.
Break down your main pages and where they sit in the SERPs to understand which ones need most attention. Equally, get an overview of the domains you’re linking to at the moment.
Next, assess those domains which currently link back to you, i.e. externally. This should help you find further backlinking opportunities, and understand the type of content that other websites find most useful.
Analyse how many backlinks you have earned or lost over time, and where from, including which geographic locations. It’s also worth understanding when the links were last clicked on; if that hasn’t happened in a while, you may want to offer a more current backlink.
- Organic keyword and paid search opportunities
The next step is to identify keyword opportunities for SEO and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). To do this, you could try using SEMrush.
- Do a paid keyword audit
Assess your site’s most effective keywords, the volume of traffic they attract, and the pages browsers are taken to. Next, see what the paid search positions of your chosen keywords are, to understand whether or not they are competitive.
It’s also worth seeing whether you can outbid on any keywords, and create content based on top-performing ones to attract more traffic organically.
At the same time, you can use Moz, Ahrefs and SEMrush to source fresh ideas for your content.
- Analysing your competitors’ SEO
This is probably a separate report in its own right. Kick off with a broad overview, incorporating competitors’ domain and page authorities, and how many backlinks they have.
You can also look at the keywords the competition is ranking most highly for, and what the traffic and cost-per-click (CPC) is for each one. Where are their backlinks from and where are they ranking for the same terms as you?
Which of your competitors’ paid-for ad copy is performing best, and what kind of content are they using to rank highly for a particular keyword?
How we can help
At Front Page Advantage, we work with scores of clients from many different sectors across the UK and beyond, and our specialists can help your website to realise its full potential so that it gains the prominence it deserves.
We can offer help and advice with SEO reports to help ensure you are making the most of your presence online. Get in touch with us today.