Hello, this is Damian from Master of One Marketing. Today, I want to talk about a topic that often brings dread to digital marketers: reporting. Many of us find reporting to be the most challenging part of the month, but with a few simple adjustments, it doesn’t have to be this way. Reporting can become more manageable when you focus on setting clear expectations from the start and maintaining a proactive approach to success.
Why Reporting Often Feels Like a Challenge
For many SEO professionals, reporting can be daunting because it forces us to show concrete results, often to clients who are eager to see rapid changes. In SEO, however, immediate results are rare. Unlike paid campaigns that can show quick wins, SEO takes time to build traction. That’s why setting clear expectations is crucial when onboarding a new client.
When you first meet with a client, it’s essential to reiterate the expected timeline for seeing measurable progress. In SEO, this is typically three to six months, and sometimes even longer if the market is highly competitive. Though these principles apply broadly to other digital marketing areas, SEO’s nature makes it particularly essential to communicate early on that progress takes time.
Setting Expectations Early: The Key to Success
Establishing a realistic timeframe helps avoid misunderstandings and gives your client a clear idea of when they can expect to see progress. If your agency typically sees results in four to six months, share that right from the beginning. Sometimes, clients may have previously worked with another agency. In these cases, you’ll want to avoid casting the former agency in a negative light. Instead, frame it positively: acknowledge that each agency has unique strengths, and discuss how your agency’s approach may bring fresh value to the client’s goals.
For example, maybe the last agency specialized in on-page SEO while your agency has a knack for technical SEO. Mentioning this differentiation sets the stage for your agency’s approach, emphasizing that SEO success is built from multiple strategies working in harmony.
Framing Progress vs. Results: Avoiding Miscommunication
One of the key challenges in SEO reporting is framing the conversation around progress rather than immediate results. Clients naturally care about tangible outcomes like more phone calls, form submissions, or sales. However, in the early stages of an SEO campaign, you need to focus on benchmarks and initial data gathering to make informed, data-driven decisions. Explain to your client that before diving into optimizations, it’s crucial to have baseline data to compare against future progress.
Some clients may question why you need time to gather data, especially if they’ve already been tracking analytics. Here, it’s helpful to explain that while they may have historical data, it’s not always relevant if the site hasn’t been actively optimized. Sites that are neglected can lose traction over time, especially if competitors are actively optimizing and pulling ahead.
Setting Benchmarks and Managing Early Wins
In the initial months, emphasize benchmarks. Let clients know you’re working toward certain milestones and that the first phase is about making targeted improvements and tracking how they impact the site’s performance. For example, if you’re focusing on improving site speed and submitting an XML sitemap, you might see an initial bump in visibility. However, remind your client that this is often temporary and is part of Google’s process of evaluating and adjusting to the new changes. The pattern you typically see is a rise, a dip, and then a leveling off.
A common pitfall in reporting is going overboard with early positive results. Showing only “green” metrics can create unrealistic expectations that all progress will follow a linear upward trend. By month four, it’s time to introduce a bit of red in your reports. Not to show failure, but to highlight areas for improvement and explain the cyclical nature of SEO. This transparency can prevent clients from assuming that success requires no further effort and helps them understand the ongoing value of your work.
Keeping the Focus on Continuous Progress
Clients are primarily interested in results. However, it’s your job to show them how progress drives those results. It can be tempting to gloss over challenges, but emphasizing “opportunities” instead of problems is a powerful way to frame areas needing attention. For instance, if you’ve focused on optimizing a specific page that’s now ranking well, but the site as a whole hasn’t improved yet, use this as an opportunity to discuss the bigger picture. SEO is cumulative, and success on one page will eventually contribute to site-wide growth.
Think of each page like a lottery ticket—each one optimized is another chance for the site to be seen. While one optimized page may not immediately impact the entire site, it contributes to overall authority and visibility over time.
The Volatility of Rankings and the Value of Coaching
SEO is inherently volatile. Clients need to understand that rankings fluctuate frequently and that this is normal. Help them recognize that rankings can shift daily, even within the same day, and that this is just a part of the process. This is where coaching your client becomes invaluable. For instance, many clients obsessively search for their own rankings and become concerned when they see fluctuations. Instead of letting them worry, teach them to use incognito mode or discourage frequent checks, explaining that Google customizes results based on individual search behavior.
Encourage your clients to trust the process and the strategies you’re implementing. You want them to focus on the long-term wins rather than the day-to-day movements in rankings.
Ending on a Positive and Preparing for Next Steps
Always conclude each report with a positive outlook. Highlight the wins from the current month and outline what you plan to tackle in the next. This could include noting how a specific page performed well this month, with a reminder that it may dip next month as it stabilizes. By setting this expectation, you help clients understand the normal fluctuations of SEO.
Prepare them for what’s ahead by emphasizing that SEO success is built on a foundation of continuous improvement and long-term strategy. Reinforce that while short-term wins are exciting, true success is measured over a longer period.
Final Thoughts: Transparency Builds Trust
In the end, your clients care about seeing results, but they also value honesty and transparency. If you consistently coach them through the process, set realistic expectations, and focus on progress, you’ll build a trusted partnership. With a transparent approach, reporting becomes less about explaining why things didn’t go perfectly and more about celebrating the progress that sets the stage for long-term success.
By reframing reporting as a chance to reinforce your strategy and communicate openly, you can turn this once-dreaded task into an opportunity to build trust, demonstrate value, and highlight the incremental wins that will lead to the outcomes your clients care about most.