FreeGoogle Search Console + GA4About 45 min
Send a Monthly Report the Client Can Check
A monthly report shows what changed and what you did. Every number in it should be one the client can open and see for themselves.
Why This Matters
The worst report is a pretty PDF of numbers nobody can find. If a client cannot check a number, they stop believing the rest. Use their own accounts as the source.
✓ How To Do It
- Give the client viewer access to their own Search Console and GA4 before the first report. Setup is in the Search Console lesson and the GA4 lesson.
- Open the Search Console Performance report and set the range to the last full month against the month before. Write down clicks, impressions and the top five queries.
- Open GA4 and write down how many people called, filled a form or clicked a map for the same two months. If you track a call number, add its call count too.
- Pull the calls that came from a tracked number. List the date, the source and whether it was a real customer. Never put a caller's full number or name in a report.
- Write five lines on what you did this month. Name the page you built, the post you published and the fix you made.
- Write three lines on what is next. Keep it to what you will actually do before the next report.
- Add a line telling the client where each number came from. Say "Search Console, Performance, last full month" so they can click through.
- If a number dropped, say so first and say why you think it did. A client who hears bad news from you trusts you more.
- Send the report on the same day each month. Ask one question at the end, like "Did the calls feel busier or slower?".
Done WhenA one page report is sent, every number lists its source, and the client confirmed they can open the same screen.
Reference List
Tips & Pitfalls
- Skip vanity numbers like total impressions with no context. Lead with calls and forms.
- Do not compare months that include a holiday without saying so.
- Never invent a number to fill a gap. Write "no data" and say why.