Monthly reporting: how-to & template

Data is crucial! But keeping it tidy and accessible is equally important.

We created this template to do exactly that.

Why we created this template

As a performance marketing agency, we rely on accurate and up-to-date data to drive client success. This template enables us to efficiently replicate services for clients at scale and monitor various performance metrics.

What you need to get started

• Topic strategy
• Google Analytics account
• Google Search Console account
• SyncWith extension for Google Sheets

How this template works

The template helps you track and analyze:

• Organic search performance: Monitor the ratio of branded to unbranded clicks on a monthly basis, aiming for 40-50% unbranded clicks. Adjust your strategy if the balance is significantly off.
• Topic strategy performance: Observe how your strategic keywords' rankings change over time, providing insights into your website's success and areas for improvement.
• General keyword performance: Track the rankings of non-strategic keywords to identify potential opportunities.

Step-by-step: using the technical audit template

To start, open up the template and make a copy.

Import Topic Strategy

Before starting with the template, make sure you have your topic strategy ready. Your topic strategy should contain a list of keywords and topics you want to focus on. To import your topic strategy into the template, follow these steps:

1. Open the "strategyData" tab in the template.
2. If you’re using our topic strategy & tracker template, you can import the data using =importrange.
3. Alternatively, you copy your keyword and topic data from your topic strategy document and paste the data into the corresponding columns in the "Topic Strategy" tab.

Install SyncWith

To import data from Google Analytics and Google Search Console, you'll need to use SyncWith, an extension for Google Sheets. To install SyncWith, follow these steps:

1. Visit the SyncWith website.
2. Click on "Get Started" and follow the instructions to add the extension to your Google Sheets.

Connect Google Analytics and Google Search Console

After installing SyncWith, you'll need to connect your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts to import essential data into the template. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Launch the SyncWith extension
2. Configure each report for the domain you want to report on

Analyze the Data and Optimize Your Content Strategy

Now that the template is set up, you can start analyzing the data to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement in your content strategy.

The template is broken up into eight reports, six of which are for keyword performance and two of which show overall site performance.

• Strategic by Change: This report is designed to help you identify high-priority keywords that have had the strongest performance each month.
• Strategic by Priority: This report shows any high-priority keywords that are ranking well.
• Strategic by Volume: This report shows how you're ranking for high-volume keywords.
• General Keyword Reports: These reports show every keyword across the site, highlighting the keywords with the biggest improvement over the last month and the highest volume keywords you're ranking for.
• Monthly and Quarterly Performance Tabs: These tabs provide valuable insights into general site performance, site traffic, and unbranded search performance.

As you continue to update your content strategy and implement changes, revisit the template regularly to track your progress and adjust your approach as needed.