Search and measurement
How to read an SEO report without being misled
A report can look impressive and tell you nothing. Learn which numbers come from Google, which are estimates, and what questions to ask when the report shows activity but not results.
If you pay for search work, someone will send you a report. The report should help you decide whether the work is helping. Many do not. This note lists what to look for, so you can tell a report that informs from one that impresses.
The numbers that come from Google
Search Console is Google’s own tool for site owners. Its performance report shows, for your site:
- Impressions: how often a page of yours appeared in results.
- Clicks: how often someone clicked through.
- Average position: where your page appeared, averaged over many searches.
- Queries and pages: which searches and which pages these came from.
- Countries and devices.
These are first-party numbers, so they are the best evidence you can get about search visibility. They have limits: they show what happened, not why, and they update with a delay. A report built on them should name the date range and say whether it compares like with like.
Numbers to treat with caution
| In a report | What to ask |
|---|---|
| “Rankings for 50 keywords” | Where was it checked, from which location and device? Results differ by person and place |
| A third-party “authority” or “health” score | Who calculates it? It is not a Google measure and does not predict results |
| “Traffic” with no source | Is it search traffic, or all visits including direct and social? |
| “Sessions” | A session is a period of visits, not a person. One person can create several |
| Total clicks to a phone or WhatsApp button | Do they become enquiries? See the guide on counting enquiries |
| A list of tasks completed | Did the work change anything you can measure? |
| Percent increases | From what base? A rise from 2 to 4 is 100 per cent |
What a useful report contains
- The goal. What you agreed the work is for.
- What was done, in plain words and with page addresses.
- What changed, in Search Console and in your enquiry log, over a period long enough to mean something.
- What did not work, and what will change.
- What is next, and why.
If it shows only activity (hours worked, pages optimised, backlinks “built”) and never what changed for you, ask why.
Questions to ask your provider
- Which numbers are from Google, and which are estimates?
- What is the date range, and what is it compared with?
- Which pages gained visibility, and for which searches?
- How many real enquiries came from the site, according to my log?
- What would you do if nothing improves in three months?
- What did you change on my site, and can I see it?
Google’s advice on hiring someone for search work applies: be wary of secrecy about what will be changed, and of any promise of a top position. It says no one can guarantee a number-one ranking. A provider who is honest about that is more useful than one who gives you a rank.
Seasonality and time
Search interest rises and falls through the year. Compare this month with the same month last year when you can, and not with last month. New sites need time before there is anything to compare. See the first month in Search Console.
Avoiding a misleading report
- Ask for access to Search Console, so you can read the numbers yourself. You can give a provider a restricted role and keep ownership.
- Keep your own enquiry log. See counting enquiries from WhatsApp and phone calls.
- Ask for the report to separate “what we did” from “what happened”.
For what a package’s SEO line should list, see comparing website packages.