Free template. For agencies with local clients.
Monthly SEO report template with a competitor changes section
A free, blank monthly SEO report for local clients, in Word format (it opens in Google Docs too). It covers the usual results, plus the section most monthly reports leave out: what the client's competitors changed this month. No branding inside, so it goes out under your agency's name.
What's in the template
Eight sections, in the order a busy owner reads them. Each one has a short note in grey saying what goes there; delete the notes before you send it.
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| 1. This month in three lines | What changed, what it means for the business, and the next step. Written last, read first. |
| 2. What we did | The work in the client's words, each with the reason it matters. |
| 3. Results | Calls, direction requests and website clicks from the Google listing; Search Console clicks and impressions; leads. This month, last month, same month last year. |
| Tracked searches | The searches the client cares about, checked from their city, with the map pack noted separately. |
| 4. Competitor changes | Each change a rival made, where you saw it and the date, and what it means for the client. |
| Reviews against competitors | Google rating and review count for the client and each main rival, and the change since last month. |
| 5. Reviews | New reviews, how many got a reply, and anything several reviewers mentioned. |
| 6. Website issues | What was found, how many pages it affects, and whether it is fixed or waiting on the client. |
| 7. Next month | Two or three pieces of work, each tied to something in the report. |
| 8. Questions for you | What only the client knows: slow weeks, services they want more of, what customers say about rivals. |
Why the competitor section matters
Most monthly SEO reports describe the client in isolation: rankings, clicks, calls. The client reads them against something else, the businesses they lose customers to. A flat month reads as "the SEO isn't working" unless the report also shows that a rival opened a second location, started running ads on the client's main search, or added thirty reviews.
Results without the competition are a number. Results next to the competition are a story the client can act on.
The section also gives you the opening for next month's work. "Two rivals added online booking this month" is a better reason to propose a booking page than any best-practice list.
How to fill it in
- Pick three to five rivals. The businesses the client names when you ask who they lose jobs to, plus whoever sits above them in the map pack for their main search.
- Check the same places each month. Each rival's homepage and service or pricing pages, their Google listing (rating, review count, photos, posts), and whether they are running Google ads on the client's searches.
- Write down what changed, with a link and the date. Keep facts and opinions in separate columns. Never guess why a rival did something; say what you saw.
- Add one line on what it means for the client. Some months the honest answer is "nothing to do yet, worth watching".
Doing this for every client takes time. Our white label brief does the checking: it watches each client's competitors and sends the client a brief under your agency's name on the days you pick, every change dated and linked to where it was seen. At the end of the month, section 4 is a copy and paste. See white label local competitor reports or the white label SEO report for the search side.
Tips for a report clients actually read
- Lead with the summary. If the client reads three lines, those three lines should tell them whether things are getting better and what you are doing next.
- Compare like with like. A local business has seasons. Same month last year is usually a fairer comparison than last month.
- Use the client's own numbers. Calls and direction requests from their Google listing are figures they can check themselves, and they mean more to an owner than impressions.
- End with a question. The last section invites the client to tell you things you cannot see from outside, which keeps the report a conversation rather than a statement.
Questions agencies ask
What should a monthly SEO report include?
For a local business: a three-line summary, the work done in plain words, results from the client's own accounts compared with last month and last year, tracked searches including the map pack, what competitors changed, reviews, website issues, next month's plan, and questions only the client can answer.
Is the template free to use under my agency's brand?
Yes. It is a blank Word document with no branding in it. Add your logo, change the sections, and send it under your agency's name. It opens in Word, Google Docs and Pages.
Where do the numbers come from?
From your client's own accounts: calls, direction requests and website clicks from the Google Business Profile Performance view, clicks and impressions from Google Search Console, and leads from the client's analytics or call tracking. The template tells you which goes where.
How do I fill in the competitor section?
Check each main competitor's website, Google listing, reviews and ads once a month and note anything new, with a link and the date you saw it. If you use our white label brief for the client, the changes it reported that month are already dated and sourced, so the section takes a few minutes to copy across.
Why put competitors in an SEO report at all?
Because a client judges their results against the businesses they lose customers to. A month where calls held steady reads very differently next to a rival who opened a second location or passed the client in reviews, and the report is where that context belongs.
More for agencies
Fill section 4 without the legwork
Open a white label sample brief, or run free competitor briefs on up to 3 of your own clients or prospects first: no signup, about 2 minutes.