Why Using Spreadsheets is Killing Your SEO Reports (And Why You Need Automated SEO Reporting)
When I first started out in digital marketing, using spreadsheets was the standard for reporting SEO metrics. I didn’t have the luxury of automated SEO reporting to do the heavy lifting. Gathering data and putting it all into a fancy sheet was very time consuming. By the time I had finished I was left with a sheet full of numbers and then what? I just sent it off to my manager and that was my job done.
What do you do with a sheet full of numbers? Most likely very little. All that time and effort but do you know what you are looking at? Are you driving anything forward? You probably just glance and see if things are going ok or not.
Stop Wasting Time Gathering Data
The biggest killer for generating revenue is time inefficiency. If you are spending hours in the first week of every month gathering data, you are wasting time that should be put towards analysing and spotting opportunities for growth.
Spreadsheets require a lot of manual work:
- Finding and exporting data from various sources
- Setting up and maintaining cell calculations
- A lot of copying and pasting
- Formatting the sheet for clarity
What happens when you need to see the latest info at a time outside of your reporting cycle? You need to repeat the process, leading to yet more time wasted. Surely there is a better process?
Automated SEO Reporting for Time Efficiency
The better process in question is automation. An automated dashboard is the way forward to cutting out the laborious task of gathering and inputting data manually. Here is where your new best friend Google’s Looker Studio comes in. Simply plug in connections to GA4 and Google Search Console to create a live dashboard you or your team can reference at any point.
Your new dashboard can gather meaningful data in realtime:
- See your traffic and search impressions over time
- Track your ranking progress
- Monitor your top keywords
- Understand user behaviour of your top pages
- Find where your customers are coming from
Doesn’t it sound much more valuable having all that data in front of you at any given point?
Creating Your SEO Dashboard
I get it, staring at a blank Looker Studio page can be quite intimidating and you might be tempted to revert back to a spreadsheet. The good news is that you only have to set it up once and it will run for as long as you need it.
Some tips to get you started:
- Write down the key metrics that matter to your business. Think more strategically than just traffic. What do you need this report to tell you to make smart business decisions?
- Use a mix of graphs and tables. This way you are not faced with a wall of numbers as you would be with a spreadsheet.
- Split the report into categories. Try pages for overall traffic, keywords, and demographics.
- Add a date picker. Put this at the top of your pages to control the time period so you can change it dependant on when you need the data.
You can save yourself the hassle and more time by getting a pre-made Looker Studio dashboard made specifically for SEO reporting. I have taken away the stress of setting up a new dashboard for you to pop in your own connections and get going right away.
Using Your Time for Growth
Now that your SEO dashboard has been created, you will find you have much more time on your hands. The value now lies in the analysis of your data. Instead of glancing over a bunch of figures, it is time to start understanding your data and spotting key areas for growth. This is where you begin to think about driving more revenue.
- Spot any trends over time to track overall performance
- Discover who your audience actually are to tailor content towards them
- Track conversions to see if your content is landing
- See how relevant your top keywords are to your business
Your New Outlook on Reporting
By now, you should have a new outlook on reporting. SEO reports don’t have to be a laborious task for you to glance over and store away in a folder never to see the light of day again. Instead they are a valuable asset to drive growth and revenue from your SEO efforts. Remember that time is money.
Get going right away by getting your copy of your RESULTS: GA4 Dashboard and in just a few clicks you can start making important decisions to drive your SEO forward from today.
