How to Create a Keyword Position Baseline Report With Small SEO Tools

A website analytics report can be used to monitor changes in your website activity over a period of time. In a nutshell, a website analytics report can help:

• Identify areas where improvement is needed
• Identify the strengths of your website
• Identify the weaknesses of your website
• Show the results of specific marketing campaigns
• Guide you in the right direction towards specific goals

That’s just the beginning, of course. The benefits of an analytics report will vary from website to the next, as will the details about what’s included. So before we get started, here are a few things you need to know:

1. The following instructions cover a very basic set of information (keyword analytics) and how to organize it effectively.
2. If you offer any kind of website development, management, or marketing services… you should be providing clients with a deliverable (analytics report) on a regular basis. Be sure to add personalized narrative for each section that breaks down complex subjects into “layman’s terms”.
3. Once you have completed the basic information in your baseline report, please add additional sections based on individual goals or requirements.
4. You may need a few hours to complete research for the baseline report, but follow up reports can be completed much quicker!
5. Finally, be sure to schedule follow up reports on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis. The frequency of your reports should be determined by importance of goals and progress.

Keyword Analytics Baseline

If SEO is an important goal for your website, the very first section should be dedicated to keyword analytics. The best way to display this information is by creating a table with 5 columns, and entering the information as shown below:

  In the first column, you will want to enter your target keywords. Everyone has their own way of researching which keywords are best, but with the Google Adwords Keyword tool and Google Trends this can be a very simple (although tedious) job. Tip: avoid using multiple versions of the same keywords. Keep this list short, sweet, and simple. Just focus on the most valuable search phrases and move on. When using the Adwords Keyword tool you will also find the monthly search volume per target keyword. Choose the local or global volume based on target audience, and enter this number in the second column as a general guideline of keyword value. Optional: You may also use a third column to identify whether each target keyword has a competition value of low, medium, or high. This information (displayed in the Adwords Keyword Tool) is based on PPC advertising, but can give you a sense of how difficult a keyword will be to gain a natural placement on the front page of search results. Next, you need to enter your keyword results position (per search engine). To do this, you can manually enter each keyword into Google, Yahoo, and Bing and then count how far down into the listings you are. But why would you do that when you can just use the Small SEO Tools Keyword Tracker to do all your dirty work? Start by entering your domain in the box on the left, and all keywords (one per line) in the box on the right.   Then, click on the green button that says “Check position”.   Now go pour yourself a drink and relax. Depending on how many keywords you are targeting, this test will probably be done by the time you get back and all you have to do is enter the numbers. Here is an example of a completed Keyword Analytics section:

Now this might be a no brainer, but…

When you do a follow up report, you hope to see an improvement in the search engine results position for each target keyword. Organization is everything, so here is a good way to complete the keywords analytics section in a follow up report:

  At a glance, you can easily identify which keywords have improved on position, and which have fallen. Additional Sections to Include: Your baseline report is very important, because it provides a structure to begin with. Some additional elements to cover may include tracking changes in social media as well as using Google Analytics to report on:

• Traffic Sources
  • Which keywords bring you the most traffic
  • Which back links bring you the most traffic
  • Any spurts in traffic that can be traced to an effective offline marketing campaign
  • Traffic Demographics / Region
  • Top Entrance / Exit Pages

Free Online Tools Help You Maintain a Successful Web Presence

Unless you have a large budget with tons of disposable cash, you’re probably always looking for ways to maximize profit potential while keeping expenses at a bare minimum. With Small SEO Tools, you can can create a strong baseline report – and follow up reports to monitor improvement—in a very short amount of time. The best part is that these reports and capabilities are all customized to fit your unique needs, so the only information you work with is the information you need.