How to Do Monthly SEO Review (Whipplewood)¶
Owner: Bella | Updated: 2026-02-05
Purpose¶
Monitor SEO health monthly and produce a simple client-facing report showing performance snapshot + recommendations.
When to Use¶
First week of each month. Block 2 hours.
Output¶
A 1-2 page client report (Google Slides or PDF) with: - Executive summary (what happened this month) - Key metrics vs last month - Top performing content - 2-3 recommendations
This report goes to the client via weekly meeting or Slack.
1. Site Audit (SEMrush)¶
Where: SEMrush → Site Audit → whipplewoodcpas.com
What to check:
| Metric | Where to Find | Target | Report If |
|---|---|---|---|
| Site Health | Top of dashboard | > 90% | Drops below 90% |
| Errors | Errors tab | 0 | Any new errors |
| Warnings | Warnings tab | Stable | +10 new warnings |
| Crawled Pages | Overview | ~200 | Major change |
Specific errors to watch: - [ ] 4xx errors (broken pages) - [ ] Broken internal links - [ ] Low text to HTML ratio (if increasing)
Report format:
SITE AUDIT
- Site Health: [X]% (vs [X]% last month)
- Errors: [X] (change: +/- X)
- Warnings: [X] (change: +/- X)
- New issues: [list any]
2. AI Search Health (SEMrush)¶
Where: SEMrush → Site Audit → AI Search Health
What to check:
| Metric | Target | Report If |
|---|---|---|
| AI Search Health | > 80% | Drops below 80% |
| Blocked from AI Search | 0 pages | Any blocked pages |
| Content not optimized | Decreasing | Increasing issues |
Report format:
AI SEARCH
- AI Search Health: [X]%
- Pages blocked from AI: [X]
- Content issues: [X]
3. Position Tracking (SEMrush)¶
Where: SEMrush → Position Tracking → whipplewoodcpas.com
What to check:
| Metric | Current Baseline | Report If |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 11% | Changes > 2% |
| Top 3 keywords | 1 | Lost any |
| Top 10 keywords | 3 | Lost any |
| Top 20 keywords | 3 | Lost > 1 |
Key keywords to watch:
| Keyword | Current Position | Target |
|---|---|---|
| denver accounting firm mid size | 1 | Stay #1 |
| denver accounting firm | 7 | Top 5 |
| littleton cpa firm | 8 | Top 5 |
| quality accountants denver | 59 | Top 20 |
Report format:
POSITION TRACKING
- Visibility: [X]% (vs [X]% last month)
- Top 3: [X] keywords (new: X, lost: X)
- Top 10: [X] keywords (new: X, lost: X)
- Top 20: [X] keywords (new: X, lost: X)
Key movements:
- [keyword]: [old position] → [new position]
4. SEO Overview (SEMrush)¶
Where: SEMrush → SEO Dashboard or Organic Research
What to check:
| Metric | Current Baseline | Report If |
|---|---|---|
| Authority Score | 19 | Drops > 2 |
| Organic Traffic | ~273 | Drops > 20% |
| Organic Keywords | ~371 | Drops > 10% |
| Referring Domains | ~145 | Drops > 10 |
| Backlinks | ~493 | Major loss |
Report format:
SEO OVERVIEW
- Authority Score: [X] (vs [X] last month)
- Organic Traffic: [X] (change: +/- X%)
- Organic Keywords: [X] (change: +/- X)
- Referring Domains: [X] (change: +/- X)
- Backlinks: [X] (change: +/- X)
5. Core Web Vitals (SEMrush + PageSpeed)¶
Where: - SEMrush → Site Audit → Core Web Vitals - PageSpeed Insights (for details)
What to check:
| Metric | Target | Report If |
|---|---|---|
| Core Web Vitals score | > 50% | Below 50% |
| Mobile Performance | > 50 | Below 50 |
| LCP | < 4s | Above 4s |
Note: Currently showing 0% in SEMrush - may need manual PageSpeed check.
Report format:
CORE WEB VITALS
- SEMrush score: [X]%
- PageSpeed Mobile: [X]
- LCP: [X]s
6. Google Search Console (Quick Check)¶
Where: Google Search Console
What to check: - [ ] Any new manual actions or security issues - [ ] Indexing → Pages: new errors - [ ] Performance: traffic trend (up/down/stable)
Report format:
GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE
- Manual actions: None / [issue]
- New index errors: [X]
- Traffic trend: Up / Down / Stable
7. Google Business Profile (Local)¶
Where: Google Business Profile
What to check:
| Metric | Current | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 3.8★ | 4.5★ |
| Review count | 19 | +2/month |
| Response rate | 0% | 100% |
- Check for new reviews
- Respond to any unanswered reviews
- Post 1 GBP update if none this month
Report format:
LOCAL SEO (GBP)
- Rating: [X]★ ([X] reviews)
- New reviews this month: [X]
- Responded to all: Yes / No
- Posted this month: Yes / No
8. Build Client Report (Google Slides)¶
Purpose: Create a simple 1-2 page report for the client.
Slide 1: Executive Summary + Key Metrics¶
WHIPPLEWOOD SEO SNAPSHOT
[Month Year]
SUMMARY
[1-2 sentences: "Organic traffic up X%. Visibility improved. Site health stable at 91%."]
KEY METRICS This Month vs Last Month
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Organic Traffic [X] [↑/↓ X%]
Search Visibility [X]% [↑/↓ X%]
Keywords in Top 10 [X] [+/- X]
Google Rating [X]★ [X reviews]
Slide 2: Top Content + Recommendations¶
TOP PERFORMING PAGES (Last 30 Days)
1. [Page title] - [X] visits
2. [Page title] - [X] visits
3. [Page title] - [X] visits
KEYWORD WINS
• [keyword] moved from #X → #X
• [keyword] now in Top 10
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. [Specific action] - [why it matters]
2. [Specific action] - [why it matters]
3. [Specific action] - [why it matters]
Questions? Let's discuss in our weekly call.
What to Include in Recommendations¶
| If You See... | Recommend... |
|---|---|
| Keyword close to Top 10 | "Optimize [page] for [keyword] to push into Top 10" |
| Traffic up on a blog post | "Create more content like [post title]" |
| Low reviews / rating | "Request reviews from satisfied clients" |
| Page speed issues | "Technical improvements to improve mobile speed" |
| Nothing major | "Continue current strategy - metrics are stable" |
- Create slides from template
- Add actual numbers from your data collection
- Write 2-3 specific recommendations
- Get Ryan's review before sending to client
Done When¶
- All 7 areas checked in SEMrush/GSC/GBP
- Client report created (2 slides)
- Ryan has reviewed the report
- Report shared with client (weekly meeting or Slack)
If Stuck¶
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Can't access SEMrush | Ask Ryan for login |
| Can't access GSC | Ask Ryan to add you |
| Major ranking drop (> 20 positions) | Flag to Ryan immediately, don't wait for report |
| Site Health drops below 85% | Flag to Ryan immediately |
| Negative review | Draft response, send to Ryan for approval before posting |
FAQ¶
Q: How long should this take? A: 2 hours including report creation.
Q: What if nothing changed? A: Still send the report. "Stable performance" is good news for clients.
Q: Who sees this report? A: The client (Mona). Ryan reviews before it goes out.
Q: Should I fix issues myself? A: No. Note in recommendations. Ryan decides what gets actioned.
Q: What's most important to clients? A: Traffic, visibility, and keyword rankings. They care about results, not technical details.
Q: How detailed should recommendations be? A: Specific but simple. "Optimize the CFO services page for 'Denver CFO'" not "Improve on-page SEO."
Tools & Links¶
| Tool | URL |
|---|---|
| SEMrush | https://www.semrush.com |
| Google Search Console | https://search.google.com/search-console |
| Google Business Profile | https://business.google.com |
| PageSpeed Insights | https://pagespeed.web.dev |
| GA4 | https://analytics.google.com |