Quick Answer: A PPC report should lead with conversions and cost per conversion (or revenue and ROAS for stores), then efficiency metrics, a breakdown by campaign and commentary. An SEO report should lead with a short summary, then Search Console clicks and impressions, rankings, and organic conversions. Both should end with a next step.
PPC and SEO are the two reports agencies write most. They are also the two most often padded with numbers nobody asked for.
The guidance below reflects what agency tool vendors and SEO agencies publish, including AgencyAnalytics, Swydo, Search Engine Land and SE Ranking. Many are vendor blogs, so it is common practice rather than research. We have not seen evidence that one template wins.
Start with the goal
Before choosing metrics, ask what the client measures success by.
- A brand awareness client cares about impressions and reach
- A lead generation client cares about leads and cost per lead
- A store cares about revenue and return on ad spend
- A traffic client cares about clicks and click-through rate
Pick the report's lead metrics from that, not from what the platform shows by default.
What a PPC report should include
Lead with outcomes
Open with conversions and what each one cost. For a store, open with revenue and ROAS.
A simple example: 57 form fills from $1,200 in spend is about $21 per lead, which you can compare with the client's target.
Then efficiency and visibility
- Conversion rate
- Click-through rate
- Cost per click
- Impression share, which shows how often your ads appeared when they were eligible, and so where you are missing opportunities
- Budget pacing, if the client watches spend closely
Break it down by campaign
Show which campaigns and ad groups drive results and which waste budget. That is where the decisions are.
Add commentary
Explain why numbers moved and what you will change. A table of numbers is not a report. See how to write a monthly client report for a structure.
Cross-platform context
If the client runs Google Ads, Meta Ads and Microsoft Ads, show the overall picture first, then each platform. A cost per lead rise on one platform can be offset elsewhere.
What an SEO report should include
A short summary
Two to three sentences with the headline result and the next step. Some readers will read nothing else.
Search Console data
Clicks and impressions are the core, and the queries and pages behind them. A breakdown by page or query shows where the growth is.
Rankings for target terms
Position changes for the terms you were hired to improve tie the work to something specific.
Organic conversions and landing pages
This is where SEO reports often fall short. Rankings and impressions are easy to show. Clients increasingly want to know whether SEO produced leads or sales, so show organic conversions and the pages that produced them.
Traffic context
Show organic traffic next to other channels so the client can see the full picture.
Technical health, only if it changed
Include crawl or speed issues when they affected results, not as a standing list.
What to leave out
- Metrics nobody acts on. If a number would not change a decision, cut it
- Vanity numbers without context. Impressions with no conversion link
- Jargon with no definition
- Data dumps. Put detail in an appendix
Connect the two
If you run both, show them together where it matters. A drop in organic traffic can push more weight onto paid search, and the reverse is also true. Looking at one channel alone often hides this.
Building these reports with LedgeSpace
LedgeSpace connects the data these reports use. All of these are live integrations included on every plan:
- Paid media: Google Ads, Meta Ads, Microsoft and Bing Ads, and YouTube Analytics
- SEO: Google Search Console, Google Analytics 4, Google Business Profile, Semrush and Ahrefs
- Leads and revenue: HubSpot, Pipedrive, GoHighLevel, Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce
Two honest limits. LinkedIn Ads is listed as coming soon, not live. And Semrush and Ahrefs data auto-syncs on a 7-day cycle to manage API cost, while Google Ads, Meta Ads, GA4, Search Console and Google Business Profile refresh every few hours.
RUSHA, the optional AI add-on, can answer questions across these sources, for example whether a ranking improvement shows up in organic conversions, or which campaign drove a cost per lead increase. It checks every number against your connected data and gives likely causes, not certainties. See the guides for PPC agencies and SEO agencies.
Plans start at $39/mo billed annually for up to 5 clients, with a 14-day free trial and no credit card. The full list is on the integrations page.
