A plumbing company owner showed us his monthly SEO report last week. It was 14 pages long with color-coded charts, keyword rankings, and “domain authority” graphs.
He had one question: “Is any of this working?”
He couldn’t tell. And that’s the problem.
Why Most SEO Reports Are Useless
The SEO industry has a reporting problem. Most reports are filled with metrics that look impressive but don’t connect to money. “Your domain authority increased from 12 to 14” sounds good, but it doesn’t tell you if more people called your business.
According to a 2024 SparkToro survey, 68% of small business owners who hire SEO agencies struggle to understand the reports they receive. That’s not a client problem — it’s an agency problem.
The Three Numbers That Actually Matter
Forget everything else in the report. These three numbers tell you if your SEO investment is working:
1. Phone Calls From Google
How many people called your business after finding you on Google? This is the number that pays your bills. Google Business Profile Insights shows this directly — it tracks calls from the “Call” button on your listing.
If this number is going up month over month, your SEO is working. If it’s flat or declining, something is wrong — regardless of what the report says about rankings.
2. Google Business Profile Views
How many times did your business listing appear in Google search results? This measures visibility. More views = more people seeing your business = more potential calls.
A healthy local business should see this grow 5-10% per month with active optimization. If views are flat for 3+ months, ask your agency what they’re doing to improve it.
3. Website Visits From Google Search
How many people found your website through Google (not direct, not social, not ads)? Google calls this “organic search traffic” and you can see it in Google Analytics or Google Search Console.
This number shows whether the content and SEO work is attracting new potential customers.
What to Do About Confusing Reports
Step 1: Ask for These Three Numbers
Email your SEO agency: “Starting next month, I’d like each report to lead with three numbers: calls from Google, GBP views, and organic website traffic. Show me the trend over the last 6 months.”
A good agency will appreciate the clarity. A bad agency will resist — because those numbers might not look good.
Step 2: Ignore Vanity Metrics
These metrics look good in reports but don’t directly affect your revenue: - Domain authority — a third-party estimate, not a Google metric - Keyword rankings for obscure terms — ranking #1 for “best affordable emergency plumbing repair service San Antonio Texas” means nothing if nobody searches for it - “Impressions” without context — 10,000 impressions and 2 clicks is not a win - Backlinks acquired — unless they’re from relevant, quality sites
Step 3: Demand Clear Language
If your agency can’t explain what they did this month in 3 sentences that a non-technical person understands, that’s a red flag. Good work is easy to explain:
“We updated your Google Business Profile description and added 8 photos of recent jobs. We wrote two blog posts about common plumbing emergencies in San Antonio. We responded to 5 new Google reviews on your behalf. Here are this month’s numbers.”
That’s a useful report. “We implemented technical on-page optimization and built 12 DR40+ referring domains” is not.
Step 4: Set a Review Point
Give your agency a fair timeline (most legitimate SEO takes 3-6 months to show results), but set a specific check-in: “At the 90-day mark, I want to see measurable improvement in calls from Google or we need to discuss our arrangement.”
This isn’t aggressive — it’s business. You’re investing $500-2,000/month and deserve to know it’s working.
When the Report Shows Bad News
Sometimes the numbers aren’t growing, and that’s actually valuable information. A honest agency will tell you:
- “Rankings dropped because a competitor launched a content campaign — here’s our plan to respond”
- “Calls are flat because your reviews haven’t grown. We need you to ask more customers for reviews”
- “Website traffic is up but calls are down — your website might need a better call-to-action”
Bad news with a plan is infinitely better than fake good news.
Your Move
Pull up your last SEO report. Can you find the three numbers that matter? If not, email your agency today and ask.
And if you want an independent check on your Google presence, run our free audit. It takes 30 seconds and gives you a baseline score you can compare against whatever your agency is reporting.