// Analytics
Agency Client Reporting: What to Include, What to Skip, and How to Present It
Bad client reports are the #1 reason agencies lose clients. Learn what metrics actually matter to clients, how to present results in plain language, and how to tell the story of your work.
What Clients Actually Want to Know
Clients don't care about DA, impressions, or bounce rate. They care about three things: Is my investment working? Am I getting more customers from this? Is my position improving relative to competitors?
Everything in your report should connect to one of these three questions. Metrics that don't connect to them should either be explained in terms of their connection or removed.
The One-Page Executive Summary
Every client report should start with a one-page summary that a non-technical stakeholder can read in 2 minutes. Include: the primary result this period (in business language), 3 metrics that show progress, what you did, and what you're doing next.
The detailed metrics belong in the appendix — not the opening. Clients who want the detail will find it. Clients who don't will at least read the summary.
Metrics Worth Reporting
- Organic traffic trend (month-over-month and year-over-year)
- Conversion rate from organic traffic
- Leads or revenue attributed to web channels
- Keyword rankings for agreed target terms
- Competitor comparison on key metrics
- Work completed vs. work planned (accountability)
Presenting Bad News
Traffic dropped this month? Don't bury it. Lead with it, explain why (algorithm update, seasonality, technical issue), show what you're doing about it, and give a timeline for recovery. Clients who trust you handle bad news in plain language stay longer than clients fed filtered good news.