The report structure
- Summary (five lines). What changed, the likely reason, the confidence level, and the next action.
- First-party performance. Search Console clicks, impressions, CTR and average position, by market and device, non-branded first.
- Visibility sample. Rank and SERP feature data for the defined keyword sets, labeled with source and method.
- Competitive context. Share of voice by competitor class, with the model stated.
- Annotations. Google updates, Search Console reporting changes, site releases, regulatory changes, major sporting events.
- Actions and owners. What will be done, by whom, and how it will be measured next month.
- Method notes. Data sources, filters, keyword-set versions, known gaps.
The core table
| Metric | Source | This month | Last month | Same month last year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-branded clicks | Search Console | n | n | n | Regex version |
| Non-branded impressions | Search Console | n | n | n | Mark logging-issue period |
| Non-branded CTR | Search Console | % | % | % | Unstable below 100 impressions |
| Branded clicks | Search Console | n | n | n | Context only |
| Coverage in top 10 | Rank sample (name provider) | x of y | x of y | x of y | Keyword-set version |
| Median position, found keywords | Rank sample | n | n | n | Count of keywords found |
| Non-branded share of voice | Model | % | % | % | Weights and CTR curve |
Define every metric once
Put a definitions box in every report. Use Google's wording where it exists: CTR is "(clicks ÷ impressions)"; average position is the topmost position averaged across queries. For your own metrics, link the method: volatility, share of voice, coverage and median position.
Annotations to include for 2025 and 2026
- Google core updates in 2025 (March 13, June 30, December 11) and 2026 (March 27, May 21), and spam updates, from the Search Status Dashboard.
- June 16, 2025: AI Mode data began counting toward Performance report totals.
- May 13, 2025 to April 27, 2026: a logging error affected Search Console impressions (and so CTR and position); clicks were not affected.
- May 7, 2026: FAQ rich results stopped appearing in Google Search.
- August 31, 2026: the generative AI performance report and Search generative AI control reached all sites.
- Your own releases, migrations and content changes, and market events such as new rules or launches.
State confidence plainly
| Level | Use when |
|---|---|
| High | First-party data, clear change, one plausible cause supported by timing and page-level data |
| Medium | Clear change, several possible causes, or reliance on a rank sample |
| Low | Small samples, modeled data only, or a period affected by reporting changes |
Claims a report should avoid
- "We will rank first for…" Nobody controls rankings.
- "The core update caused…" without page-level evidence. Google's traffic-drop guide lists several other causes.
- Revenue, deposits or player counts attributed to SEO without your own analytics and attribution model.
- Competitor traffic figures presented as facts when they are third-party estimates.
Questions
How long should a monthly casino SEO report be?
Short enough to read in ten minutes: a five-line summary, one table per market and device, a few annotated charts and the actions. Put detail in an appendix.
Should share of voice be in the summary?
Only with its method attached, because it is a model. Lead with Search Console clicks and impressions, which are first-party data.
How should we handle the 2025 to 2026 impression logging issue?
Shade the period on charts, compare clicks rather than impressions across it, and say in the method notes which comparisons it affects.
Sources
- Search Console Help: Performance report (Search results), overview no date shown
- Search Console Help: Data anomalies in Search Console entries through 2026
- Google Search Status Dashboard: ranking incident history checked October 26, 2026
- Google: Debugging drops in Google Search traffic updated December 10, 2025
Spotted an error? Tell us with a link to the source. Corrections are logged on the page they affect (corrections policy).
