Assess SEO Agency Performance: Monthly Scorecard

Monthly scorecard: the simplest way to tell if your SEO agency is working

If you pay an SEO retainer, you should be able to answer one question every month: Did SEO create more qualified leads or sales, and can we prove what work caused it?

This guide gives you a ready-to-run SEO agency performance scorecard. It uses GA4, Google Search Console (GSC), and (if you have it) CRM data. It also shows how to spot SEO agency reporting red flags like “traffic is up” with no proof of real progress.

Short answer: how to assess SEO agency performance in 15 minutes

• Start with business goals: leads, sales, trials, calls, bookings (not just rankings).
• Split branded vs non-branded: brand demand can hide weak SEO growth.
• Track visibility in GSC: impressions, clicks, CTR, and average position for non-branded queries.
• Track outcomes in GA4: organic conversions, conversion rate, and assisted conversions.
• Check landing pages: which pages bring organic users, and do they convert?
• Verify deliverables: technical fixes shipped, content updated/published, links earned, internal links added.
• Measure implementation velocity: how fast recommendations get done (client + agency).
• Decide next action: keep, improve, or replace based on a score and clear thresholds.

Download prompt: Copy the templates in this post into a spreadsheet. In 60 minutes, you can set a baseline score, find your top 3 blockers, and set next-month targets.

What should an SEO monthly report include for stakeholders?

A good monthly SEO report has two layers. One is for decisions, and one is for auditability.

• Executive summary (1 page): outcomes, what changed, what we’ll do next.
• Appendix (details): GA4 and GSC tables, page lists, and proof of deliverables.

If your report is only a PDF with charts and no decisions, it’s not SEO agency reporting. It’s decoration.

Executive summary template (copy/paste)

Month: __________
Goal (business): __________
Score (0-100): ____

Wins (3 bullets):
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- 
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Risks / issues (3 bullets):
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- 
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Next month plan (3 bullets):
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- 
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Needs from our team (owners + dates):
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- 

The monthly SEO agency performance scorecard (weighted)

Think of this scorecard like a school report card. Rankings are one “subject,” but not the whole grade. Score three areas so you can see what’s working and what’s blocked.

• Visibility (GSC): are you showing up more for the right searches?
• Value (GA4 + CRM): is organic traffic turning into leads/sales?
• Execution proof: did work actually ship, and on time?

Scorecard table (example weights)

Area	Metric	How to measure	Weight	Pass guideline
Visibility	Non-branded impressions	GSC query filter (non-branded), MoM and YoY	10	Up or stable with improving CTR
Visibility	Non-branded clicks	GSC clicks (non-branded)	10	Up over 3-month trend
Visibility	CTR on top pages	GSC CTR by page and query	10	Improving for priority pages
Value	Organic conversions	GA4 conversions from Organic Search	15	Up over 3-month trend
Value	Organic conversion rate	Conversions / Organic sessions	10	Stable or rising
Value	Qualified lead rate	CRM: % of organic leads that become qualified	10	Stable or rising
Value	Pipeline / revenue from organic	CRM attribution (first-touch + assisted)	10	Up quarter over quarter
Execution	Technical SEO shipped	# of fixes implemented vs planned	10	80%+ of planned items shipped
Execution	Content delivery + updates	# published + # refreshed + quality checks	10	On schedule and aligned to intent
Execution	Link earning quality	New referring domains + relevance review	5	No spam; relevance is clear
Execution	Reporting clarity + transparency	Can you see work done + why it matters?	10	Yes, every month

Checkpoint question: If a new leader joined your company today, could they read your last SEO report and understand what was done, what changed, and what to do next?

Set goals and define your KPI dictionary (so you stop arguing later)

Many agency fights happen because goals were never written down. Fix that with a simple KPI dictionary. It makes reporting consistent and reduces “metric debates.”

KPI dictionary (minimum set)

KPI	Tool	Definition (plain English)	Why it matters
Organic sessions	GA4	Visits that GA4 labels as Organic Search	Measures organic traffic, but can be noisy
Clicks	GSC	Clicks from Google Search results to your site	Closest view of Google search demand
Impressions	GSC	Times your pages showed in Google results	Measures visibility (even without clicks)
CTR	GSC	Clicks divided by impressions	Shows if titles/snippets match intent
Conversions	GA4	Key actions like form submits, purchases, calls	Turns traffic into business value
Qualified leads	CRM	Leads that meet your quality rules	Stops “junk lead” wins
Implementation velocity	Project tracker	How fast fixes go from recommendation to live	SEO can’t work if nothing ships

Give your agency the access it needs (and keep control)

To do real SEO results tracking, your agency needs visibility. You also need traceability so you can verify what changed and when. Treat access like part of the operating system.

Access checklist

• Google Search Console (full property access)
• GA4 (read + explore, and ability to annotate reports if you use a dashboard tool)
• Bing Webmaster Tools (optional, but useful)
• CMS access (or a clear content publishing process)
• Site crawl tool access (or allow them to run crawls)
• CRM reporting (at least lead-source and lead-quality feedback)
• Dev ticket system (Jira/Linear/etc.) to track implementation and SLAs

If you can’t share CRM data, you can still measure conversions in GA4. You’ll be weaker on “lead quality,” so be explicit about that limitation in reports.

How to separate branded vs non-branded traffic (so you don’t get fooled)

Brand searches are when people type your company or product name. Non-branded searches are when they type the problem they want to solve. Both matter, but they mean different things.

Why this matters: A podcast, a big PR hit, or paid ads can boost branded searches. That can make SEO graphs look great even if you’re not growing new demand.

Simple way to do it in GSC

1. Open GSC → Performance → Search results.
2. Add a Query filter for your brand name(s).
3. Save two views: Branded and Non-branded (everything else).
4. Report both every month, with MoM and YoY comparisons.

Use the same idea in GA4 by focusing on landing pages that rank for non-branded queries. This avoids messy query data limitations in GA4.

How to measure SEO conversions in GA4 (the part that pays the bills)

Your GA4 SEO report should answer: “Did Organic Search create actions we care about?” It should also show which landing pages drove those actions. Keep the setup minimal and reliable.

Minimum GA4 setup

• Mark your key actions as conversions (example: purchase, lead form submit, demo request, call click).
• Make sure forms and thank-you pages are tracked correctly.
• Use consistent UTM rules for campaigns so paid doesn’t leak into organic.

GA4 metrics to include in your monthly scorecard

• Organic conversions (count)
• Organic conversion rate (conversions / organic sessions)
• Top organic landing pages by conversions
• Assisted conversions (organic helped, even if it wasn’t last click)

Tip: If organic traffic is up but leads are down, don’t panic. It often means intent mismatch (wrong keywords) or tracking gaps.

Google Search Console metrics that should move when SEO is working

GSC is your best source for Google search visibility. Track these Google Search Console metrics monthly. Treat direction and trend as the signal, not one-week spikes.

• Impressions: visibility
• Clicks: demand captured
• CTR: snippet relevance
• Average position: direction, not a promise

How to report changes (MoM and YoY)

Do both comparisons so you can separate noise from seasonality. Pair them with a rolling trend to keep decisions stable.

• Month over month (MoM): catches short-term changes (but can be noisy).
• Year over year (YoY): best for seasonality and “real” growth.

Also track a 3-month rolling trend line to avoid overreacting to one month.

GA4 vs GSC: why numbers don’t match (and how to reconcile them)

It’s normal for GA4 organic sessions and GSC clicks to be different. They measure different things and apply different rules. Reconcile by starting from tracking and attribution basics.

Reconciliation checklist

Symptom	Likely cause	What to check	Fix
GSC clicks higher than GA4 organic sessions	Consent banners, blocked scripts, ad blockers	GA4 tag firing, consent mode, browser reports	Fix tagging + consent settings
GA4 organic sessions higher than GSC clicks	Non-Google organic (Bing), misattribution	Traffic acquisition by source/medium	Separate Google organic vs all organic
Clicks up, conversions down	Intent mismatch, weak UX, slow pages	Landing page behavior + Core Web Vitals	Improve content match, CTA, page speed
Impressions up, clicks flat	Low CTR titles or wrong queries	GSC queries with high impressions, low CTR	Rewrite titles/meta, improve content relevance
Rankings look better, but leads don’t	Ranking for TOFU only, not MOFU/BOFU	Map pages to funnel stages	Add MOFU/BOFU pages and internal links

Report SEO performance by TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU (intent-based, not vanity)

To report TOFU/MOFU/BOFU performance, use a simple matrix. It keeps you honest about lead quality and pipeline, especially in B2B. You can do it with page grouping alone.

TOFU/MOFU/BOFU measurement matrix

Funnel stage	Page types	Main KPI	Support KPIs	What “good” looks like
TOFU (top)	Guides, definitions, checklists	Non-branded clicks	Impressions, CTR, time on page	Growing non-branded visibility
MOFU (middle)	Comparison pages, templates, use cases	Engaged sessions + micro-conversions	Scroll depth (if tracked), internal clicks	More people move deeper into the site
BOFU (bottom)	Product pages, pricing, demo, contact	Conversions + qualified leads	Conversion rate, lead quality	More qualified actions from organic

Neutral comparison: TOFU is like a library book (learn). BOFU is like a checkout counter (buy). You need both for a working system.

How to validate your agency’s deliverables (proof-of-work audit)

To know how to tell if an SEO agency is working, you need proof of work. Outcomes take time; deliverables show effort, direction, and whether the plan is being executed. Ask for artifacts you can verify.

Monthly deliverables verification checklist

• Technical SEO: list of issues found, tickets created, tickets shipped, and URLs impacted (example: Core Web Vitals improvements, broken links fixed, redirect chains removed, indexation issues resolved).
• Content: list of pages published or updated, primary keyword/intent, internal links added, and what changed.
• Links: list of new referring domains, why they’re relevant, and which pages they support (avoid spammy link dumps).
• On-page: title/meta updates with before/after CTR impact.
• Competitor benchmarking: 1 slide: who gained, who lost, and what you’ll do.

Simple proof table you can demand each month

Work item	Owner	Status	Evidence	Expected impact
Fix duplicate title tags on /blog/ pages	Agency + Dev	Shipped	Ticket link + crawl screenshot	Better CTR and index clarity
Refresh “SEO reporting” guide	Agency	Published	URL + change log	More non-branded clicks
Build internal links to /pricing/	Agency	Done	List of source pages	More BOFU conversions

Implementation SLA: stop losing months to “we didn’t get to it”

Many SEO programs fail because recommendations sit in a document and never go live. Solve that with a simple SLA and a weekly check-in. Your scorecard should reflect delivery, not just plans.

Implementation SLA template

Weekly SEO/Dev sync: ____ day/time

Priority levels:
P0 (critical): security, site down, deindex risk → start within 2 business days
P1 (high): revenue pages, tracking, Core Web Vitals → start within 10 business days
P2 (normal): content improvements, internal links → start within 20 business days

Definition of done:
- Change is live in production
- Verified by crawl or tool check
- Noted in monthly report with URL list

Red flags in SEO agency performance (and what good looks like)

These SEO agency reporting red flags are common and usually predict stalled outcomes. The pattern is “claims without proof” or “activity without business impact.” Use the list to audit your current reporting.

• Vague reporting: “We did outreach” with no domains, no targets, no reason.
• Only rankings: no conversions, no lead quality, no landing page work.
• Branded traffic used as the main win: no clear non-branded growth story.
• No access or transparency: you can’t see GSC/GA4 views or work logs.
• No plan changes: the same template report every month, even when results stall.
• Spam links: random low-quality domains, no relevance, no explanation.

What good reporting looks like: You can trace each metric change back to a shipped change (or a clear hypothesis). You also always know the next 30 days of work.

Decision framework: keep, improve, or replace your SEO agency

Use your scorecard plus trend lines. Don’t decide based on one bad month. Make decisions on repeatable patterns and execution quality.

Suggested thresholds

• Keep: Score 80+ for two months, non-branded visibility trending up, and qualified conversions stable or rising.
• Improve (renegotiate): Score 60–79 or one area is weak (example: visibility up, but conversion rate down). Agree on a 30-day fix plan and new targets.
• Replace: Score below 60 for 2–3 months and deliverables are unclear, or the agency can’t explain GA4/GSC discrepancies, or you see repeated red flags.

Next 30 days plan: fix the top 3 blockers first

If you want faster SEO campaign measurement wins, focus on the highest-leverage blockers. Pick three, assign owners, and set dates. Then measure whether the blockers actually move.

Pick your top 3 from this list

1. Tracking gaps: GA4 conversions missing or wrong.
2. Intent mismatch: pages get clicks but don’t convert (rewrite to match what people want).
3. Technical SEO backlog: indexation, Core Web Vitals, broken templates.
4. Internal linking: TOFU pages don’t point to MOFU/BOFU pages.
5. Content refresh: update pages that used to perform (quick wins).

Takeaway: SEO isn’t magic. It’s a system, and the monthly scorecard is how you manage that system like a dashboard in a car.

Optional: local SEO add-on (Google Business Profile)

If you’re a multi-location or local business, add a small local panel. Keep it tied to customer actions, not vanity metrics. Report changes month over month.

• Google Business Profile views and actions (calls, website clicks, direction requests)
• Review count and response rate
• Top categories and services completeness

FAQ

What is the best way to measure SEO agency performance?

Use a monthly scorecard that combines GSC visibility (non-branded impressions/clicks/CTR), GA4 conversions, CRM lead quality, and proof of shipped work. Review trends over time, not single-month spikes.

Why is organic traffic up but leads down?

Common causes are intent mismatch, weaker conversion pages, slower load times, or tracking problems. Check landing pages, conversion setup, and Core Web Vitals.

How often should I evaluate my SEO agency?

Track KPIs monthly, but make big decisions based on a 2–3 month trend unless there are major red flags. Examples include spam links, no transparency, or no work shipped.