Understanding Your Monthly SEO Report
A guide to reading your monthly visibility report—what each section means, what to look for, and how to interpret the data.
Every month, you receive a comprehensive visibility report showing how your business performs across search engines, AI platforms, and local directories. This guide explains what each section means and what to look for.
Report Overview
Your report is divided into several sections, each tracking a different aspect of your online visibility:
- Executive Summary – High-level overview and key insights
- AI & LLM Visibility – How you appear in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, etc.
- Google AI Overviews – Your presence in Google’s AI-generated answers
- Local Map Visibility – Rankings in Google Maps (local businesses)
- Keyword Rankings – Where you rank for target search terms
- Reputation Overview – Review metrics across platforms
- Citation Health – Directory listing accuracy
- Competitive Position – How you compare to competitors
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Executive Summary
The first page provides a quick overview:
- Key Wins – What improved this month
- Focus Areas – Where we’re concentrating efforts
- Recommendations – Suggested next steps
- 90-Day Outlook – What to expect going forward
This is your “at a glance” summary. The rest of the report provides the supporting data.
AI & LLM Visibility
This section shows how your business appears when people ask AI assistants questions related to your services.
What you’ll see:
- Which AI platforms mention your business
- Example prompts where you appeared
- Competitor mentions for comparison
What “good” looks like:
- Appearing in 3+ different AI platforms
- Being mentioned in relevant service queries
- Appearing before or alongside competitors
First report note: If this is your first report, AI visibility may be limited. This establishes your baseline—we’ll work to improve these numbers over the coming months.
Google AI Overviews
Google now shows AI-generated summaries at the top of many searches. This section tracks whether your business appears in these summaries.
What you’ll see:
- Keywords that trigger AI Overviews
- Whether you’re cited in those overviews
- Competitors cited in the same overviews
Why it matters: Being cited in AI Overviews can significantly increase visibility, especially as more users rely on AI-generated answers.
Local Map Visibility (Heatmaps)
For local businesses, this section shows how you rank in Google Maps across your service area.
What you’ll see:
- A visual heatmap of your rankings
- Green = strong (positions 1-3)
- Yellow = moderate (positions 4-7)
- Red = needs improvement (positions 8+)
- Gray = not ranking
What “good” looks like:
- Mostly green in your core service area
- Consistent visibility in surrounding areas
- Improvement from previous months
Understanding the grid: Each point on the map represents a simulated search from that location. This shows how rankings vary by geography.
Keyword Rankings
This table shows where your website ranks for target keywords in regular Google search results.
What you’ll see:
- Keyword (the search term)
- Current position (1-100)
- Change from last month (↑ or ↓)
- Search volume (monthly searches)
What “good” looks like:
- Page 1 rankings (positions 1-10) for important terms
- Consistent upward movement over time
- Diversified rankings across service keywords
First report note: Initial rankings establish your baseline. Expect gradual improvement as SEO efforts compound over 3-6 months.
Reputation Overview
This section summarizes your reviews across platforms relevant to your industry.
What you’ll see:
- Total review count
- Average rating
- Recent reviews (positive/negative breakdown)
- Platform-by-platform metrics
What “good” looks like:
- 4.5+ star average
- Steady stream of new reviews
- Responses to all reviews (we handle this)
Citation Health
Citations are directory listings (Yelp, Yellow Pages, industry directories, etc.) that mention your business name, address, and phone number.
What you’ll see:
- Total citations found
- NAP consistency score (Name, Address, Phone)
- Missing citations (opportunities)
- Incorrect listings flagged
What “good” looks like:
- 80%+ NAP consistency
- Presence on major directories
- Industry-specific directories covered
Competitive Position
This section compares your metrics to your top competitors.
What you’ll see:
- Side-by-side comparison
- Where you’re winning
- Where competitors have an edge
- Opportunities to close gaps
How to use it: Focus on areas where competitors outperform you—these represent growth opportunities.
Understanding Your First Report
If this is your first report, remember:
- This is your baseline. Current numbers establish where you’re starting, not where you’ll stay.
- Low numbers are expected. Most new clients start with limited visibility—that’s why you hired us.
- Focus on trajectory. Future reports will show improvement trends, which matter more than any single snapshot.
- Monitoring is now active. The fact that we’re tracking everything means we can now take action.
What We Do With This Data
Your report isn’t just informational—it drives our work:
- Jaeger (our monitoring system) tracks all metrics automatically
- Weekly SEO tasks are prioritized based on report findings
- Content strategy adapts to keyword opportunities
- Citation building targets missing directories
- GBP optimization focuses on map visibility gaps
You don’t need to take action on the report—we use it to guide our work on your behalf.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do I get a report?
Monthly. Reports are generated automatically and delivered to your email.
Can I get more frequent updates?
Your dashboard shows real-time data anytime. Reports are monthly summaries.
What if I don’t understand something?
Contact support. We’re happy to walk through your report with you.
Why did a metric go down?
SEO fluctuates. A single month’s dip isn’t concerning—trends over 3+ months matter more. Your report includes context when significant changes occur.
Need Help?
Questions about your report? Our support team is available 24/7:
- Email us at support@getamplifiedmkg.com
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