Agency sent the monthly report. It has stuff like: 'Organic visits: 5432', 'Conversion rate: 3.2%', 'Backlink score: 45'. Are these good or bad? What's the standard?
When setting budgets they said 'your traffic will increase by 20%'. Now we're getting 100 visits a month, did the target become 120 visits? How do I read the report?
Monthly reports are necessary to show agency performance. Sections that should be in a good report:
1) Traffic (GA): organic traffic, direct, referral. Month-to-month comparison. 2) Rankings: targeted keywords, position changes. 3) Conversions: form submissions, sales, newsletter signups. 4) Backlinks: number of new backlinks, domain authority. 5) Technical: site health, page speed, mobile usability. 6) Content: number of posts, changes made.
Where the report might be flawed: 1) Unnecessary metrics — is 'Server uptime' normal? 2) Positive bias — showing only good numbers. 3) No context — what does 'my traffic is 5000' mean? Is it an increase?
My agency report seemed meaningless too... The consultant said: 'these are unnecessary metrics just look at traffic and rankings'. honestly then they asked the agency for a new report, and only the important numbers came through.
Doki · Brand identity · 2025
report matters: organic traffic, ranking position, conversion. other numbers are noise... anyway ask for a barebones report.
Sections That Should Be In The Report: 1. Executive Summary (1 page, summary) 2. Traffic Analysis (GA: organic, direct, referral) 3. Keyword Rankings (target keywords, position change) 4. Conversions (leads, sales, signup) 5. Backlinks (new links, domain authority trend) 6. Technical SEO (site health, mobile, speed) 7. Content (posts published, updates) 8. Recommendations (next month actions)
So which pages of the report do you read? For a human, the first 2-3 pages are enough, the rest is detail. Ask the agency: 'what if you stuck to these 5 key metrics?' Keep it focused.
Report analysis: 1) Read the executive summary (1 min). 2) Read the Traffic + ranking section (2 mins). 3) Ask 'which goal was achieved this month?'. 4) If sections are missing, make a request list. 5) Have that format come from next month. 6) Do a 15 min monthly reporting meeting.
I've been down this road, let me tell you. If scope grows, either time or budget must grow. There is no third option.
The real issue isn't the number, but what it's based on.
You're right. If scope grows, either time or budget must grow. There is no third option.
Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more. Good luck with that.
There's also a measurement aspect to this. Trying to do this alone is the most expensive way.
If I were you, I'd go this route.
the cheap-looking path usually ends up costing more later. start with a small trial; don't commit to everything at once.
Doki · Log management setup · 2024
great work but hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later.
proven by experience.
This is exactly what we experienced. If code ownership isn't in the contract, you have no bargaining power when leaving.
Just because everyone does it doesn't mean it's right. This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.
Ive been dealing with this for a long time. In legacy systems, the most expensive thing is unknown dependencies.
Generally correct, but one part is missing. Implementing a change request process doesn't slow things down, it speeds them up.
Hope this helps.
The opposite happened to me, that's why I'm writing. When making a decision, first look at what data you have on hand.
Thanks a lot, I'll try it today. Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
I'd say don't rush. The harder it is to reverse a decision the slower you should make it.
Of course, it varies if your situation is different.
Let me summarize the topic since several different answers were given. like don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more.
When making a decision first look at what data you have on hand. btw hope this helps.