Create an search engine optimization + AI Search Advertising Report [+ Template]

Now that you just’ve finished some optimization work to get your model discovered on Google search and AI platforms, you’re in all probability questioning the right way to report your outcomes to your management.

AI search attribution is difficult, however you possibly can nonetheless inform the story primarily based on directional metrics. And you’ll comparatively simply measure search engine optimization efficiency.

With Semrush, you possibly can find each AI search and search engine optimization metrics and put collectively a report that exhibits the complete story. This text exhibits you the right way to just do that in a number of methods.

Step 1. Select Your Metrics

Selecting the best metrics lets you construct an search engine optimization report that clearly conveys the way you’re monitoring towards your corporation objectives.

The perfect reviews deal with a handful of core metrics that reply important questions:

• Are we producing leads, conversions, or purchases?
• Are we seen to our target market on search and AI platforms?
• Do we now have extra visibility than our shut opponents?
• Does our visibility translate to conversions?
• Are folks partaking with our model?
• Are we seen as reliable and authoritative?

Keep away from overwhelming stakeholders with too many charts or self-importance metrics. The strongest reviews deal with a small set of metrics that clearly tie again to income, demand, or model visibility.

Consider your metrics in tiers, primarily based on how shut they’re to enterprise worth.

• Tier 1: Major KPIs—Decide one or two metrics as your key efficiency indicators (KPIs) that instantly mirror enterprise influence (e.g., conversions, assisted income, and certified leads from natural search and AI site visitors)
• Tier 2: Secondary Metrics—Select a number of extra metrics so as to add context that explains why your KPIs moved (e.g., search engine optimization rankings, AI citations, share of voice, and engagement)
• Tier 3: Supporting Metrics—Hold observe of different related indicators to grasp extra about what’s working

Select KPIs Associated to search engine optimization and AI Search Visibility

In your search engine optimization and AI search KPIs, contemplate a metric that instantly exhibits how visibility contributes to the enterprise. Like:

• Natural site visitors conversions
• AI referral conversions
• Natural and AI referral site visitors to buy pages
• Income from natural and AI referral site visitors

A few of these KPIs could be present in your Google Analytics 4 (GA4) by establishing correct event tracking.

Then, you possibly can report in your GA4 occasions with My Reports (Semrush’s PDF report builder).

To trace new leads from AI search, self-reported attribution can reveal AI-influenced conversions that do not present up as AI referral site visitors—like when somebody finds your model in ChatGPT however visits your website instantly later.

Add a easy “How did you hear about us?” type to your website with an possibility for patrons to say they discovered you from AI search.

Select Secondary Metrics to Present your Total Search Visibility

Subsequent, contemplate further metrics that present the general image of your search visibility (each conventional search and AI search). These are supposed to present directional insights that give extra context as to why your KPIs are going up or down.

Some metrics for AI search and search engine optimization you possibly can observe embrace:

• AI Visibility Rating (it is a Semrush metric)
• Key phrase rankings
• AI citations
• AI mentions
• Share of voice (for search engine optimization)
• Share of voice (for AI search)

Use Domain Overview to get high-level metrics for AI visibility, natural key phrase rankings, AI citations and mentions, and extra.

To measure share of voice with Semrush, use Position Tracking for search engine optimization and Brand Performance for AI search.

You’ll have the ability to use these metrics to inform the story behind whether or not you’re assembly efficiency expectations.

Select Supportive Metrics to Additional Perceive Efficiency

Lastly, you possibly can contemplate further metrics that present much more perception into your search engine optimization or AI search efficiency.

Metrics like backlinks, branded mentions, and AI sentiment all issue into how your model performs on engines like google and AI platforms.

In Semrush, you possibly can observe the next metrics:

• Backlinks: Discover your whole backlinks and referring domains in Backlink Analytics
• Branded mentions: See how usually your model identify is talked about throughout the online with the AI PR Toolkit
• Web site Well being: Measure your website’s technical search engine optimization and AI search well being with Site Audit
• AI sentiment evaluation: Perceive the sentiment behind conversations about your model when it will get talked about in AI platforms with Brand Performance. 

Step 2. Construct Your Report

To construct your report, we’ll present you two choices:

1. Utilizing Semrush My Reports for streamlined report creation with drag-and-drop widgets
2. Utilizing a Google Sheet for absolutely custom-made report with a bit extra guide work

Choice 1: Construct It in Semrush My Experiences

You will have two methods to make use of My Reports:

• Construct a customized report from scratch
• Construct a report from a ready-to-use template

Each choices mean you can drag and drop widgets with Semrush knowledge, Google Analytics knowledge, photos, formatting, and much more.

Useful templates to start out with embrace:

1. AI Brand Performance: To measure your model’s share of voice and sentiment in a particular LLM like ChatGPT and get actionable insights
2. Visibility Overview: To measure a site’s total AI visibility with metrics like your AI mentions, most-cited pages, and estimated month-to-month viewers
3. AI Traffic Report:To get GA4 knowledge that measures the habits of AI-driven visits to your web site

Whether or not you select a template or begin from scratch, you’ll wish to add some widgets, screenshots, and annotations to make a complete report.

Drag and Drop Related Widgets

Begin by including your main KPIs to the report, corresponding to with the Google Analytics widgets.

In case you’re utilizing metrics from Google Analytics, join your Google Analytics account to tug in site visitors, conversions, and key occasions.

All Google Analytics widgets could be adjusted for any site visitors supply, that means you possibly can single out conversions and exercise for a particular supply. And evaluate sources aspect by aspect.

• For search engine optimization efficiency, filter for natural site visitors
• For AI search efficiency, filter for AI referral site visitors
• For efficiency pushed by model consciousness, filter for direct site visitors

Right here’s what that would appear to be, with widgets to trace periods, engaged periods, and session key occasion price throughout natural, AI referral, and direct site visitors sources:

Observe that direct site visitors helps reveal the oblique influence of your AI visibility that isn’t captured as AI referral site visitors.

For instance, somebody would possibly see your model identify talked about in a ChatGPT response or AI Overview, then later go to the positioning instantly after exploring your model elsewhere. That go to would register as direct trafficin Google Analytics.

It’s also possible to drag in supporting metrics from obtainable Semrush instruments like Web site Audit.

Add Screenshots for Further Insights

Subsequent, add in additional context with screenshots from instruments that don’t have a devoted drag-and-drop widget.

Concentrate on including charts or tables that point out which path your visibility is trending, and in case you’re heading in the right direction.

For metrics with out pre-set widgets (For instance, AI Visibility Rating), take screenshots so as to add to your report. Simply click on the “Picture” widget from the report builder and drag it into your report.

With one screenshot from Area Overview, you possibly can embrace many high-level search engine optimization and AI search metrics in a single display screen. Or, break it up into separate sections with their very own headings and screenshots:

Add Textual content Commentary After Metrics

After including photos and charts—add context with a number of traces of textual content for every part.

Embrace commentary that explains what modified, why it modified, and what it means for the enterprise.

Including commentary to a report transforms knowledge right into a story execs can perceive and you can act on.

Choice 2: Construct It in a Google Sheet

In case you’re not prepared to make use of My Experiences or need extra customization, use a Google Sheet to trace all of your metrics over time.

Right here’s a basic template you should utilize:

Every month, simply discover the corresponding metric from Google Analytics, Semrush, and every other instruments you utilize to replace your report.

Step 3. Share Your Report with Stakeholders

Automate month-to-month report emails for your self, shoppers, or your management staff.

Simply bear in mind to replace screenshots manually every month — widgets auto-refresh, however photos don’t.

In My Experiences, you possibly can share the report with the inexperienced “Generate PDF Report” button.

Select your most popular format: on-line dashboard or emailed PDF. Then, select the automated timing to schedule your report.

In Google Sheets, you possibly can manually export your report every month and ship it as an e mail attachment when reporting. Or, use a plug-in like Mail My Sheets to automate this course of.

The place to Discover search engine optimization and AI Search Metrics

You may want knowledge from a number of platforms to construct a whole image of your search engine optimization and AI search efficiency.

Here is the place to search out your key metrics:

• Google Analytics 4: Monitor conversions, leads, income, and site visitors by supply
• Google Search Console: Monitor impressions, clicks, and common place on your natural search efficiency
• Semrush Organic Research: Discover all of your key phrase rankings, top-10 rating positions, and natural visibility metrics from Semrush’s database
• Semrush Brand Performance: Measure your AI Share of Voice and sentiment throughout AI search platforms. Monitor how usually your model seems in AI-generated solutions in comparison with opponents.
• Semrush Domain Overview: Get high-level metrics for AI Visibility Rating, AI mentions, cited pages, key phrase rankings, and natural site visitors estimates in a single dashboard.
• Semrush Position Tracking: Monitor day by day key phrase and immediate rankings to watch your visibility over time

Begin Reporting on Your search engine optimization + AI Search Outcomes

When you’ve collected all of those baseline metrics on your first month, replace your report. In case you opted to make use of a Google Sheet, it ought to look one thing like this:

Now you’ve got your beginning benchmarks.

As you’re employed on bettering your model’s visibility, simply replace your metrics every month.

Make a replica of this free template or construct with Semrush My Reports to get began immediately.