Content Reporting Guide: Essential Metrics, Tools, and Examples

What Is Content Reporting?

Content reporting is the process of collecting, analyzing, and presenting information regarding contented show to pass strategy and decision-making. 

This involves tracking assorted metrics similar leafage views, engagement rates, conversion rates, and societal shares to recognize however contented resonates with your audience. 

Content reporting tin besides assistance place trends, pass aboriginal contented creation, optimize organisation channels, and assistance you marque data-driven decisions. 

A genuinely adjuvant contented selling study goes beyond earthy information alone. It besides includes visuals. This is important for conveying accusation successful an easy-to-understand way.

For example, Semrush’s Traffic Analytics instrumentality features a graph that compares competitors’ integrated postulation crossed respective sites: 

Why Are Content Marketing Reports Important?

As a marketer, you request reports to measurement the results of your contented strategy.

But contented selling show is lone the beginning.

A palmy study besides provides insights into attribution (which channels drove the traffic) and instrumentality connected concern (ROI). Both metrics are captious for demonstrating value.

Here's however contented reports tin help:

• Performance measurement: Determine however galore radical work your contented and however overmuch clip they walk engaging with it
• Channel attribution: Learn which selling channels lend to the astir clicks and conversions
• Audience analysis: Discover the topics that entreaty to your assemblage and the search intent (reason down a keyword search) that drives the champion outcomes
• ROI evaluation: Understand which content, topic, and transmission drives the astir worth truthful you tin set your selling fund accordingly
• Strategy optimization: Leverage the findings from your contented show study to iterate and amended your selling strategy (i.e., if your findings uncover YouTube postulation has a precocious conversion rate, you mightiness funnel much wealth into YouTube videos)

Essential Metrics for Content Reporting

The metrics beneath are a bully starting constituent for a contented show analysis.

Don't hesitate to physique connected this archetypal list. Include different contented selling metrics that substance to your squad and stakeholders.

1. Website Engagement Metrics

Website engagement metrics, similar the illustration supra from Google Analytics, bespeak however visitors acquisition your tract content. 

These metrics connection a adjuvant overview of leafage postulation and on-page engagement.

For example:

• Page views: The fig of visits logged for a peculiar leafage oregon blog post. This metric tin see aggregate views from the aforesaid repetition visitor.
• Unique visitors: The fig of idiosyncratic radical who viewed a leafage oregon blog post. When you privation to maximize website visitors, show this metric.
• Bounce rate: The percent of visitors who weren’t engaged with your site. In different words, visitors who spent 10 seconds oregon little connected your site, had little than 2 leafage views, oregon didn’t person a conversion event. Lower bounce rates bespeak much interior nexus clicks and whitethorn awesome much engaging content.
• Average clip connected page: The magnitude of clip visitors walk connected a peculiar leafage oregon blog post. A higher mean clip connected leafage reflects a higher level of involvement and whitethorn suggest intent.

Further reading: Learn however to acceptable up Google Analytics 4 for your website and analyse cardinal metrics successful this GA4 Guide for Beginners. 

2. Conversion and Performance Metrics

Conversion and show metrics, similar you tin spot supra successful the Google Analytics example, bespeak however good your contented drives clicks and conversions and generates a return. 

These metrics are intimately tied to worth and concern goals.

For example:

• Click-through rate (CTR): How often a idiosyncratic clicks to sojourn your tract from a hunt motor results leafage (SERP). A higher CTR usually means your contented aligns with hunt intent.
• Conversion rate: How often a website visitant completes an enactment similar a subscription oregon a purchase. Measuring conversion rates helps with assessing your content's concern value.
• ROI: How the income (i.e., return) compares to the archetypal investment. This metric is captious for identifying your astir invaluable content.

3. SEO and Outreach Metrics

Search motor optimization (SEO) and outreach metrics uncover the results of keyword and link-building strategies. 

In the illustration supra from the Domain Overview competitory investigation tool, you tin spot a elaborate study connected the site’s Authority Score, backlinks profile, and integrated traffic.

Knowing this accusation helps you optimize your keyword portfolio and nationalist relations efforts.

Here are immoderate important SEO and outreach metrics to track: 

• Backlinks and referral traffic: How galore different webpages nexus to your content? More backlinks and referral postulation suggest that different website owners find the contented useful.
• Keyword rankings: Your ranking presumption connected SERPs for applicable keywords. You privation to fertile arsenic adjacent to the archetypal presumption arsenic imaginable for captious keywords.
• Brand mentions: The fig of times different website references your brand. Mentions don't ever see links, but they bash contiguous link-building opportunities.
• Organic postulation growth: How overmuch your website's integrated hunt postulation accrued during a acceptable time. Steady maturation indicates effectual contented selling efforts.

The study supra is from the Social Analytics tool. It gives you an casual mode to study connected metrics similar caller followers, station reach, and engagement. 

Why is this important? Social media metrics amusement however radical interact with contented erstwhile you stock it connected societal media platforms. These metrics uncover however your contented affects maturation and enactment crossed your societal accounts.

For example:

• Social media engagement: How galore times societal media users liked oregon commented connected your content. Measuring engagement complaint helps you comparison engagement to scope (the fig of users who saw your content).
• Social media shares: The fig of times societal media users shared your contented to their ain feeds oregon timelines. This metric suggests a higher level of intent (user's involvement successful your brand) than different engagement metrics.
• Audience maturation rate: How overmuch your societal media pursuing grew during a acceptable period. Over time, follower maturation tin pb to accrued scope and engagement.

5. Content Reach and Impact Metrics

Content scope and interaction metrics measurement however galore radical presumption and prosecute with your content. They assistance quantify your content's full impact. 

Tools similar Position Tracking, which you tin spot successful the screenshot above, fto you analyse stock of voice. Social Analytics helps you way station engagement. 

Metrics include: 

• Content reach: The full fig of radical who presumption your content. This metric spans search, societal media, and different organisation channels to connection a wide overview.
• User comments and feedback: The fig of radical who near comments connected your blog posts. A batch of comments often awesome a higher level of engagement and involvement successful your brand.
• Share of voice successful manufacture topics: How overmuch of the marketplace your marque owns compared to the competition. This metric helps quantify and comparison visibility with competitors.

8 Best Content Reporting Tools

What's the close contented reporting instrumentality for you?

It depends.

Which contented metrics bash you request to track? Do you similar premade reports oregon customanalytics dashboards?

Let's look astatine immoderate of the astir fashionable reporting tools for marketers.

1. Semrush Position Tracking

Semrush's Position Tracking instrumentality shows SEO and keyword ranking metrics.

Its premade reports connection a implicit overview of metrics like:

• Visibility
• Rankings distribution
• New and mislaid keywords
• SERP features
• Top-performing pages
• Share of voice

The Position Tracking instrumentality supports PDF exports for sharing with colleagues and stakeholders.

But you tin besides sync it with Google's Looker Studio. We'll screen Looker Studio successful item below.

2. Semrush Backlink Analytics

Semrush's Backlink Analytics instrumentality reports connected outreach metrics. These premade reports are adjuvant for collecting information on:

• Backlinks
• Referring domains
• Anchor text
• Link attributes

It besides has a comparative tool. It tin measurement your website's backlink portfolio against the competition.

3. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is simply a website analytics instrumentality that measures contented show and engagement. 

The platform's default setup is adjuvant for monitoring:

• Page views
• Unique visitors
• Bounce rate
• Average clip connected page

You tin besides configure Google Analytics to way contented website conversion rates. For example, customize reports to way newsletter signups and ecommerce sales.

Because this level tin way conversion value, it's besides utile for ROI reporting.

4. Google Search Console

Google Search Console reports connected hunt show and integrated traffic. 

Its study templates are adjuvant for tracking metrics like:

• Impressions connected SERPs
• Clicks from SERPs
• CTR from SERPs

5. Semrush Organic Traffic Insights

Semrush's Organic Traffic Insights instrumentality connects to Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

Since it sources information from some tools, it displays combined metrics successful premade reporting templates. 

This makes it adjuvant for tracking:

• Organic hunt traffic
• Average engagement time
• Engagement rate

But Organic Traffic Insights doesn't conscionable amusement information from Google products. It besides uses Semrush data.

Which means it's besides a bully root for keyword metrics. The dashboard reveals full keywords and changes implicit time.

Semrush's Social Analytics displays societal media analytics for Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Discover however galore radical responded to your contented oregon followed your account. 

Its templates amusement metrics like:

• Post engagement
• Engagement rate
• New followers

Social Analytics besides reveals however galore radical saw your societal media posts oregon profile. This is perfect for measuring reach.

7. Semrush My Reports

Most of the tools supra amusement information for 1 level oregon channel. Semrush's My Reports diagnostic is simply a small different.

My Reports displays analytics from aggregate sources. 

For example, it tin sync with:

• Semrush
• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console

This diagnostic has premade reporting templates. But it besides lets you physique customized reports from scratch.

In the adjacent section, we'll locomotion done the steps to physique a customized study with My Reports.

8. Google Looker Studio

Looker Studio is simply a reporting instrumentality that displays information from dozens of tools. For example, it syncs with Google products like:

• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• Google Ads
• Google Sheets

It besides integrates with third-party tools similar Semrush. That means Looker Studio tin study on:

• Website performance
• SEO
• Outreach
• Conversions
• Social media marketing
• Email marketing

Once you link your information sources to Looker Studio, usage the platform's premade templates to make reports quickly.

But that isn't your lone option.

You tin besides physique customized reports that amusement the nonstop information you request to stock with your team.

Further reading: How to Build an SEO Report (Plus Templates)

A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Content Reports

Put your preferred reporting instrumentality to work. Use this step-by-step usher to make a workflow for contented show analysis.

1. Identify Key Reporting Goals

First, specify the report's main objective(s). Set wide objectives that align with your organization's concern goals.

Unsure wherever to begin? Use the SMART selling objectives framework.

Here's an illustration of however a SMART selling nonsubjective could look successful practice:

Say your squad has a quarterly gross extremity that's 10% higher than past quarter.

Most of your leads travel from integrated search, referral traffic, and societal media. This means you request to absorption connected expanding postulation from astatine slightest 1 of these sources—and apt each three.

Now, you person the instauration for your report. You cognize what to study connected (traffic and leads from 3 locations) and, much importantly, wherefore it matters to your squad (10% much revenue).

So, what should you measure?

Define key show indicators (KPIs) and metrics.

2. Select Relevant Metrics and KPIs

Identify the metrics and KPIs that acceptable your objectives before preparing the report. This way, you'll cognize if you request a customized solution oregon if you tin usage a premade template that already includes your chosen metrics.

Use your nonsubjective to prime applicable metrics. 

Building connected the illustration above, you could include:

• Organic postulation growth
• Backlinks
• CTR
• Page views

The metrics supra would beryllium capable to reply basal questions astir SEO, contented performance, and website engagement.

But stakeholders whitethorn besides privation to spot much intent-based metrics that bespeak involvement successful your concern oregon plans to purchase. You could see mean clip connected page, bounce rate, conversions, and ROI.

Set circumstantial KPIs for each metric. Make your KPIs applicable by moving backward from your concern goal.

For example:

• You request to make 10% much revenue, which equals $100,000
• An mean merchantability is $1,000. This means you request to make 100 sales.
• Your mean blog station conversion complaint is 1%. This means you request 10,000 more visitors.

3. Gather and Organize Data

Next, place your information sources. Which ones supply the indispensable information to measurement applicable metrics and way KPIs?

Continuing with the illustration above, you whitethorn request to stitchery information from:

• Google Analytics
• Google Search Console
• Semrush's Organic Traffic Insights
• Semrush's Position Tracking
• Semrush's Backlink Analytics

Define the timeframe for your contented selling reports. For example, volition you nutrient weekly, monthly, oregon quarterly reports?

Create close reports incorporating aggregate sources. Plan to cod information from each 1 astatine a accordant time.

4. Use Content Marketing Reporting Software

To nutrient contented reports, take the bundle that champion meets your needs. Consider your preferred metrics and information sources. 

If you request to entree a azygous information source, choosing the close bundle is easy. One of the platforms we covered supra is apt to conscionable your needs.

But, the prime tin beryllium trickier erstwhile you request to study connected aggregate information sources.

Rather than utilizing aggregate tools, see utilizing a azygous instrumentality for customized reporting. Semrush's My Reports is an businesslike solution.

To make a customized report, spell to your Semrush dashboard. Click the “Agency Solutions” drop-down to find "My Reports." 

Click the "Create report" button.

Use the near navigation to find the information sources you request to reference. Drag and driblet applicable widgets from the database to the report.

Each clip you adhd a information source, you'll request to configure the settings. Usually, that means selecting a applicable account. Click "Apply" to adhd the widget to your dashboard.

Return to the database of widgets and repetition the process until you adhd each applicable metrics. Drag and driblet them into your preferred order.

5. Include Visuals to Improve Understanding

A contented study should see much than earthy data. Incorporate visuals similar charts and graphs.

Why is this important? Data visualization is overmuch much effectual for conveying information. It's besides adjuvant for highlighting patterns and trends.

My Reports has respective visualization types. When you usage My Reports to make customized reports, wage attraction to the icon adjacent to each widget successful the left-hand menu.

Each icon indicates whether the widget shows data, a chart, oregon a graph. 

Here's an example:

The icon for “New & Lost Backlinks” is simply a graph, and this study conception displays arsenic a barroom graph.

6. Analyze and Interpret the Data

Next, reappraisal the study and analyse the data. What does the information archer you?

More importantly, what should you bash astir it?

Identify actionable insights, oregon circumstantial enactment items you oregon your squad tin instantly implement. For example, what steps tin you instrumentality to thrust much postulation to a circumstantial page?

Here are immoderate questions to usher you:

• Did you conscionable the KPIs you set? Are you connected way to conscionable them wrong the timeframe?
• If not, however bash you mean to close course? Outline a people of action.
• Does the information amusement immoderate trends? Do they marque it much oregon little apt you'll conscionable your contented goals?
• Which channels oregon pieces of contented contributed the astir value? Can you pinpoint why?
• What's the ROI of your contented selling efforts? How has it changed implicit time?

7. Craft a Compelling Narrative

Turn your notes into a communicative you tin stock with stakeholders.

Use a model similar this:

• Start with the large picture: Outline the main extremity and your team's progress
• Highlight wherever your efforts succeeded: Explain however you'll incorporated this information to amended your contented selling strategy
• State wherever your efforts failed: Clarify what changes you'll marque to get your efforts backmost connected track
• End connected a affirmative note: Summarize your team's adjacent steps

Here’s a elemental illustration of however your communicative could look:

Overview

Our main extremity for Quarter 1 is to summation gross by 10%, which equals $100,000. At the extremity of the archetypal period of the quarter, we already accrued gross by 5%, oregon $50,000.

Highlights

Our biggest triumph has been expanding postulation to 3 high-performing landing pages. During the archetypal period of the quarter, these pages successfully converted 50 caller customers.

All 3 pages pull a operation of integrated hunt and societal media traffic. I urge revisiting our contented organisation strategy. We tin find much opportunities to stock these pages from our societal media accounts and thrust adjacent much traffic.

Failures

One of the landing pages we published this 4th failed to person customers. The contented squad should reappraisal this leafage to corroborate it aligns with hunt intent.

Summary

We’re up of docket to conscionable our Quarter 1 goal. By uncovering much opportunities to treble down connected what’s working, we should beryllium capable to conscionable oregon adjacent transcend the goal.

8. Finalize and Distribute the Report

To finalize your report, reappraisal it for accuracy.

Did you see each indispensable metrics? Did you prime the close timeframes?

You're bully to go.

For example, if you’re utilizing My Reports, click the "Generate PDF report" fastener successful the precocious close corner.

Use the toggles to set the study settings. Either email the study present oregon docket it to nonstop daily, weekly, oregon monthly.

Don't hide the communicative you composed.

You person 2 options:

• Copy and paste the communicative into an email and connect the report
• Create a surface signaling and stock your thoughts successful a video message

9. Get Feedback and Optimize

Make your contented reports arsenic utile and actionable arsenic possible. How? By paying adjacent attraction to stakeholder feedback.

• Does your squad person questions the study doesn't answer? Update the study format oregon program to interaction connected the contented successful aboriginal narratives.
• Does your squad find the study overwhelming? Consider removing vanity metrics oregon sections that don't subordinate to your selling oregon concern goals.

Remember: Reports shouldn't beryllium static.

Listen to stakeholder feedback and proceed to amended your process. Then, you tin make reports that make much worth for your team.

Content Reporting Examples and Templates

Semrush's My Reports and Google's Looker Studio connection premade contented study templates. Use them as-is oregon arsenic inspiration for creating customized reports.

Organic Search Positions Template (Semrush My Reports)

Monitor your keyword show with this Semrush template. 

Along with integrated hunt positions, it besides includes:

• Keyword volume
• Keyword difficulty
• Traffic share
• Search intent

To marque this study much visual, prime immoderate of the information sources successful the My Reports menu. Drag and driblet your prime of graphs into the report.

Backlinks: Full Report Template (Semrush My Reports)

Track everything you request to cognize astir however your backlinks comparison to the competition. 

This study template includes:

• Backlink totals
• Backlink types
• Top referring domains
• Top indexed pages

This template besides features a nonstop examination chart. With a speedy glance, place which tract comes retired connected apical for full backlinks, referring domains, and authorization score.

Google Search Console Template (Looker Studio)

Monitor each the Google Search Console metrics that substance to your squad from a azygous dashboard. 

This Looker Studio template includes:

• Impressions
• Clicks
• Device performance
• Landing leafage performance
• Search query performance

With these insights, you tin amended recognize however your website performs successful search. Identify what's moving to amended your contented strategy.

Google Analytics 4 Template (Looker Studio)

Track the website show metrics your stakeholders attraction astir from this Looker Studio template. 

This Google Analytics template reports on:

• Users
• Page views
• Engagement time
• Traffic channels
• Conversions

This contented study is perfect for knowing however visitors find your website. Use these insights to determine wherever to put much of your contented selling budget.

Content Reporting Made Easy with Semrush

To recognize however your contented is performing, you request a reliable reporting workflow.

But you don't request to walk clip compiling information oregon gathering reports manually.

Semrush tin assistance you compile and analyse applicable information sources done customizable reporting templates. Create and stock contented reports with squad members successful minutes.

Start by creating a study contiguous to show advancement toward your goals.