Creating SEO reports in Excel doesn’t have to be boring or complicated. Whether you’re a digital marketer, SEO pro, or a small business owner, the goal is to track your website’s performance clearly and quickly. With Excel, you can organize data, create beautiful visuals, and keep things updated easily.
TLDR: A great SEO report in Excel is clean, simple, and powerful. Use key sections like keyword performance, traffic stats, backlinks, and on-page SEO scores. Sprinkle in some colorful charts and conditional formatting for instant insights. Keep your formulas neat, and always include a summary tab for fast updates.
Why Excel?
Excel offers flexibility, power, and familiarity. It works offline, doesn’t require a subscription, and can be customized fully to your needs. Plus, it’s easy to share with clients, managers, or teammates who may not be tech experts.
1. Start with a Smart Layout
The layout is the foundation. If it’s messy, people won’t read it. Use tabs to split data into clean sections.
- Dashboard: High-level overview with charts and highlights.
- Organic Traffic: List sessions, bounce rate, page views.
- Keyword Rankings: Keywords, current rank, changes over time.
- Backlink Profile: New vs lost links, DA, spam score.
- Technical SEO: Page speed, broken links, mobile usability.
- Content Performance: Top blog posts, conversions, CTR.
- Summary Tab: Quick insights with conditional formatting.
2. Use Color Coding and Conditional Formatting
Don’t make your boss squint at rows of identical text. Use Excel’s conditional formatting to make things pop!
- Green: For good — improved rankings, higher traffic.
- Yellow: For neutral — stable but watchlist items.
- Red: For bad — drops in rank or high bounce rate.
This makes trends visible in seconds. You can apply rules like “if bounce rate > 70%, turn red.”
3. Add Charts Where It Matters
Visuals turn boring numbers into stories. Add line charts for keyword trends, bar charts for backlinks, and pie charts for device usage.
Bonus: Use slicers to make interactive dashboards in newer versions of Excel. Let viewers filter results by date, device, or traffic source.
4. Include Date Ranges
Always show the time period. People need to know what they’re looking at.
- Put it in the report title: “June 2024 SEO Performance”
- Include “compared to last month” or “last year” stats
- Use a side-by-side layout: Current period vs Previous period
This makes growth or decline clearer. You can even automate comparisons using formulas like:
=IF(B2>A2, "Up", "Down")
5. Keyword Performance: Make It a Star
Everyone loves talking about keywords. Highlight top performers and underdogs!
Key columns to include:
- Keyword
- Current Position
- Change +/-
- Monthly Volume
- Clicks/CTR
- URL Ranking
Create a separate tab just for these. Add arrows or symbols using conditional formatting to show upward or downward trends.
6. Use Pivot Tables for Trend Analysis
Want to feel like an Excel ninja? Use pivot tables to sort through large sets of data.
- Analyze traffic by landing page
- Sort keywords by category
- Summarize backlinks by referring domain
Pivots are great for dynamic reporting. Combine them with filters to let users explore.
7. Backlink Reporting – Keep It Simple
Reporting backlinks doesn’t need to be complex. Create a clean table showing:
- Source URL
- Target URL
- Domain Authority
- Anchor Text
- Date Acquired
Add a count of new vs lost backlinks. A simple chart can show monthly link velocity. If you’re using Ahrefs or Semrush, export their reports right into Excel.
8. Add a Technical SEO Checklist
A lot of people forget this part, but it’s crucial. Make a checklist in Excel with items like:
- Page speed score above 90
- No broken internal links
- Mobile-friendly pages
- Meta descriptions present
- Proper use of H1 and H2 tags
Mark items as Pass or Fail using dropdowns. It’s easier for teams to act fast when issues are flagged clearly.
9. Use a Summary Tab to Wow Them
This is where you impress. Create a landing page tab that summarizes all the juicy highlights:
- Total Organic Traffic – Up/Down
- Top 5 Gaining Keywords
- Total Backlinks
- Top Blog Post
- Biggest Fixes Needed
Use bold colors, icons, and maybe even your company logo for extra flare. You can also add a few bullet points for “Key Takeaways.”
10. Automate What You Can
You don’t have to enter everything by hand. Use tools like:
- Google Analytics + Google Sheets → Excel: Pull traffic data using connectors
- Ahrefs / Semrush exports: Weekly exports go straight into data tabs
- VLOOKUP / XLOOKUP: Match keyword movements across sheets
Pro tip: Use named ranges and formulas like =AVERAGEIFS() to keep summary tabs auto-updated.
Keep It Simple, Make It Shine
You don’t need to be an Excel wizard to make a great SEO report. With structure, visuals, and smart formatting, your Excel reports can be both functional and fun to explore. Use templates, update regularly, and always focus on what matters: clear insights and impact.
Bonus Tip: Save as PDF!
Before you send your Excel report, export as a PDF version. That way, everything stays in place. No broken charts. No messy formulas. Just crisp, clean data.
There you go! SEO report making in Excel isn’t just doable—it’s enjoyable when you use the right strategies!