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What should a monthly website report show?

By Adam Collins, Founder, 3Fold Labs

Did the website produce enquiries? A useful report connects activity with outcomes and actual work. Illustrative editorial photograph.

Short answer

A useful monthly report fits on one page. It shows call taps, form leads that actually arrived, how people found you on Google, whether the site stayed up, and what was changed. Each number should name its source and date range. Traffic charts on their own don't tell you whether the phone rang.

A useful monthly report fits on one page, and each number names its source and date range.
Call taps, form leads that arrived, Google Search, uptime and the work done; a traffic chart alone doesn't say whether the phone rang.
Each number should name its source and date range.

What does a good one-page report look like?

Here's the layout I'd want as a contractor:

Sample layout. Placeholders, not real data.

  • Date range: [first day] to [last day], pulled [date], a few days after month end
  • Calls: Business Profile call-button taps [number]; website phone-link taps [number, if tracked]; completed calls [only if call tracking exists]
  • Form leads: form submit or lead events [number]; test submission received: [yes/no, date]
  • Google Search (Search Console): clicks [number], impressions [number], top queries [list], note on hidden queries
  • Uptime: [tool], [check interval], downtime incidents [list or none]
  • Work done: [list]. Next month: [list]
Sample one-page report layout with placeholders for date range, calls, form leads, Google Search, uptime, work done and next month.
A sample layout with placeholders, not real data: each line says what was counted, where it came from, and for which dates.
The layout I'd want as a contractor.

The rest of this page explains what each line really measures.

What does "calls" really mean in my reports?

Usually it means taps, not calls. Google's Business Profile defines Calls as "The number of times a customer clicked on the call button on your Business Profile." Someone can tap and hang up before it rings. Google also says profile performance data "includes views, searches, and actions from both organic search results and Google Ads."

Don't assume Google Analytics 4 counts taps on the phone number on your website. Its automatic tracking covers page views, scrolls, outbound clicks, site search, video, file downloads, and form interactions, and phone taps aren't on that list. Ask your developer how phone-link taps are counted, and have them test it.

Only a call-tracking or phone system can tell you how many calls actually connected. If your report says "calls received," ask where that number comes from.

How do I know the form leads actually reached me?

There are three different things to count:

  • Started: Google Analytics 4 can log `form_start`, "the first time a user interacts with a form in a session."
  • Submitted: it can log `form_submit`, "when the user submits a form." Test it with your own form before trusting the number.
  • Received: the lead email landed in your inbox.
Flow: form started, form submitted, lead received are three counts. A good report adds a line confirming a test submission arrived.
Analytics can log a form start and a submit, but only your inbox shows the lead arrived, so the report should log a test.
There are three different things to count.

A submit event isn't proof the email arrived. Gmail requires senders to use SPF or DKIM and may reject unauthenticated mail or send it to spam. So a good report includes one line: "Test form submitted on [date]: received yes/no."

If you want lead counts in Analytics, the events have to be marked as key events first. Google says marking one "doesn't change historic data," so set it up before the first report month.

How did people find me on Google, and why don't the numbers match?

Search Console shows how your site did in Google Search:

  • Clicks: "The number of times a user clicked your site from Google Search results."
  • Impressions: "How many times your site appeared in Search results."
  • Top queries: the searches people used. The list isn't complete. Google says "Some queries are omitted from the report to protect user privacy," and the table shows "only the most important data rows."

Search Console data is usually "available in 2-3 days," so a report pulled on the 1st misses the last days of the month.

2-3 days: Search Console data usually takes that long, so a report pulled on the 1st misses the last days of the month.
Pull the report a few days after month end, and expect Search Console clicks and Analytics sessions to disagree.
So a report pulled on the 1st misses the last days of the month.

Getting found on Google and in AI answers

Expect Search Console clicks and Analytics sessions to disagree. Google says they're "calculated differently, which means that when you compare the data, you'll likely see different numbers." A report that explains the gap is more honest than one that hides it (more on what an AI visibility audit checks).

How should a report show that the site stayed up?

Search Console and Analytics don't measure uptime. That takes an outside monitor that checks your site on a schedule (more on how often to update your site). Free and paid monitors exist. UptimeRobot, for example, lists a free plan with a 5-minute check interval that it describes as "good for hobby and non-profit projects," alongside paid plans.

A line that just says "100% uptime" with no tool and no check interval doesn't tell you much. The report should name both.

What are the red flags in a website report?

  • No date range or no source next to the numbers.
  • "Leads" that are really page views or button taps.
  • Rankings for searches nobody in your area makes.
  • No mention of calls or forms at all.
  • Sample numbers or "average lift" figures that aren't from your site.
  • No list of work done.
Red flags: no date range or source, leads that are page views, rankings nobody searches, no calls or forms, sample figures, no work list.
Missing dates or sources, "leads" that are page views, sample figures, and no list of work done are all signs to ask questions.
Also check who owns the data.

Also check who owns the data. Your business should be the owner in Search Console and Google Analytics, and whoever sends the report should be a user you can remove.

How 3Fold Labs helps

A good report shows calls, form leads, how people found you and whether the site stayed up, in plain numbers you can check. If a report comes with a care plan, what a care plan costs and what a website care plan is help you judge whether it's worth it. The pages and search setup behind those numbers are what my websites and search visibility work covers.

More on websites for service businesses and my Getting found on Google and in AI answers.

FAQ

What should my web designer send me every month?

One page covering call taps, form leads with a test submission, Search Console clicks and queries, uptime with its tool and interval, and the work done.

How do I know if my website is getting me calls?

Count Business Profile call taps and, if set up, website phone-link taps. Only call tracking or your phone system shows completed calls.

Why don't Search Console clicks match Analytics sessions?

Google says they're calculated differently, so the numbers will differ. Compare trends, not exact matches.

When should the monthly report be pulled?

A few days after month end, since Search Console data takes 2 to 3 days to show up.

Sources

Not affiliated with the companies named.

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