> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.surnex.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Deliver a monthly SEO report

> Build a report once, then repeat it every month in a few minutes.

The goal is a report you build properly once and reproduce each month by duplicating and moving the date range.

## 1. Build the template

[Create a report](/reports/add) — blank or from a template — and open the [editor](/reports/editor).

A structure that reads well, in order:

**Headline numbers.** Four stat cards at most: Avg. Position, Total Keywords, Referring Domains, and one that matters to this client. More than four and none of them registers.

**Trends.** Ranking History and Backlink History as line charts. Direction is what a monthly report is for — a single month's snapshot says nothing.

**What moved.** Top Gainers and Top Losers. Include the losers. A report with only good news stops being believed, and the losers are usually where the next month's work comes from.

**Technical.** Audit Summary, and Audit Issues if you've been working on them.

**Detail.** Position Distribution, and All Keywords if the client wants the full list. These are the widgets that survive a PDF worst, so put them last.

## 2. Write the commentary

Use **Text / Note** widgets. This is the part most reports skip and the part you're actually being paid for — a page of charts makes the reader do the interpretation.

At minimum: a short summary at the top saying what happened and what you're doing next, and a note under any chart that would otherwise be misread. A traffic drop that's seasonal, a position loss caused by a Google update rather than the site — say so in the report, not in a follow-up email.

## 3. Set the date range

The [date range](/reports/editor#date-range) applies to every widget.

This is the single most common source of a wrong report. A range left on last month's dates produces a report full of correct-looking but stale figures. Check it before every send.

## 4. Choose how it's delivered

| Situation                              | Use                                          |
| -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Client expects a monthly deliverable   | [Automated email](/reports/automation)       |
| Client checks progress whenever        | [Share link](/reports/share) with a password |
| You need a record of what was reported | **PDF export**                               |
| Client's analyst wants the numbers     | **CSV export**                               |

Most engagements want the automated email plus a share link.

<Warning>
  A share link shows **live data** for the report's date range — it isn't frozen at the moment you shared it. Only a **PDF** is a genuine snapshot. If you need a record of exactly what a client was shown, export the PDF and keep it.
</Warning>

Set a password and an expiry on share links. The default is no password and never expires, which means a forwarded URL keeps working indefinitely.

## 5. Automate delivery

On [Automation](/reports/automation): enable it, choose **Monthly (1st)**, add recipients, and set the hour.

The **timezone is applied**, so set the hour in your own zone — 09:00 with `America/New_York` selected sends at 09:00 New York time.

Note that **Monthly (1st)** is an interval of one month from the last send, not a fixed calendar date. Enable it on the 1st and it stays on the 1st; enable it on the 14th and it sends on the 14th.

The date range decides what actually goes out. A range fixed to a specific month sends identical figures forever; a rolling range moves with each send. For a recurring monthly report, use a rolling range.

## 6. The monthly routine

Once the template exists, each month is:

1. **[Duplicate](/reports/list)** last month's report.
2. **Rename it** with the new period. Names are all that distinguishes them in the list — `Monthly SEO Report - March 2026`, not `Monthly SEO Report`.
3. **Move the date range** forward.
4. **Update the commentary.** The charts refresh themselves; the narrative doesn't.
5. **Export the PDF** for your records, then send or share.

A duplicate carries widgets and layout but **not** share links or automation — which is what you want, since inheriting last month's recipient list by accident would be worse.

## Before each send, check

* The **date range** is the period you mean
* The **audit widget** isn't showing a crawl from three months ago — [audits don't run on a schedule](/audits/overview)
* The commentary matches what the charts show
* Anything with an empty widget either gets data or gets removed

That third one matters. Charts that contradict the summary text is the fastest way to lose a client's confidence in the reporting.

## Next

* [Report editor](/reports/editor) — the full widget list
* [Share a report](/reports/share)
* [Automate delivery](/reports/automation)