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Sometimes an SEO or marketing contractor has to send a report to a client, but the numbers on the report don't match the expected multiple growth results.
It is worth recognizing that streaming customer service in digital agencies implies silence in client relationships - absolute peace of mind about the results.
However, if performance falls, this becomes a source of tension in the relationship and requires additional work on the part of the contractor:
As you can see, the calm “gently” turns into a storm, which is a normal part of working in marketing and business, where processes always occur in conditions of uncertainty.
However, in some cases, especially in the context of streaming SEO or marketing, a contractor may find itself in a situation where it is easier to use reporting manipulation to avoid client unrest and prolong the “calm” in the relationship.
There may be several reasons for the deterioration of the situation, and they can be caused by:
All of these reasons are a normal part of the job and require constant attention and adaptation from the contractor. It is important to remember that changes do not occur suddenly, but have a long-term focus (for example, traffic flow to new competitors) and require adequate responses from the contractor and the client.
If the problem is caused by technical failures, the contractor’s response should be as fast as possible. However, in practice this does not always happen.
If the client is not interested in solving the problem, this is also a normal situation. It is important to remember that a contract with a contractor implies the responsibility of the parties, and if the client does not take action, then this is his decision.
As for the reverse situation, where the client may blame the contractor for poor work if the results deteriorate, this is also a common practice, and such situations also occur in business.
To avoid getting into trouble, some contractors may resort to manipulating reports so as not to displease the client. If the client does not closely monitor the reports, such manipulations can go undetected for a long time.
Let's say we are looking at the organic traffic graph for one of the projects:
Over the course of several months, there has been a 26.8% decrease in organic traffic. This requires the attention of the contractor, who must include this information in the quarterly report, indicating the reasons for the decline and suggestions for improving the situation.
However, the contractor may instead provide the following schedule, which visually hides the fall and makes everything appear ok:
As you can see, simply manipulating the presentation of data changes the picture of the report, and the client has no reason to worry until the next report is prepared.
If this is a temporary decline, traffic may return by the next report, making the report look even more impressive - especially if you combine several quarters into one graph, excluding the worst periods.
Another interesting point relates to traffic sources. For example, a graph like this might show impressive traffic growth:
However, if we dig deeper into the sources, it turns out that 93% of traffic comes from advertising channels:
This can greatly distort the picture if the report does not include organic traffic data. It is important to understand that this is important information within SEO, and without this analysis it is impossible to assess the situation.
The appearance of anomalous data, such as a sharp increase in “direct visits,” can also distort reporting and hide real problems, such as a bot attack or other manipulations aimed against the project.
Another common problem is the automatically generated reports that may be sent every quarter. If such reports are generated by a script or neural network, this may indicate that work on the project is not actually being carried out.
If your report is automatically generated, it is strongly recommended that you ask the contractor to provide manual reports with extensive comments and analysis. It is better if this is a report from a specific person, rather than a faceless machine.
There are many ways to manipulate the numbers in reports. This includes selective data, filtering negative segments, and working with dates to present the situation in a more favorable light. In the case of SEO, you can choose only those keywords for which the results look more positive, ignoring poor rankings.
When it comes to contextual advertising, you can simply report on overall conversion without focusing on problems in individual advertising campaigns.
Reports may look shiny, but it's important not to rely solely on the appearance of the data. To identify manipulations, it is worth requesting additional data and analyzing the report in detail.
First, if the report is for a quarter or shorter period, it is better to request an extended report that covers a longer period of time. This will help you see the full picture and ask the right questions.
Second, make sure the report is human-generated and not automatically generated. This is a key point to pay attention to.
Third, it is useful to compare current data with previous periods, such as the same months last year. This will allow you to objectively assess the dynamics.
Fourth, reports should include all important data, especially on traffic sources, which are the main area of responsibility of the contractor.
Fifth, don't hesitate to ask the contractor questions about current project issues. Even if the report is clear, ask if there are problems that need to be addressed.
Sixth, don't be shy about asking for clarification on the report itself. Take some time to read it and when in doubt, ask questions.
If you need help in preparing reports or have any questions about SEO, you can contact the SEO studio “SEO COMPUTER” by email info@seo.computer.
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