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Quarterly SEO review with a client: a 45-minute agenda

A fixed agenda turns the quarterly call into a short list of decisions instead of a tour of charts. Timings for each block, the Search Console and GA4 comparisons to prepare, how to present a flat or down quarter, and the email to send afterward.

Google sources checked on 30 October 2026.

The short answer: send a one-page pack two business days ahead, then spend 45 minutes in a fixed order: results against the agreed KPIs, work done, what changed in Google or on the site, the keyword list, next quarter's plan, decisions and requests, and renewal or scope. Compare the quarter with the quarter before and with the same quarter last year. Search Console keeps 16 months of data, so pull the year-ago numbers within a few weeks of the quarter's end. Confirm every decision in writing the same day.

The agenda, block by block

Keep the order the same every quarter: results first, so the plan can answer them; requests and scope last, so the client remembers them.

MinutesBlockWhat you bringWhat you need from the client
0 to 2OpeningThe pack, already sent. Read out the decisions you need today.Who decides, and whether the time still works
2 to 12Results against the agreed KPIsEach KPI for the quarter, against the quarter before and the same quarter last year, with one line on what moved itTheir own count of leads, calls or jobs
12 to 17Work doneThe quarter's change log, grouped by the goal each item servesQuestions about any change
17 to 22What changed in Google or on the siteGoogle updates and data notes dated inside the quarter; site changes from your logBusiness changes: new services, ads, hours, staff, a new site
22 to 27Keyword list reviewProposed additions and removals, each with a reasonTerms they want added or dropped
27 to 37Next quarter's planThree priorities, each with an owner, a date and something the client can checkAgreement on the order
37 to 42Decisions and requestsEach open decision and request, with a dateA yes, a no, or a date for the answer
42 to 45Renewal or scopeWhat the current scope covers, and any change you proposeContinue, change, or a date to decide

Timings are a starting point. If a block runs long, take the time from work done, never from decisions.

Agenda to paste into the calendar invite

Title: Quarterly SEO review: [business name], [July to September 2026]

  1. Results against the numbers we agreed (10 min)
  2. Work done this quarter (5 min)
  3. What changed in Google or on your site (5 min)
  4. The search terms we track (5 min)
  5. Plan for [October to December] (10 min)
  6. Decisions and requests (5 min)
  7. Scope and renewal (3 min)

Decisions needed today: [decision 1]; [decision 2].

Please bring: your count of [leads / calls / booked jobs] for [July to September], and any changes in the business I should know about.

What to prepare, and when

Search Console: the quarter against two comparisons

In the Performance report, Google's steps are: open the Date filter, choose Compare, pick the two periods, click Apply.

  1. Compare with the quarter before

    For a July to September 2026 review, compare 1 July to 30 September 2026 with 1 April to 30 June 2026. Enter exact dates so they match the pack. Set the chart to Weekly or Monthly, which Google suggests for date comparisons to smooth out day-of-week effects.

  2. Find what moved

    With two periods compared, the table gets a Difference column. Sort by it on the Queries and Pages tabs, and note the biggest gains and losses on pages you worked on. Google's help says to weigh changes in clicks and impressions more than average position.

  3. Split branded and non-branded

    Use the Branded or Non-branded query filter. Its data starts on 11 March 2025, so it covers the year-ago quarter, but it is not available for sub-properties or sites with few impressions; use a regex filter on the brand name there. Google may misclassify some queries. Chart totals include anonymized queries only while no query filter is applied, so branded plus non-branded will not add up to the unfiltered total.

  4. Repeat against the same quarter last year

    Only one comparison can be active, and a new one replaces the old. Change the second period to 1 July to 30 September 2025 and note the same numbers.

  5. Export both views

    An export holds what the current view shows. Rows are cut to 1,000, but Google says the totals are the actual totals. Put the quarter in the file name.

The 16-month window

Google says Search Console keeps data for the last 16 months, and the Date filter has a Last 16 months option. The first day of the same quarter last year is about 15 months before the end of this quarter, so it reaches the 16-month mark about one month after the quarter closes. For a July to September 2026 review, 1 July 2025 turns 16 months old around 1 November 2026. Google's help pages do not say how the 16 months are counted to the day, so do not plan around the edge.

To keep data longer, Google's traffic-drop guide points to the Search Analytics API or bulk data exports. A quarterly export is the manual version, and it is what makes next year's comparison possible. The Search Console reports inside GA4 have the same 16-month maximum.

Impressions from May 2025 to April 2026

Google's Data anomalies page lists a logging error that kept Search Console from accurately reporting impressions from 13 May 2025 until 27 April 2026. Google says it is resolved, that only impressions and the related CTR and average position were affected, that clicks were not, and that it affected data logging only.

For a July to September 2026 review, that covers the whole year-ago quarter and most of April. Compare clicks across those periods, and put a note next to any impressions, CTR or position comparison that crosses those dates. Check the page before every review for new entries.

Annotations do not show in comparison mode

Custom annotations, the notes owners and full users add by right-clicking the Performance chart, do not appear in comparison mode, and Google deletes them after 500 days. Take the numbers from the comparison view, and the chart for the "what changed" block from the single-quarter view, where your notes and Google's system annotations on data issues show.

For filters you will reuse, such as a brand regex, see Search Console setup for client reporting.

GA4: the same quarter, in standard reports

  1. Open Traffic acquisition

    Go to Reports, Acquisition, Traffic acquisition. By default the table has one row per channel. Read the Organic Search row: Sessions, Engaged sessions, Key events and Session key event rate. To isolate Google, search the table for google / organic, as in step 2 of the GA4 organic search report.

  2. Set the quarter and one comparison

    Open the date picker in the top right, enter the quarter as a custom range, click Compare, choose an option and click Apply. Previous year compares with the same range last year. Previous period compares with the range just before; in Google's example it has the same number of days, so expect July to September (92 days) to be set against 31 March to 30 June, not 1 April. Check the dates shown. Google has removed the "Previous year (match day of week)" option. If a comparison does not match the quarter you want, pull each quarter as its own range.

  3. Stay in standard reports for year over year

    GA4's data retention setting, 2 or 14 months on standard properties, affects only explorations and funnel reports. An exploration may not reach last year's quarter; standard aggregated reports such as Traffic acquisition are not affected.

Two cautions. A date range you change carries over to every other report, so check the dates on each screen before you share it; other users do not see your change. And a key event counts only from the day it was marked; Google says marking it does not change historic data. If a key event did not exist a year ago, write "not measured", not zero.

Business Profile, if the client is local

On Google Search, open the client's profile, click Performance, select the time period and click Apply. Google says performance data exists only for verified profiles, includes Google Ads as well as organic results, and that the searches metric is updated at the start of each month and can take up to 5 days to appear. The help page does not say how far back the data goes, so build the quarter from the monthly rows you already keep.

For several locations, Business Profile Manager has a download: select the profiles, then Actions, Insights, a timeframe and Download Report. Ask the client whether ads ran during the quarter and print the answer in the pack. For what each metric counts and a table to copy, see Business Profile metrics for a monthly report.

The one-page pack

One table with three value columns (this quarter, the quarter before, the same quarter last year), then three short lists: work done, Google and site changes, decisions needed.

LineWhere it comes fromNote to print under it
[KPI 1, for example key events from Organic Search]GA4 Traffic acquisition, Organic Search rowSame definition as the monthly reports
[KPI 2][Tool, report and filter]"Not measured" for periods before it existed
Leads, calls or jobsThe client's own recordsThe outcome, from all sources
Clicks from Google SearchSearch Console, Performance reportNot affected by the 2025 to 2026 impressions error
Non-branded clicksSearch Console, Non-branded filterFiltered totals leave out anonymized queries
ImpressionsSearch Console, Performance reportComparisons that cross 13 May 2025 to 27 April 2026 are not reliable
Calls, website clicks, directionsBusiness Profile, PerformanceIncludes Google Ads; local clients only
Pages changed or publishedYour change logActivity, not a result

Template only. Replace the bracketed rows with the KPIs you agreed, and drop rows that do not apply.

How to present a flat or down quarter honestly

Keep the same order as in a good quarter. Moving results to the end reads as hiding them.

  1. Say the number first, with both comparisons and the size of the change.
  2. Put the KPI next to the diagnostics. If leads held while clicks fell, say both. If leads fell, say that plainly.
  3. Show what you checked: the same quarter last year for a seasonal pattern, the Data anomalies page and system annotations, Google's list of ranking updates, and your change log. The full order is the diagnostic sequence for a ranking drop.
  4. Separate what you know from what you do not, and give the date by which you expect to know more.
  5. Change the plan, not the promise. Next quarter's priorities should answer the finding. Do not offer a recovery date.

On Google's side: core updates happen several times a year, and Google suggests waiting at least a full week after one finishes, then comparing that week with a week before the rollout began. Improvement can take several months. The Search Status Dashboard covers issues that affect many sites, so a problem limited to one site may not appear there. An update inside the quarter is a possible factor, not a confirmed cause. For wording, see what not to say about a drop.

Opening the results block in a down quarter. Edit the brackets.

"Clicks from Google fell from [X] in [April to June] to [Y] in [July to September], [higher / lower] than the same months last year. [Leads] went from [A] to [B]. I checked last year's pattern, Google's data notes, its ranking updates and our change log. What I found: [one finding tied to a report]. What I do not know yet: [open question]; I will know more by [date]. Next quarter's plan starts with [response]."

Script only. Every figure and finding comes from the client's own reports.

Next quarter's plan, decisions and scope

Three priorities, each one checkable

For each priority write what, who, when, and where the client can see it happened: a live page, a change log entry, a status in Search Console. For KPIs write a direction such as "up" or "hold", not a target number. Google's page on hiring an SEO tells owners to ask "Will you share with me all the changes you make to my site," so the change log is part of the plan, not an extra.

The keyword list

Run the quarterly keyword checklist before the call and bring only the proposed changes, each with a reason. If the business changed what it sells, revisit the KPI too, as the last step of the KPI conversation suggests, and note the change in the report so the trend is not misread.

Decisions and requests

Write each one as a line: the decision, the options, who decides, and by when. For example: "[Approve the new service page]: approve, change or drop; [owner]; by [date]." A request with no answer by its date moves the plan, and the follow-up email says so.

Renewal or scope

Raise the renewal in the meeting, not with an invoice. Three outcomes are enough: continue as is, change the scope, or set a date to decide. Any change goes in writing as an update to the scope in your proposal, with the notice period from your terms. Do not tie a renewal to a ranking or traffic number: Google says "no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google."

The follow-up email

Send it the same day, or the next business day at the latest. Edit the brackets and delete lines that do not apply.

Subject: Quarterly SEO review, [July to September 2026]: decisions and next steps

Hi [first name],

Thanks for your time today. Here is what we agreed.

Results. [KPI 1] was [X] for [July to September], against [Y] in [April to June] and [Z] in the same months last year. [KPI 2]: [same pattern]. In one line: [what moved it, or what we do not know yet and when we will].

Decisions.

  • [Decision 1], agreed by [name].
  • [Decision 2], to be decided by [name] by [date].

Plan for [October to December].

  • [Priority 1], done by [date]. You can check it at [page or change log].
  • [Priority 2], done by [date].
  • [Priority 3], done by [date].

What I need from you. [Request], by [date]. If it arrives later, [priority] moves by the same amount.

Search terms we track. [Added: term, reason. Removed: term, reason. Or: no changes.]

Scope and renewal. [No change / The change we discussed: I will send it in writing by [date] for your approval.]

Next review. [Date and time]. Monthly reports continue on [day] of each month.

If anything here does not match your notes, reply by [date] and I will correct it.

[Your name]

For the monthly emails in between, see the monthly report email template; for the report itself, the report outline.

Checklist

Sources

checked on 30 October 2026