Monthly Loom Ranking Review Script

SOP: Monthly Loom Ranking Review (Async)

Last Updated: April 2026 Version: 1.0 Owner: CSM

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Purpose

Reusable script for the monthly Loom video the CSM records for every client to walk them through their rankings. Goes alongside (or in front of) the live strategy call. Tone is authoritative, not collaborative — the client trusts us to grade the work, not the other way around.

If you’re recording the Loom, this script is the floor. Hit every section. Don’t shorten the closing.

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The Two Things You’re Showing

In this order, every time:

1. Google Search Console — overall ranking trend graph
2. Local Dominator — heatmap for each tracked keyword

Then an authoritative summary. Done.

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The Mindset (read this before every recording)

• The client cannot grade SEO work. They have no benchmark. We tell them what they’re seeing.
• Long-term we want a gradual climb. Lower rankings work their way up. Higher rankings climb higher.
• Some months are down. The next month usually pops back higher than two months prior. Zigzag is normal.
• First down month on a keyword = note it, normalize it, watching it.
• Second consecutive down month on the same keyword = now we investigate. Likely a new competitor. We go look at what they’re doing and adjust.
• We never ask the client “how does this look to you?” or “let me know if you want any changes.” That question hands the wheel to someone who can’t drive — and signals we’re not sure ourselves.
• If a heatmap visibly dropped, we name it FIRST. Before the client has to wonder if we noticed. Skipping a visible drop kills more trust than the drop itself.

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The Script

[0:00 — Open, ~10 seconds]

“Hey [Client name], Kyle here with your [Month] ranking review. I’m going to walk you through two things: your overall ranking trend in Google Search Console, then the heatmaps for each keyword we’re tracking.”

No “super stoked.” No “just wanted to show you.” Get into it.

[0:10 — GSC Trend Graph, ~30-45 seconds]

Pull up GSC → Performance → average position graph. Set the date range to at least 3 months, ideally 6.

“First, here’s your average position in Google Search Console over the last [3/6/12] months. You can see the trendline is [moving up / holding steady / had a dip this month but is up over the longer window]. We’re currently sitting at an average position of [X.X], compared to [Y.Y] when we started.”

“Quick reminder on how to read this — we’re not looking for a straight line up. We’re looking for the overall trend to climb. Some months will be down. The next month usually pops back up higher than two months prior. That zigzag is normal and expected. What matters is the long-term direction, and the long-term direction is [up / on track].”

If you set the long-term frame here, the rest of the video is easier. Don’t skip this paragraph.

[0:55 — Heatmap Walkthrough, ~30 seconds per keyword]

Pull up Local Dominator. Walk each tracked keyword one at a time. Same template each time:

“Next keyword, [Landscaper]. Here’s where we are this month versus last month. You can see [the greens are expanding into X area / we picked up more 1s and 2s near Y / the reds are dropping off in Z]. We’re gaining trust in [geographic area] for this term.”

Things to call out per keyword (pick what’s true):

• Greens expanding (where? which direction?)
• New 1s, 2s, 3s appearing (where?)
• Reds/oranges dropping off (where?)
• Yellows climbing into greens (the “mediums coming up because we’re clearing out the lows” pattern)
• Geographic territory expansion (north, into [city], closer to [landmark])

Repeat for every tracked keyword. Don’t lump them together.

[If Anything Visibly Dropped — DO NOT SKIP]

If a heatmap clearly got worse this month, you address it inline (right when you walk through that keyword) — not at the end, not buried.

“Now I want to flag something on [Keyword]. You can see we lost some ground here this month, especially in [area]. I’m pointing it out because I want you to know we see it.”

Then pick one of three frames based on what’s actually going on:

Frame A — first dip on this keyword:

“This is a normal month-to-month fluctuation. We’ve seen this keyword zigzag before and come back stronger. We’re watching it. No changes needed yet.”

Frame B — second dip in a row, suspect competitor:

“This is the second month in a row we’ve seen this slip, so we dug in. Looks like [competitor name] made some moves recently — [new content / new reviews / GBP changes / new location pages]. We’re already [doing X] to respond. You should see this come back over the next 30-60 days.”

Frame C — first dip but you have a known cause:

“We saw this drop because [Google update / known technical change / seasonal pattern]. We’re [doing X about it / monitoring]. No changes to course.”

Use the word “dropped.” Don’t bury it in vague language like “some movement.”

[Closing, ~20 seconds — NON-NEGOTIABLE]

“So that’s the picture this month. Everything’s normal. We’re seeing the gradual climb we expect.”

If a down month happened:

“We had a small dip on [keyword], which is completely normal month to month. We’re keeping an eye on it. If it dips again next month, we’ll dig in and see if a new competitor showed up or if there’s something to tweak. Right now, no concern.”

“We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing. Talk to you next month.”

End there. Do not add a sign-off. Do not invite feedback.

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Banned Phrases (do not say any of these)

• “Let me know how you’re liking it”
• “Happy to make any changes”
• “If you want to tweak anything”
• “How does this look to you?”
• “Hope that helps”
• “Just let me know”
• Any version of asking the client to evaluate the work

These phrases hand the wheel to a client who can’t drive and signal we’re not confident in our own work.

Banned Behavior

• Walking past a visible drop without naming it. If a client could pause the video and say “what about that one?” — you needed to say it first.
• Burying a drop in vague language. “Some movement here” is not naming a drop. Use “dropped,” “lost ground,” “slipped.”
• Filler words. “Super stoked,” “kinda,” “you know,” “just.” Cut them.
• Skipping the long-term frame in the GSC section. It’s the foundation for every “down month” conversation you’ll have for the next 12 months.

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Quick Pre-Record Checklist

• GSC date range set to 3+ months (ideally 6)
• Local Dominator: current month opened side-by-side with the oldest scan that has the same location, radius, and grid size as today (NOT just last month — see rule below)
• List of tracked keywords for this client open
• Identified ahead of time: any keyword that visibly dropped (and why)
• Picked the right down-month frame (A, B, or C) for each drop
• Loom recording, full screen, clean tabs only

Heatmap comparison rule — read this every time

We don’t compare current month to last month. We compare current month to the oldest scan with the same heatmap configuration (same center, same radius, same grid size). The longer the comparison window, the clearer the climb story.

Why: Sometimes we expand a heatmap mid-engagement — bigger radius, different center, more keywords. Comparing across a settings change is apples to oranges and produces misleading deltas (a “drop” can just be a wider grid catching weaker outer rings).

How to apply:

1. Open the client’s Local Dominator scheduled scan
2. Look at the run history and find the most recent settings change (radius/center/grid size)
3. Use the first run AFTER that change as your comparison baseline
4. If no settings have ever changed, compare to the very first run
5. If the comparison window is < 2 months, say so on the call: “This is a new scan configuration so we only have one month of comparison — next month’s view will be richer.”

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Quick Post-Record Checklist

• Watch the recording back at 1.5x — did you say any banned phrases?
• Did you set the long-term frame in the GSC section?
• Did you name every visible drop?
• Did you close with “everything’s normal, keep doing what we’re doing”?
• Send Loom to client + log delivery in Task Tracker
• Note in Task Tracker: any keyword now on its 2nd consecutive down month → flag for SEO Specialist investigation

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Related Pages

• Monthly Reporting — Full monthly reporting process; this Loom slots into the Day 5 client delivery
• Local Dominator — Heatmap data source
• Google Search Console — Ranking trend data source

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Version Control:

• v1.0 (2026-04): Created from Nick’s coaching of Kyle’s first Loom (Kansas City landscaper client). Locks in authoritative tone, GSC-then-heatmaps order, long-term zigzag frame, banned phrases, and “name every visible drop” rule.
• v1.1 (2026-04): Fixed heatmap comparison rule — compare current month to the OLDEST scan with same configuration (location, radius, grid size), NOT just last month. Reason: scan settings sometimes change mid-engagement; comparing across a settings change is apples-to-oranges.