A link building report template is a ready-made layout for showing a client which links went live, where they point and what moved. Ours is a free .xlsx file with six tabs, 124 formulas and no email gate. It opens in Excel, Google Sheets (File, then Import) or Numbers.
I’ve read an awful lot of link reports over the years. The weak ones look alike: a 40-row export from Ahrefs, an average DR of 52, and not one sentence explaining whether the pricing page moved. This template forces that sentence onto page one.
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Yellow cells take input; everything else is a formula. Each input tab carries one example row in blue italics (a DR 48 placement on 3 October 2026, costing 250) so you can see the format before overwriting it. Dropdowns cover anchor type, link type, status and index status.
| Tab | What it does |
|---|---|
| How to Use | A short checklist for filling it in each month |
| Summary | Headline numbers that calculate themselves, plus a written “what changed” box |
| Link Log | One row per placement: date, domain, URLs, anchor, link type, DR, traffic, index status, cost |
| Lost Links | Removed or broken links, and whether each one was replaced |
| Target Pages | Positions, clicks and impressions for each page you’re building links to |
| Anchor Split | Live links grouped by anchor type, with percentages |
Swipe sideways to see every column.
What a Client Actually Wants to Know
Strip out the jargon and a client asks three things. What did you do in October? Is any of it working? What’s planned for November? The Summary tab answers all three above the fold, so the marketing manager can screenshot it straight into their own Monday update.
That’s why Summary sits second, straight after How to Use, and the 200-row Link Log comes later. Some clients will open the log and click through five URLs to check the work, which is healthy. Most read the top ten lines and the written box, then close the file.
The Numbers Worth Reporting
Each figure on the Summary tab answers one of those three questions. Here’s what goes in, why, and where the number comes from, so you can defend it when a client emails at 4:55 on a Friday asking why referring domains fell by two:
| Number | Why it matters | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| New links live | Proof of work this month | Link Log, filtered by date |
| Unique referring domains | Ten links from one site isn’t ten votes | Link Log, de-duplicated |
| Share indexed | Unindexed pages pass little or nothing | A site: search per URL |
| Average DR and traffic | Quality, judged by more than one metric | Your backlink tool |
| Anchor split | Spots an over-optimised pattern early | Anchor Split tab |
| Lost and replaced links | Shows the work holds up over time | Lost Links tab |
| Target page results | Whether rankings and clicks are moving | Search Console |
| Cost per live link | What each placement actually cost | Link Log |
Swipe sideways to see every column.
The anchor split rarely gets asked about, yet it’s the number that warns you first. If exact match creeps from 5% to 18% over a quarter, something’s off. Our anchor text guide covers healthy ranges, and the Anchor Split tab recalculates the moment you pick a type from the dropdown.
Cost per live link sits in the template from day one: total spend on rows marked Live, divided by the live count. Once positions shift, a backlink ROI calculator turns the extra clicks into a return on investment figure, which is the number finance actually reads.
For clients who think in pounds rather than positions, price the extra visits. A traffic value estimate puts the clicks a page gained at what the same traffic would cost through Google Ads, which lands better in a board meeting than “position 18 to 11”.
The Numbers I’d Leave Out
Total backlinks, for a start. One sitewide footer link on a 3,000-page blog adds 3,000 backlinks and one referring domain. Same goes for average DA shown alone, links counted while still Pending, and Ahrefs dashboard screenshots pasted in without a sentence underneath them.
None of those are lies, exactly. They make a report look busy while hiding what the client needs to judge it. My test is simple: if a number can’t be explained in one sentence, or wouldn’t change next month’s plan, it goes to an appendix tab.
Writing the “What Changed” Box
The “what changed” box is the part clients actually read, so give it five careful minutes. Two or three sentences: what went live, what moved, anything odd. “Six links went live, four to the pricing guide, which climbed from 18 to 11” beats any paragraph of SEO filler.
Before writing it, check Google’s Search Status Dashboard if positions jumped or dipped across the board. A core update that started on, say, the 14th explains a site-wide slide far better than your link log, and naming it plainly saves an awkward call later.
Slow months happen. A link placed on the 28th may not be crawled until the following month, and how long backlinks take to work varies a lot by site and competition. Tell the client that in month one. Discovering it in month four tends to end retainers.
Reporting Lost Links Honestly
Every campaign loses links. A publisher deletes a 2019 post, a site migrates and breaks its URLs, an editor nofollows everything in one tidy-up. The Lost Links tab logs the date noticed, the reason (removed, 404 or nofollowed) and the replacement URL, so losses sit in plain view.
After three or four months that tab becomes oddly reassuring. A client who sees “Replaced: Yes” next to every loss starts trusting the Summary numbers, and that trust is what keeps a retainer alive while the main keyword is still stuck on page two.
Monthly Report, Quarterly Review
Send the short version monthly: Summary, new rows in the Link Log, Lost Links, Target Pages. Every quarter, zoom out. Chart referring domains for all three months, compare the anchor split with the previous quarter, and show overall link velocity, so the client sees the campaign’s shape.
The quarterly review is also when to move budget. If the pricing guide gained 11 positions and the features page none, shift next quarter’s placements accordingly. Running both reports from one link building report template keeps every figure consistent, so nobody reconciles two versions of the truth.
How to Use the Template Each Month
Log each placement as it goes live, not on the 30th. Before sending, run a site: search on every new URL, update the Indexed column, then paste Search Console clicks and impressions (Performance, Search results, filter by Page) into Target Pages.
Then send it with three lines of email, not just an attachment: the headline result, one thing that needs the client’s input, and what happens next month. A bare “please find attached” spreadsheet gets opened on Thursday, if at all, however good the numbers are.
FAQs
What Should a Link Building Report Include?
At minimum: new links with their URLs and anchors, unique referring domains, index status, lost links, and how the target pages moved in rankings and clicks.
Add a short plain-English summary and a plan for next month. Our free link building report template covers all of it.
How Often Should I Send a Link Building Report?
Monthly works for most campaigns, with a bigger quarterly review to show the trend.
Weekly reports tend to create noise, because links and rankings rarely change enough in seven days to say anything useful.
Should I Report DR for Every Link?
It’s worth including, since clients expect it, but don’t let it stand alone. Pair it with the linking site’s organic traffic and relevance.
A DR score on its own can be inflated, while traffic and topic fit are much harder to fake.
Can I White-Label This Link Building Report Template?
Yes. It’s yours to copy, rename, and brand however you like, with no credit needed.
Swap in your logo and colours, delete the example rows, and send it under your agency name.
