Key takeaways
- Compare equal periods with matching filters. A missing export row is not evidence of zero clicks.
- A click decline is an observation. Check the query mix and recorded changes before naming a cause.
- The Search Console Client Action Kit packages this review into local software. The £29 release is in preview.
A client sends a Search Console export. One service page has lost clicks. They want to know what you will do about it.
The percentage change is easy. Choosing a useful task takes more care.
I've built a Search Console Client Action Kit around that decision. It runs from downloaded files in your browser. You load exports, review candidates and write the actions you approve. This first release is ready for consultant testing before paid launch.
Start with a comparison you can trust#
Choose two periods of equal length. Keep the property, search type and filters the same. Export the Pages table separately for each period.
Record the dates and filters beside your files. A Pages CSV does not give the toolkit enough information to verify those settings for you.
Use complete periods where possible. Check seasonality before treating the earlier period as a fair baseline. Equal length is useful, but it does not make two periods equivalent.
Google explains export options and metric definitions in its Performance report guide. Its data limitations guide explains why some query rows are absent. Your spreadsheet is evidence from an export, not a complete inventory of every search.
Work through one finding#
Here is the fictional boiler servicing example included in the kit.
| Measure | Previous period | Current period |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks | 120 | 84 |
| Impressions | 3,000 | 2,800 |
| CTR | 4% | 3% |
| Average position | 7.6 | 8.4 |
The page lost 36 clicks. That is a 30% decline against the previous 120 clicks. Both impressions and CTR were lower.
Those figures support a finding. They do not identify its cause. They cannot tell you that an algorithm update, a title edit or a competitor caused the change.
I would first inspect the query mix for this page. Did a useful commercial query lose impressions? Did a large, less relevant query disappear? Then I would compare those observations with the site's change log.
An initial task could read: Compare the boiler servicing query mix with the previous period. Record the largest changes and check the site change log before proposing edits.
That is work someone can carry out and verify. It leaves the cause open until there is enough evidence.
Keep missing data separate from poor performance#
If a URL appears in only one export, do not assign it zero clicks in the other period. It may be new, removed, filtered out or absent because of an export limit.
The kit labels that case as missing evidence. It leaves the change uncalculated. You can still add an action to check the URL and the source export.
Likewise, two pages appearing for one query do not prove harmful cannibalisation. They may serve different needs. Establishing that overlap requires rows grouped by both query and page. Separate Queries and Pages files cannot establish the relationship by themselves.
What the software contributes#
| Useful part | Limit |
|---|---|
| Compares exact URLs and preserves the source rows | You verify the export dates and filters |
| Flags declines and query opportunities | A flag is not a diagnosis or forecast |
| Saves approved tasks, owners and verification steps | You decide whether the work is worthwhile |
| Exports CSV, evidence JSON and a printable HTML report | You review the report before sharing it |
| Runs locally without automatic uploads | You save and protect the project files |
The kit includes five optional prompts. They cover evidence review, decline investigation, opportunity review, action briefs and client explanations. The calculations work without ChatGPT. Only paste client data into an AI service when you have permission to share it.
You can open the fictional example report before choosing the kit. The product page shows the files, requirements and £29 one-off price. No VAT is added. Checkout opens after the pilot checks.
If your task is a migration, the existing SEO Redirect Toolkit covers sitemap URLs, page checks and redirect validation. For ongoing investigation and implementation, see SEO management.
