What To Include in a Yearly Marketing Report Template
A yearly marketing report should be a strategic document designed to show long-term performance, trends, and impact across the last 12 months to date, helping stakeholders evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and where to invest next year.
Based on yearly reports created by marketers on Whatagraph, a strong marketing annual report template should include the following tabs and sections:
1. Marketing Summary (Annual Overview)
Channels connected: All your marketing channels
This is the most important tab for executive stakeholders. It should immediately answer: Did marketing move the business forward this year?
What to include
- Annual Performance Summary: A written overview of total conversions, revenue impact, channel performance, and growth patterns across the year
- Year-over-year KPIs:
- Total conversions
- Total users
- Total spend
- Cost per conversion
- Cross-channel performance snapshots: Paid, organic, and social combined
- Strategic Recommendations for the Next Year: Clear priorities and budget guidance for the upcoming year
Why it matters
- Gives leadership a high-level narrative without digging into charts
- Connects marketing performance directly to business outcomes
- Sets direction for next year’s marketing strategy
2. Website Performance Report
Channels connected: Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console
This section focuses on how your website performed as a conversion engine over the year, not just month-to-month fluctuations.
What to include
- 12-month trends for:
- Sessions
- Total users
- New users
- Conversions
- Traffic source analysis: Which sources drove the most value over the year
- Device and demographic breakdowns: Identify long-term audience patterns
- Top-performing pages: Pages that consistently contributed to conversions
- Engagement metrics: Bounce rate and average engagement time
Why it matters
- Highlights sustained performance instead of short-term spikes
- Identifies reliable traffic and conversion drivers
- Supports UX, CRO, and content investment decisions
3. SEO Report
Channels connected: Semrush, Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console
This tab evaluates organic growth over the entire year, focusing on visibility and authority gains rather than short-term ranking changes.
What to include
- Average position trends over 12 months
- Total keyword rankings: Top 3, Top 10, Top 20 distributions
- Keyword movement: Improved vs. declined rankings across the year
- Backlinks and referring domains growth
- Domain authority trend
- SEO summary and recommendations focused on next-year priorities
Why it matters
- Shows whether SEO marketing efforts compound over time
- Identifies structural SEO issues that impact long-term growth
- Supports planning for content, technical SEO, and link-building investments
4. Google My Business / Local Performance
Connected channels: Google My Business
For location-based businesses, this tab evaluates how local visibility evolved throughout the year.
What to include
- Search vs. Maps impressions (12 months)
- Website actions: Calls, directions, website clicks
- Review volume and average rating trends
- Device breakdown: Mobile vs. desktop behavior
- Local performance summary and yearly recommendations
Why it matters
- Shows real-world demand and intent over time
- Highlights how local SEO impacts offline actions
- Helps prioritize review management and local optimization strategies
5. PPC Performance Report
Channels connected: Google Ads, Facebook Ads
Annual paid media initiatives reporting should focus on efficiency and ROI, not just spend.
What to include
- Total annual spend vs. conversions
- Yearly CTR, CPC, CPM trends
- Top-performing marketing campaigns and creatives
- Conversion funnels across the year
- Landing page performance for paid traffic
- Budget allocation insights and scaling opportunities
Why it matters
- Identifies which campaigns deserve more budget next year
- Highlights wasted spend or underperforming segments
- Aligns paid strategy with long-term growth goals
6. Social Media Report
Connected channels: Facebook, Instagram
This section evaluates how organic social media marketing contributed to awareness, engagement, and conversions across the year.
What to include
- Impressions, clicks, and CTR trends
- Audience demographics and delivery insights
- Creative and placement performance
- Spend vs. engagement efficiency
- Year-end recommendations for scaling or consolidation
Why it matters
- Reveals which platforms actually drive results
- Supports smarter creative and audience planning
- Helps justify social media investment with data
7. Email Marketing Performance
Connected channels: ActiveCampaign
Email marketing deserves its own tab because it often plays a major role in retention, lead nurturing, and revenue over time, not just short campaign bursts.
What to include
- 12-month email performance trends from your email marketing report:
- Open rates
- Click-through rates
- Conversion rate
- Campaign-level performance: Newsletters, promotions, lifecycle emails
- List growth and churn: Subscriber gains vs. unsubscribes
- Revenue and assisted conversions: Especially important for ecommerce and lead generation
- Top-performing email campaigns: Based on engagement and ROI
Why it matters
- Shows how email marketing contributes to long-term growth, not just isolated sends
- Helps the marketing team understand which messaging and formats worked best
- Informs email strategy, segmentation, and automation planning for next year
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To sum up, a strong annual marketing dashboard should:
- Emphasize trends over time, not isolated wins
- Translate performance into strategic next steps
- Help stakeholders understand where to double down next year
If monthly reports explain what happened, annual reports should explain why it mattered—and what’s next.
