How to Use the Client Portal

What the client portal shows

The LemRank Client Portal provides a live, read-only view of a project's SEO performance and strategy. It is designed for sharing with clients, stakeholders, or team members who do not require direct access to the LemRank app. The portal does not require a login for the viewer and does not consume a user seat.

Elements displayed on the client portal include:

• Project Overview: Key metrics such as overall visibility, average rank, and traffic estimates.
• Ranking Data: Current and historical SERP positions for tracked keywords. This often includes position changes, search volume, and estimated traffic.
• Competitor Analysis: Performance comparisons against configured competitors for the project.
• Backlink Profile: A summary of referring domains and backlinks over time.
• Technical SEO Audit: Insights and issues identified from technical crawls.
• Content Performance: Data related to content visibility and keyword targeting.
• Strategy Items: A list of actionable tasks or recommendations. These can be configured to require approval.

The data displayed is always current, reflecting the latest information available in your LemRank project.

How to enable it on a project

To enable the client portal for a specific project:

1. Navigate to the project you wish to enable the portal for.
2. Click on the "Settings" tab in the project navigation.
3. Locate the "Client Portal" section.
4. Toggle the "Enable Client Portal" switch to the ON position.

Once enabled, a unique URL for the client portal will be generated. You can share this URL with your clients. If the portal has been previously enabled and then disabled, enabling it again will retain the previous settings and URL.

Sharing the portal URL (signed token, no login)

The client portal uses a unique, cryptographically signed URL. This allows anyone with the URL to view the portal without needing a LemRank account or a separate login. This design means that viewing a client portal does not consume a user seat on your LemRank plan. All paid plans include unlimited client portals.

To share the portal:

1. Enable the client portal for the desired project as described above.
2. In the "Client Portal" settings, locate the "Portal URL" field.
3. Click the "Copy URL" button next to the field.

You can then paste this URL into an email, messaging app, or any other communication method with your client. If you lose the URL or suspect it has been compromised, you can generate a new one by clicking the "Refresh Token" button in the client portal settings. This will invalidate the old URL and provide a new one.

Setting a portal password for sensitive clients

For enhanced security, you can set an optional password for your client portal. This adds an extra layer of protection, requiring viewers to enter a password in addition to possessing the unique URL.

To set a password:

1. Enable the client portal for the desired project.
2. In the "Client Portal" settings, locate the "Set Password" field.
3. Enter your desired password.
4. Click the "Save Password" button.

When a password is set, anyone attempting to access the portal URL will first be prompted to enter this password. LemRank stores these passwords using bcrypt hashing with pgcrypto, ensuring that the passwords are not directly viewable in plain text by anyone, including LemRank staff. The database column storing these hashes has its permissions explicitly REVOKEd from anonymous and authenticated database roles to prevent unauthorized access.

To remove a password, simply clear the "Set Password" field and click "Save Password".

Customising which widgets clients see

You can control which widgets are visible to clients within the portal. This allows you to tailor the information presented to align with client priorities or to omit data that may not be relevant to them.

To customise widgets:

1. Navigate to the "Client Portal" settings for your project.
2. Scroll down to the "Visible Widgets" section.
3. A list of available widgets will be displayed, each with a toggle switch.
4. Toggle ON the widgets you wish your clients to see, and OFF those you want to hide.

For example, if your client is primarily interested in keyword rankings and strategy, you might enable "Position Tracking" and "Strategy Items" but disable "Technical SEO Audit" and "Backlinks". Changes are applied immediately to the client portal view.

Requiring approval on strategy items

The client portal can facilitate client oversight on strategy by allowing you to mark specific strategy items as requiring approval. When a strategy item is marked as requiring approval, the client can view it in the portal and explicitly approve or reject it.

To mark a strategy item for approval:

1. Navigate to the "Strategy" section within your project.
2. Create a new strategy item or edit an existing one.
3. Locate the "Requires Client Approval" checkbox.
4. Check this box.
5. Save the strategy item.

When a client views the portal, strategy items marked for approval will include options for them to "Approve" or "Reject". Their decision will be recorded in your LemRank project dashboard, providing a clear audit trail and streamlining the client feedback loop without them needing to access your full LemRank account.

Related

• How to Use the Report Builder
• How to Use the Portfolio Dashboard