On each client's billing cycle day, ContentForge emails an overview of the period that just ended, compared with the period before. It's free and goes out automatically. If it can't go out that day (lots of clients share the day, or a data source like Google Search Console is briefly down), it's sent on the next hourly run, up to a week after the billing day, and never twice to the same person.
Who gets it
Every active person on the client's Client → Settings tab who has the Stats report permission. People who haven't accepted their invite yet, or whose access is off, don't get it. Each person gets it once per period.
To stop the email for someone, untick Stats report with Edit access. To stop it for the whole client, untick it for everyone. The billing cycle day is the one set in the client's Portal Settings, or your agency default.
What's in it
Sections only where there's data, optionally opened by a short summary written by Zeus (see below):
- Your website (visits and contacts from a hosted Mount Olympus site)
- Google Search, with top searches
- Website traffic from Google Analytics
- Keyword rankings
- Google Business Profile (calls, direction requests, website clicks and profile views from a linked profile; Google's numbers trail by a few days, so the email says which dates it covers)
- Google Maps rankings
- Google reviews
- Google Ads
- Visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini & Perplexity
- Listings & links
- Work completed
- A button to open the portal
The email contains only what that person's portal shows. Each section follows the client's Dashboard settings switches and the person's permissions. Numbers need Site performance & stats, and AI visibility needs Site Audit or SEO settings. If nothing would be visible, no email is sent.
Zeus summary (off by default)
Zeus can open the email with a 2–3 sentence summary of the period. It's off for every client until you turn it on, so the email starts straight with the sections.
To turn it on or off for a client, use either:
- Dashboard settings on the client's Client → Settings tab: the Zeus summary at the top of the monthly email switch under Monthly email, then Save dashboard settings.
- The Zeus summary at the top checkbox in the email preview. It saves straight away and refreshes the preview.
When it's on, Zeus leads with wins and progress and mentions dips calmly and briefly. When most numbers went down, the summary focuses on the work completed rather than listing drops. It only uses numbers that appear in the email. If a summary doesn't pass these checks, a plain summary built from the email's own numbers is used instead.
Preview it or send a test
- Open the client's Client → Settings tab and, under Portal Settings, click Preview this month's email. The same button is on the Work done this period card on the client's Zeus.
- Use As to pick which person to preview it for.
- Click Send test to me to get a copy in your inbox.
The preview lists the sections included, the number of work items, and whether the summary is from Zeus, plain, or off. When nobody would get it, it says "No one has the Stats report permission yet, so nothing goes out on the billing day." If a data source couldn't load, it lists it under "Left out (couldn't load)". If the person would see nothing at all, it says "The portal shows this person nothing for this period, so no email would be sent".
Branding
- Growth and Agency: your logo, color, name and sender name. ContentForge isn't mentioned.
- Starter: ContentForge branding, sent "on behalf of" your agency.
Good to know
Work items appear the way you chose in Work Item Display. Zeus's checks and published blog posts are added to work done automatically (see the list); an automatic item is left out when its section is off in the client's portal (for example, "Reviewed backlink profile" needs a Backlinks item on). Add manual work items on the client's Zeus or Client → Settings tab before the billing day so they're included.
Examples
- A client who reads email, not portals: give the owner Stats report and Site performance & stats, and turn on the Zeus summary for a quick opening.
- A bookkeeper who only needs the work list: give them Stats report without Site performance & stats. Their email shows the work completed but no numbers.
- Before the first send: open Preview this month's email, pick each person under As, and click Send test to me.
Limits
- One email per person per period, on the billing cycle day (1–28) or up to 7 days after if it couldn't go out.
- It only includes what the person's portal would show.
- The email is free. It doesn't use credits.
Who can use it
You need the Clients tool to preview, send a test, or change who gets it.
Troubleshooting
- The client didn't get the email: check they have Stats report, their status is Active (not Invited or Access off), and the billing day has passed. Ask them to check spam.
- The preview says nothing would be sent: every section is switched off for them, or they lack Site performance & stats and there's no work done. Switch sections on in Dashboard settings.
- A section is missing: it's switched off in Dashboard settings, the person lacks the permission, or there was no data for the period.
- "Could not build the preview": reload and try again. If a data source like Search Console is down, try later.