How to Create Google Ads (Adwords) Reports for Clients

In this blog, we cover:

• Step-by-step guide on how to create Google ads reports for clients
• Detailed examples of how marketing agencies can use Whatagraph to customize Your Google Adwords data report or dashboard
• How you can benefit from real-time automated Adwords performance reporting

What is an Adwords Report? 

Adwords report (now known as Google Ads report) gives insights into the PPC performance and helps you conduct Adwords audits. It tracks CTR, keyword effectiveness, devices, traffic source, and many other key metrics. By creating Adwords reports you are able to see how your campaigns are performing and use this data to optimize them further. 

Key benefits of this report are:

1. Optimization. Create an Adwords report, get performance metrics and create data-driven strategies and Adwords campaigns;
2. Target key audience. Learn about your target audience's demographics and preferences. Examine the most effective ads and compare them to the worst-performing ones;
3. Budgeting. Because there are no minimum spending limitations and you can start and stop any campaign whenever you want, the chances of wasting ad revenue are slim. Depending on your company's objectives, you can choose from a variety of bidding tactics. However, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t monitor your money and where they go. Track your spending and prevent any serious damages.

What should be included in a Google ad report?

The obvious answer - data. But when there is so much data, it can be overwhelming to choose which data is the most accurate and appropriate for you. Here is what you need to consider when creating your Google ad insight reports:

KPIs

Start your report with KPIs (key performance indicators) that highlight the client's Ads account's progress at a glimpse. The Google Ads reports in Whatagraph allow you to compare performance with older/previous campaigns by displaying both real-time and historical data. Both clients and agencies want data comparisons so they can track the progress from month to month. 

Some examples of Adwords performance reporting KPIs:

• Impression Share;
• Average Cost Per Click;
• Profit & Return on Investment (ROI);
• Average Position;
• The Average Click-Through Rate;
• Cost Per Action/ Cost Per Conversion;
• Conversion Rate;
• Quality Score.

KPI trends

By tracking KPI trends you’ll benefit from:

• An objective sense of progress toward a targeted outcome;
• A comparison to see how much performance has changed over time.

Because Whatagraph provides a data visualization feature, you can use a line chart to easily compare any KPIs. 

Notes

Depending on who will be looking at the report, they might need explanations of text annotations to help understand certain trends/spikes/declines. To do it, Whatagraph includes the Notes Widgets. Above is an example of what this note would look like.

Setting Up Google Adwords Reports for Clients

1. Decide on your goals and KPIs before diving into Google Adwords. This will assist you in determining the areas where you should concentrate your efforts and the metrics to report.

2. Choose what to report to your clients. As any campaign generates huge amounts of raw data you need to decide what is relevant to your clients. This is a crucial point because you don’t know whether your client is tech-savvy and has a lot of time to look at and analyze everything related to your efforts. So make sure they are aware of the biggest changes, wins, and losses. Anything else does not need to be included in their report.

3. Then, when you have these areas identified, start PPC reporting.

4. Before you can create a Google ads report, you need to connect the right data sources to learn about PPC performance. As per the image below, connect Google Analytics and allow Whatagraph to fetch the data automatically. 

5. Then, choose whether you want to start from a blank page or use a pre-made Google Ads report template. 

By using a blank page, you’ll start from scratch, and with the drag and drop widget, you’ll create a report that aligns with your objectives. 

On the other hand, by using a template, you’ll save some time and instantly get an overview of your PPC efforts.

6. Instead of manually providing Google Adwords results weekly, monthly, or quarterly, Whatagraph allows you to automate them without lifting a finger. All you have to do now is set up this automation process. Choose your time, frequency, and period, add as many addresses as you need, and even receive a report summary in your inbox. This way, you'll always meet the deadline, keep your clients informed, and maintain a positive agency-client relationship.

Summary: What makes a great client report? 

Keep in mind that a report isn’t valuable if it provides no insights. In other words, you need something that transforms plain data into information. 

• A great client report helps facilitate effective decision making - it improves collaboration and relays information well;
• Reports need to guide your client’s attention to the most important metrics and activity;
• Add context and clarity in case the person you’re reporting isn’t present during your day-to-day activity. 

Automated Adwords Performance Reporting

Step 1. Make sure you've picked one of the pre-made date ranges from the calendar settings before automating a report. Custom Period should not be used with the report automation feature because it will not operate. 

Step 2. Then select "More..." and "Automate report".

Step 3. Select the frequency with which you want your report to be sent (Sending Frequency), the day on which you want it delivered (Delivery day), as well as the time and time zone. You have the option of reviewing the report before sending it or having it sent automatically without review.

Step 4. At the bottom of the automation settings for your reports, type the email addresses of the report recipients and click "Automate report."

Please note that if you choose "I'll review before sending," the reports will not be sent until you have reviewed them.

If you don't want to add comments or summaries to the report, or if you don't want to check the data before sending it, select "Send reports without my review."...

That's all there is to it! Your report will be generated automatically!

Real-time Google Adwords Analytics

Real-time reporting is a business intelligence (BI) feature that allows users to assess their performance at any time and get the most up-to-date information possible. Simply said, it is the most convenient approach for agencies to evaluate their performance right now. 

When measuring Google Ads performance, this feature is especially useful as Google constantly introduces new changes and policies influencing PPC. Moreover, Google Adword analytics benefit agencies by providing real-time data in:

• Keyword performance. Keyword tracking will give you valuable information into how your website and content perform in search engine result pages. You'll gain a better knowledge of your website's exposure and where you should concentrate your future search engine optimization efforts.
• Budget spending. Although Google Ads allows you to set a daily budget limit for how much of your budget is spent on displaying your ad, keep in mind that on some days, your daily cost may surpass your budget. This is because Google will show your ads more or less frequently depending on the amount of traffic and the number of times people have searched for the keywords you've bid on. As part of your company budgeting, consider using different methods. You can start with a recent option such as crypto and use a crypto heatmap to keep your finances in a good spot.
• Audience behavior. Find out what consumers do once they click on your adverts. Google Analytics shows you where users came from and how they used your site. This data can help you come up with new ways to improve your website.

By gathering real-time data and visualizing the most essential KPIs, Whatagraph allows you to stay up to date on the newest marketing successes.

An Example Google Ads Report Template for Agencies

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Begin with KPIs – avoid vanity metrics

Chances are, you probably have some specific KPIs that need to be tracked. Without KPIs, your efforts as a PPC specialist cannot be quantified. 

So let’s look at how your budgets are performing. Is the money spent bringing in customers and converting traffic? 

In the example above, we placed the essential metrics at the top of the report. It allows you to track client’s media spend against conversion and traffic targets. 

The top-left portion of the overview is goal tracking. Clearly illustrated goals and current standing is essential when disclosing your KPIs. Conversion rate is another KPI that needs to be within the top of the report. After all, PPC ads are all about driving conversions while maintaining a low CPA. 

In our example, we clearly disclosed the current conversion amount, conversion rate, and CPA metrics. Changes in those KPIs are clearly labeled – the change in the KPI since the last reporting period. 

Daily ad budget expenditures 

Some clients may also take an interest in daily ad expenditures. That’s perfectly normal and can give some additional insight as to what days convert better. 

Having a clear graph to illustrate ad spending over a specific period is also critical to any Google Ads PPC report. 

If you deliver these reports by email, having the ability to leave detailed comments explaining certain situations can prevent a lot of unnecessary phone calls from your clients.

We’ll use this conversion/cost as an example proving why you may need to add comments and provide context. 

As you can see, conversions took a massive dip on November 21st, while expenditures rose sharply. With Whatagraph, you can simply click on the point in time and add a comment to better explain the particular situation as to why the conversions were much lower and expenditures rose.

Dive deeper into KPIs

So you have started your report with the essential KPIs – the big picture metrics.

As we go deeper into the report-creation process, let’s start including more granular data – the peculiarities. 

Of course, when managing Google Ads and creating reports that depict PPC search performance, clicks need to be analyzed. After all, clicks are what eat up your budget – presenting this data to your client is essential. 

This data is placed in the middle of the report because the metrics need to be assessed in relation to the conversions. Conversions are the primary metric that any business tracks, and when necessary, you will compare them with clicks or other numbers. 

Also, these metrics allow your client to compare ad performance against an industry standard. It’s a great way to guarantee clients peace of mind when they see weekly, monthly or quarterly reports – this way, they can compare results against industry benchmarks. 

Lost traffic – potentially lost revenue? 

As someone who’s managing PPC ads – Google Ads in particular – you’re constantly on the hunt for new keywords. This in turn, can lead to improved conversion rates but may require some additional testing and bigger budgets.

What better way to relay the need for a higher budget than to show the potential lost revenue? This, of course, can be done by disclosing the “lost traffic” metrics. 

With the help of these metrics, you can make a case that you need to test keywords, ad text, etc., that can help reach the untapped traffic. 

Ad rank is determined by your bids and ad relevance. To improve those factors, budgets may need to be increased – or perhaps, reallocated on different keywords.

Showcase specific campaigns

Not all campaigns are created equally – they all have their nuances and perform differently. In addition to the big-picture, aggregated data, it’s good to break down individual Google Ads campaigns’ performance within the report.

This data is not only relevant to you as a search PPC manager but can give valuable insights to your client. The client may wish to look deeper into what ad copy performs best, what landing pages are converting, why you’re arranging your expenditures in a certain way. 

Conversions are not only your problem. Having adequate design and content on the webpage is what helps convert. Campaign metrics can help the client allocate resources that improve conversion rates on the website level. 

Customize Your Google Adwords Report or Dashboard

Customize branding of your Client Reports or Dashboards

Imagine how pleased your clients will be after seeing their colors and fonts used throughout the report or Google Adwords dashboard. Not only that but they will be more inclined to be engaged with data if the report matches their brand. 

With Whatagraph you can achieve that. Make this feature active by creating a global color and custom branding theme. From that point forward, each new report for that particular client will immediately inherit those settings.

Customize domain for Client Reports and Dashboard

You can change the whatagraph.com domain to any other domain and personalize your report emails with the client’s company name using the custom domain function.

This implies that your client’s subdomain will appear in the sender box anytime an automated report is delivered or shared.

You may also use this option to replace the normal Whatagraph online report URL with one that is customized to the client’s business. As a result, instead of app.whatagraph.com, you'd see reports.yourcompany.com/.

Create custom widgets for Client Reports or Dashboards

Does your client require a specific metric or a KPI to monitor or track in a particular way? No problem. Whatagraph allows to customize:

• Images/Notes/Comments. Whatagraph allows you to add these widgets to your report to make the report more personalized;
• Table, List, Histogram of values. Whatagraph allows you to create these items based on a set of parameters and your own set of values.

Whatagraph a Comprehensive Client Reporting Platform 

Marketers designed Whatagraph reporting software for agencies. It not only understands what your clients want to see from a marketing standpoint (all of the most essential indicators and KPIs for all of their marketing channels), but it also adjusts to agency processes, such as:

• Quickly sharing reports via email or screen; 
• Managing multiple marketing channels for the same client; 
• Automating report delivery; 
• Managing several client accounts at the same time;
• Adding unique branding, and so on.

Whatagraph may save most agencies anywhere from 1 to 5 hours per week, per client.