What should a monthly Google Ads report show you?
A Google Ads report should help you answer one question: did the ads bring in work? Ours fits on one page. It shows what you spent and the leads it brought in, and asks you for the one number we can’t see, which is how many of those leads became paying jobs.
The numbers
- What you spent, paid straight to Google.
- How many clicks the ads got.
- Calls, split into calls from the ad and calls from your website.
- Forms sent from your website.
- Bookings, if you take them online.
- Total leads, which is calls, forms and bookings added together.
- Cost per lead, compared with last month.
Cost per lead is the number we watch closest: your ad spend divided by your leads. One person can call and also send a form, so the total can count the same person twice. That’s one more reason the number of new customers matters.
The number only you can add
Google can count a call, but it can’t tell whether that call became a paying job. So every report asks you how many of the month’s leads became customers. Divide what you spent with Google by that number and you have your ad cost per new customer. Some leads take longer than a month to decide, so that number can move up or down later.
What we did, and what we learned
The report also lists the changes we made that month, like searches we blocked or budget we moved, and what we learned from them.
Next month, and what we need from you
Every report ends with what we plan to change next month and anything we need from you, like new photos, a new offer, or hours that changed.
What it leaves out
The report sticks to the numbers that tell you whether the ads brought in work. The account is in your name, so every other figure Google keeps is there whenever you want to look. Our fee isn’t mixed into your ad spend either, because it’s billed separately.
Questions
What is cost per lead?
Your ad spend for the month divided by the number of leads: calls, forms and bookings. It’s the number we compare month to month.
Why does my report show clicks but not calls?
Usually because call tracking isn’t on yet. Clicks are counted automatically, but calls need tracking set up. Our post on clicks but no calls explains how.
Should my report include the management fee?
We list it separately. The report covers what you paid Google for the ads, and our fee is billed on its own, so you can see each one clearly.
How often should I get a report?
We send one every month. We check the account every week, and the monthly report is where you see the month as a whole.
Not sure what your report is telling you?
See how we run Google Ads, read your first month of Google Ads, or book a call and bring your last report.