Can Better Analyst change my campaigns?

No. The connector is read-only and uses only the Google Ads Search endpoint for reporting.

Why does Google show a broad Ads permission?

Google provides one Google Ads API OAuth scope rather than a narrower reporting-only scope. Better Analyst restricts the connector itself to account discovery and read-only Search requests.

Does it support MCC accounts?

Yes. Better Analyst discovers customer hierarchies and saves the required manager customer context with each selected account.

What data can I analyze?

You can query compatible Google Ads reporting resources including campaigns, ad groups, ads, keywords, search terms, segments, costs, and conversions.

How are costs represented?

Google Ads returns cost fields in micros. Better Analyst preserves the raw API values and uses the selected account currency and timezone as analysis context.

Are dashboards refreshed with live data?

Yes. Dashboard refresh reruns the saved GAQL. Rolling DURING ranges move forward, while literal historical dates remain fixed.

How do I connect Google Ads to Better Analyst?

Click "Connect Google Ads," sign in with the Google account that has access to your ads, and select the customer accounts you want to analyze. Accounts under a manager (MCC) account are discovered for you. No developer token or API setup is needed.

Is my Google Ads data secure?

OAuth tokens are encrypted before they are stored and are never sent to your browser. The connector only runs read-only reports. You can disconnect from the connector page or revoke access from your Google Account connections at any time.

Does it report on Performance Max campaigns?

Yes, at the campaign level: Performance Max campaigns appear in campaign reports with their cost, clicks, conversions, and conversion value. Google exposes less detail for Performance Max than for Search campaigns, so keyword and search-term reports mainly cover Search campaigns.

Can I combine Google Ads with GA4 or a spreadsheet?

Yes. Attach Google Analytics, Google Sheets, or Meta Ads to the same chat and ask for spend, sessions, and conversions side by side. Better Analyst fetches each source and joins the results by date or campaign.

Can I schedule a Google Ads report?

Yes. Save a Google Ads report as a Data Flow to deliver it to Google Sheets or a database on a schedule, or schedule a task that reruns the analysis and sends the summary by email or Slack.

Google Ads Report Template: Metrics, Layout and Example

A Google Ads report template for clients or your team: which metrics to include, a sample table and charts, and how to build it from your live account.

By David Bressler
Published November 9, 2026
Updated November 9, 2026

Summary

A useful Google Ads report template answers three questions: what was spent, what came back, and what changed since last period. It usually has one table by campaign with cost, conversions, CPA and ROAS, plus a trend. In Better Analyst you ask for that layout once against your live account, then refresh it instead of filling in a template.

On this page

Who this report is for
What the report includes
How to build it in Better Analyst from Google Ads
Questions to ask
Sample output
Charts to use
Keep it up to date
Further reading
FAQ

Who this report is for

Agency account managers and in-house marketers who send the same monthly Google Ads summary to a client or manager and want to stop copying numbers into a slide or spreadsheet by hand.

What the report includes

Metrics and dimensions in this report

Metric	Source field	Why it matters
Campaign	campaign.name	The row most readers think in, and the level where budget decisions get made.
Channel type	campaign.advertising_channel_type	Separates Search, Performance Max and other campaign types, which shouldn't be judged the same way.
Month	segments.month	Gives the period-over-period view that a single total can't show.
Cost	metrics.cost_micros	Total spend, returned in micros, so divide by 1,000,000 for account currency.
Impressions	metrics.impressions	Shows reach, and helps explain whether a change came from volume or from efficiency.
Clicks	metrics.clicks	The traffic bought, and the base for click-through rate and average cost per click.
Conversions	metrics.conversions	The outcome count, using the conversion actions set to count in the account.
Conversion value	metrics.conversions_value	Divide it by cost to get ROAS, the headline number for most ecommerce accounts.

How to build it in Better Analyst from Google Ads

Open Connectors in Better Analyst, choose Google Ads and click Connect with Google.
Pick the customer account from the list. If it sits under an MCC, the manager context is saved with it.
In a new chat with that account attached, describe the report: campaign rows, the metrics above, last month compared with the month before.
Ask for a monthly spend and conversions trend, then turn the answer into a web dashboard.
Use a rolling range such as the last 30 days if you want the report to move forward on each refresh. A fixed date range stays fixed.

Questions to ask

“Build a monthly Google Ads report by campaign with cost, clicks, conversions, CPA and ROAS, last month versus the month before.”
“Write a three-sentence summary of what changed this month and which campaign caused it.”
“Show monthly cost and conversion value for the last 12 months as a combo chart.”
“Split last month's results by campaign type: Search versus Performance Max.”
“Which campaign had the biggest change in CPA, and was it driven by cost or by conversions?”

Sample output

Sample data for illustration, not real account data.

Sample data: monthly report by campaign (illustrative, not a real account)

Campaign	Cost	Clicks	Conversions	CPA	ROAS	CPA vs prior month
Brand - Search	$1,840	2,310	186	$9.89	11.2	-4%
Non-brand - Search	$9,420	5,120	142	$66.34	2.6	+11%
Performance Max	$6,200	4,480	121	$51.24	3.4	-7%
Competitor - Search	$2,150	690	14	$153.57	0.9	+22%

Charts to use

Cost and conversion value by month (Combo chart): Whether returns kept up as spend changed over the last year.
CPA by campaign (Horizontal bar chart): Which campaigns cost the most per conversion, sorted from worst to best.
Spend share by campaign type (Stacked column chart): How the budget moved between Search and Performance Max each month.

Keep it up to date

Keep the report as a dashboard that refreshes on a schedule, or schedule a task that sends the written summary by email or Slack on the 1st of each month. To put the same numbers in a client sheet, save the report as a Data Flow to Google Sheets.

Frequently asked questions

What should a Google Ads report include?

Spend, conversions, cost per conversion and, if you track value, ROAS, by campaign and compared with the prior period. Impressions, clicks and CTR help explain changes but rarely belong in the headline. Add a sentence on what changed and what you'll do about it.

Should I report on all conversions or just conversions?

Use the conversions column for performance, since it counts only the actions set as primary in the account. All conversions adds secondary actions and is better for diagnosis. Name which one you use so the numbers aren't misread.

Can I make this report for several client accounts?

Yes. Connect through the manager account and save each customer account. Attach one account to a chat or dashboard at a time, and repeat the report for each client.

Why don't the numbers match Google Ads exactly?

Recent days can still change as conversions come in, and totals depend on the account time zone and date range. Compare the same range after a few days have passed. Better Analyst uses the selected account's currency and time zone.