Most Google Ads Reports Focus on the Wrong Things
Every month Google Ads agencies spend hours preparing reports for their clients. Most of them end up archived and unread.
This seems like a bit of a waste.
Over the years, an ecosystem of tools, data connectors, and now AI has evolved to make reporting easier, faster and prettier.
But I don't think the reports have got better. In fact, I think most of them focus on the wrong things. They describe what happened inside Google Ads, but say very little about what happened after the lead arrived.
Let me explain.
Agency reports usually come in three flavours:
- tactical
- operational
- strategic
Tactical reporting
At the tactical level, reports focus on what work the agency did:
- keywords added or removed
- ads tested
- bids adjusted
- search terms reviewed
I think of these as the "We're working, don't fire us" reports. They're meant to prove that the agency is earning their fee.
The problem is that most business owners struggle to connect activity like adding a keyword to real business results.
Operational reporting
Operational reporting moves up a level. Instead of focusing on tasks, it focuses on campaign performance.
Typical metrics include:
- clicks
- conversions
- cost per lead
- conversion rate and so on
This is more useful because it tells you how the ads are working. But it still doesn't connect ad performance to business results. The client can't look at the report and know if the campaign actually made money.
Most reports stop at the operational level because that's where the data stops. The next level - strategic reporting - needs information from the client's sales process, and that's not easy to get.
Strategic reporting
Strategic reporting connects ad performance to business outcomes.
For example:
- how many leads were qualified
- how many turned into customers
- how much revenue came from advertising
This answers the question clients actually care about: What did I get from all the money I paid Google?
Strategic reporting also highlights opportunities to improve results. When you can see what happens after the lead arrives, you can see where leads are being lost.
- If leads are from outside the service area the agency can adjust the targeting.
- If leads are lost because they're never contacted the business can improve their follow-up system.
- If one campaign is generating more qualified leads you can give it the lion's share of the budget.
Over the last couple of months I've been working on a reporting and data system designed to connect advertising activity with what happens after the lead arrives.
Instead of stopping at clicks, calls or form submissions, it records what happens to each lead as it moves through the sales process.
For example, a lead might be:
- created
- qualified
- turned into an opportunity
- converted into a customer
This makes strategic reporting much easier. Instead of focusing only on clicks and leads, the report shows things like:
- how many leads were qualified
- how many became real opportunities
- how many turned into customers
I've used this report with a handful of clients. It's led to some really useful conversations.
Here's a screenshot of an example in case you're looking for ideas in designing your own strategic-level report.
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