Most Google Ads reports show the wrong things to the wrong people. Agencies send weekly spreadsheet dumps full of impression data to business owners who need to know one thing: is this generating profitable revenue? Looker Studio fixes this, but only if the dashboard is built around what decisions it needs to support. This guide covers three templates we use across client accounts: an executive monthly report, an operational weekly dashboard, and an e-commerce ROAS view — with the exact metrics, formulas, and data sources for each.
Quick reference — what each template covers:
- Executive report: 4 KPIs, one page, built for a 10-minute monthly review
- Operational dashboard: search terms, CPC trends, ad performance, Quality Score signals
- E-commerce ROAS view: channel-level ROAS, product margin segmentation, attribution comparison
- Setup time: 45–90 minutes per template for a new Looker Studio account
- Connection: direct Google Ads data connector (no third-party tools needed)
Why Most Google Ads Reports Are Useless
The average agency report contains somewhere between 15 and 40 metrics across 3–6 tabs. Click-through rate, average position, impression share, quality score, search lost IS (rank), search lost IS (budget), absolute top impression share — metrics that are useful for optimisation but meaningless for business decisions.
A business owner reviewing a report like this either ignores it (because they cannot parse it) or interrogates it unproductively (because they are optimising the wrong things). Neither outcome is good.
The problem is that reporting is designed around what is easy to export, not what decisions need to be made. A useful Google Ads dashboard answers a short list of questions:
- How much did we spend?
- How many leads or sales did we generate?
- What did each lead or sale cost?
- Is that improving or getting worse?
Everything else is either context for those answers or noise. The three templates below are built around these questions, with progressively more detail for progressively more technical audiences.
How to Connect Google Ads to Looker Studio
Looker Studio has a native Google Ads connector that requires no third-party tools. The connection takes under five minutes.
- Open Looker Studio and create a new report or new data source.
- Click “Add data” and select “Google Ads” from the connector list.
- Authorise with your Google account that has access to the Google Ads account or MCC.
- Select the account and set the date range to “Custom” so the dashboard controls the date window.
- In data source settings, set the default currency to AUD if you are reporting for Australian clients.
One data source connection gives you access to campaign-level, ad group-level, keyword-level, and ad-level data. You do not need separate connections per level.
One important note: Looker Studio’s Google Ads connector operates on a one-day data lag for most metrics. Conversion data can have an additional 1–3 day lag due to conversion windows and modelled conversions. For same-day reporting, the connector is not reliable — use the Google Ads UI directly for intraday monitoring.
Template 1: Executive Monthly Report
This is the dashboard that goes to the business owner or marketing director who does not live inside Google Ads. The goal is a 10-minute monthly review that answers: was this a good month, and what is the trend?
Metrics to include (one page only)
| Metric | Why it is here |
|---|---|
| Total spend | The input — what was invested |
| Conversions | The output — leads or sales generated |
| Cost per conversion | The efficiency metric — is it improving? |
| Conversion value or revenue (e-commerce) | The return — actual revenue generated |
Four numbers. That is it for the headline view. A business owner who needs more than four numbers in the first view is a business owner who will not read the report.
Below the four headline scorecards, add a single trend chart: conversions by month (or by week if it is a new account with limited monthly data). A single trend line that shows whether volume is going up, down, or flat is more informative than a table of month-by-month comparisons.
How to build it in Looker Studio
Step 1 — Scorecard components: Add four Scorecard components to the page. For each, select the data source (Google Ads), the metric, and set the comparison date range to “Previous period”. This shows the percentage change from last month automatically.
- Scorecard 1: Cost — metric:
Cost - Scorecard 2: Conversions — metric:
Conversions - Scorecard 3: Cost per conversion — use a calculated field:
Cost / Conversions - Scorecard 4: Conversion value — metric:
Conversion Value(rename to “Revenue” for non-technical audiences)
Step 2 — Trend chart:
Add a time series chart. Set dimension to Date (granularity: week or month depending on account age). Set metric to Conversions. Optionally add a secondary Y-axis for Cost to show spend alongside volume.
Step 3 — Date range control: Add a date range control component and set it as the primary filter. This allows the report viewer to change the period without you editing the report. Default to “Last 30 days” or “Last month”.
Step 4 — Campaign breakdown table (optional):
If the account has multiple campaigns, add a table below the trend chart: rows by Campaign, metrics of Cost, Conversions, Cost per conversion. Sort by Cost descending. This gives context without cluttering the headline view.
Common mistakes on the executive report
Avoid adding CTR, impressions, or quality score to this report. Those metrics are operational — they are useful for the person managing the account, not the person reviewing business performance. Adding them to an executive report creates distraction and invites questions that derail the strategic discussion.
Template 2: Operational Weekly Dashboard
This dashboard is for the account manager — either an in-house marketing manager or the agency managing the account. The goal is to identify what needs attention before the weekly optimisation session.
Metrics and dimensions to include
| Section | Dimension | Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign performance | Campaign | Cost, Conversions, CPC, Conversion rate, IS |
| Search terms | Search query | Clicks, Conversions, Cost |
| Ad performance | Ad (RSA) | CTR, Conversion rate, Cost per conversion |
| CPC trend | Date (daily) | Avg CPC, Impression share |
| Budget pacing | Campaign | Daily spend vs daily budget |
The search terms table is the highest-value section of this dashboard. New irrelevant queries appear weekly in most active accounts, and catching them early prevents wasted spend from accumulating. Configure this table to show search queries sorted by spend descending, with conversions and cost per conversion as additional columns. Zero-conversion, high-spend queries stand out immediately.
How to build it in Looker Studio
Step 1 — Campaign performance table:
Table with Campaign dimension. Metrics: Cost, Conversions, Avg CPC, Conv rate, Search Impression Share. Add conditional formatting to highlight CPAs above target in red and CPAs at target or below in green.
Step 2 — Search terms table:
Add a table with dimension Search query (note: this is Search Term in the Google Ads connector, not Keyword). Metrics: Clicks, Conversions, Cost, Cost / Conversions. Filter to the current date range control. Sort by Cost descending.
This table surfaces wasted spend immediately. Any row with more than $20 AUD in spend and zero conversions deserves investigation. Set a filter to only show rows with Cost greater than $5 to remove the long tail of single-click queries.
Step 3 — CPC trend chart:
Time series chart with Date (daily granularity). Metric: Avg CPC. Add a second metric for Clicks on the secondary axis. CPC spikes that coincide with click drops usually indicate auction competition changes or quality score issues.
Step 4 — Ad performance table:
Table with Ad dimension. Metrics: Impressions, CTR, Conversions, Conv rate. Sort by Impressions descending. This shows which RSA variations are winning the ad rotation and whether high-impression ads are also high-conversion ads.
Formula for a calculated impression share metric
Looker Studio does not always surface Impression Share directly via the connector. To create it manually:
Calculated field name: Impression Share
Formula: Search Impression ShareIf the field is not available, check that your data source connection includes the “Campaign” breakdown level rather than just “Account” level — IS is not available at account level in some connector configurations.
Template 3: E-commerce ROAS Dashboard
This template is for accounts running Shopping or Performance Max with a product feed. The goal is to understand ROAS by channel, by product category, and compared to the target.
Metrics and dimensions to include
| Section | Dimension | Metrics |
|---|---|---|
| ROAS by campaign type | Campaign type | Revenue, Cost, ROAS |
| ROAS trend | Date (weekly) | ROAS, Conversion value |
| Product performance | Product title or category | Revenue, ROAS, Clicks |
| Attribution comparison | Attribution model | Conversions, Revenue |
The ROAS by campaign type breakdown is particularly useful for accounts running both Search and Performance Max. PMax often claims high ROAS, but this can reflect brand search traffic that would have converted anyway. Seeing PMax ROAS versus Search ROAS side by side, filtered to exclude brand terms, gives a more honest picture.
How to build it in Looker Studio
Step 1 — ROAS scorecard:
Add a scorecard with a calculated field for ROAS: Conversion Value / Cost. This is the account-level ROAS. Set comparison to previous period to show the trend.
Add a secondary scorecard for target ROAS gap using a calculated field:
ROAS Gap = (Conversion Value / Cost) - [your target ROAS as a number]If the result is positive, you are above target. If negative, you are below.
Step 2 — ROAS by campaign type:
Table with Campaign type dimension. Metrics: Cost, Conversion Value, calculated ROAS field. This shows immediately whether Performance Max, Standard Shopping, or Search is driving the most efficient return.
Step 3 — ROAS trend:
Time series chart with Date (weekly granularity). Metric: calculated ROAS field. ROAS trends over time reveal whether seasonal changes, competitive shifts, or algorithm updates are affecting efficiency.
Step 4 — Product performance table:
Table with Product title or Product type dimension (from the Shopping data source). Metrics: Clicks, Conversion Value, Cost, calculated ROAS. Sort by Cost descending to surface high-spend, low-ROAS products that need bid adjustments or feed improvements.
Common formula errors in ROAS dashboards
Dividing by impressions instead of cost.
A common copy-paste error produces Conversion Value / Impressions instead of Conversion Value / Cost. The result will be a very small number that looks like a fraction of a percent rather than a multiplier.
Currency mismatch. If your Google Ads account currency is AUD and your Merchant Center feed prices are in AUD, the ROAS figure is correct. If any conversion value is being imported from an external system in a different currency (USD, EUR), the ROAS calculation will be inflated or deflated accordingly. Check the currency in Goals → Conversion actions for each revenue conversion action.
Including non-sales conversion actions in revenue. If “Phone call” or “Form submission” conversion actions have an assigned value (e.g., $50 per lead), they will inflate the conversion value metric and produce a misleading ROAS. For the e-commerce ROAS dashboard, filter to only include purchase/transaction conversion actions with actual revenue values.
How to Customise Without Breaking Calculations
The most common way to break a Looker Studio dashboard is to edit a calculated field formula and inadvertently change a metric that other components depend on. Here is how to edit safely:
- Duplicate the data source before making structural changes. This gives you a fallback.
- Use “Add a field” rather than editing existing fields. New calculated fields do not affect existing components.
- Test calculated fields in a scratch table component (add a temporary table, check the values, then delete the component) before using them in scorecards or charts.
- Set date controls at the page level, not the component level. Page-level date range controls apply to all components simultaneously and reduce the chance of mismatched date windows between scorecards and charts.
Internal reference: the conversion tracking guide covers how to set up the underlying conversion actions that feed these dashboards. The enhanced conversions guide explains how consent-mode gaps affect the conversion volume you see in both Google Ads and Looker Studio.
If you want one of these dashboards built for your account — customised to your conversion goals, campaign structure, and reporting cadence — get in touch and we will set it up as part of an account review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Looker Studio free to use for Google Ads reporting?
Looker Studio is free to use. The Google Ads native connector is also free. There are paid Looker Studio Pro plans ($9 USD/user/month) that add additional features for teams, but they are not needed for the three templates covered here.
How often should you update a Google Ads Looker Studio dashboard?
The executive monthly report should be reviewed monthly. The operational dashboard should be reviewed weekly. The e-commerce ROAS view depends on account activity — for accounts spending over $5,000/month AUD, weekly review is appropriate. Looker Studio data refreshes automatically; you do not need to manually update anything.
Can you share a Looker Studio dashboard with a client who does not have Google Ads access?
Yes. Looker Studio has flexible sharing settings. You can share a report with view-only access via a link or Google account email. The viewer does not need Google Ads access because the data connection is authenticated at the report level, not the viewer level.
What is the difference between Looker Studio and Google Ads reporting?
Google Ads reporting is raw data — it can show you anything the platform measures, but it requires you to know what to look for. Looker Studio is a presentation layer — it lets you create focused views that surface specific decisions. Looker Studio is also better for combining data from multiple sources (Google Ads + GA4 + Merchant Center) in a single view.
Can you combine Google Ads and Google Analytics 4 data in one Looker Studio dashboard?
Yes, and this is one of the most powerful uses of Looker Studio. You can add multiple data sources to a single report and display metrics from each on the same page. Blended data sources allow you to join Google Ads cost data with GA4 session and conversion data on a shared dimension (date, campaign name). This provides a more complete picture of the customer journey than Google Ads data alone.
How do you handle attribution differences between Looker Studio and Google Ads?
Looker Studio uses the same attribution model as your Google Ads account’s conversion settings. If your Google Ads account uses data-driven attribution, the conversions in Looker Studio will match what you see in Google Ads. Differences between Looker Studio and GA4 attribution are expected because GA4 uses session-based attribution by default while Google Ads uses click-based attribution.