blog post

Understanding Google Ads KPIs: Top 6 Metrics You Need to Track in 2023

Florian Cabirol
October 24, 2023
Understanding Google Ads KPIs: Top 6 Metrics You Need to Track in 2023

Quick steps to create a Google Ads report with Google Sheets:

You can easiliy create a Google Ads report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our Google Ads connector.
  2. Create a source on catchr.io.
  3. Download our Google Sheets extensions.
  4. Configure and run your request
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial.

How to install Google Sheets Catchr Add-on.

To start exporting your Google Ads data to Google Sheets, you need to install the Catchr add-on. You currently have two options :

Option A: Via the marketplace:

  1. Visit the Catchr Add-on page on the Google Workspace Marketplace and click "Install."
  2. Grant the necessary permissions for the add-on.
  3. Upon successful installation, open a Google Sheets to proceed.
Connect Google Sheet to Facebook Ads
Install Catchr Google Sheets Add-on

Option B: Directly within a Google Sheets:

  1. Open a new Google Sheets.
  2. In the top menu, click "Extensions", then hover over "Add-ons" and select "Get add-ons."
  3. Search for "Catchr" and choose "Catchr - data connector."
  4. Click "Install" and grant the required permissions.
  5. Close the installation pop-up when completed.
  6. Start using the Catchr add-on.
Install Catchr Add-on for Google Sheets
Install Catchr Add-on for Google Sheets

Once you have installed the add-on, you can start making requests.

The tutorial

Quick steps to create a Google Ads report with Looker Studio:

You can easiliy create a Google Ads report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our Google Ads connector.
  2. Create a datasource and new report on Looker Studio.
  3. Choose your metrics and dimensions.
  4. Use charts with your metrics and dimensions.
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial. You can also find a template for Google Ads at the end of the page.

The tutorial

Quick steps to create a Google Ads report with PowerBI:

You can easiliy create a Google Ads report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our Google Ads connector.
  2. Create a source on catchr.io.
  3. Configure your request on the PowerBI request manager.
  4. Copy the given URL in PowerBI
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial. You can also find a template for Google Ads at the end of the page.

The tutorial

When we think about digital advertising, there’s one name that instantly pops into our minds — Google Ads. With over 92.24 percent of the market share and 4.3 billion users worldwide, it’s no wonder that Google Ads have become a go-to for connecting businesses with their target audience.

While Google Ads offers a powerful platform for advertising your newly launched product line or time-tested services, it isn’t easy to make the most of it. To advertise your products right and catch your target customers where they are, you need to understand Google Ads KPIs. These metrics give you the juicy insights behind how well (or worse) your ad campaigns perform, letting you tweak and refine them over time.

But what are the KPIs for Google Ads? And which ones should you keep an eye on? Well, we have done the legwork for you. In this blog, we’ll help you understand what these metrics are all about. So, read on to get the most out of your ad budget and marketing campaigns.

What Are Google Ads KPIs

Google Ads are a powerhouse for businesses aiming to enhance their digital presence. However, earning that coveted spot on top of search results is not as easy as it sounds. You need to track your ad campaigns over time to see if they yield the desired results. This is where Google Ads KPIs step in.

These metrics help businesses track various aspects of their advertising strategies, like reach, engagement, and conversion rates. They tell you whether your campaigns are aligned with your business objectives. Over time, these Google ad key metrics help companies make informed decisions and optimize their campaigns for better performance.

A Google AdWords campaign performance analysis tells you a lot about your marketing efforts. It includes answers to questions like:

  • Are some keywords and ad groups working better than others?
  • Is the ad reaching the intended target audience effectively?
  • Which areas of the Google Ads are not yielding better performance?
  • Is the cost-per-click (CPC) within an acceptable range for the budget?
  • Are there specific demographics or audiences reacting positively to the ads?

These are just a few arenas where Google Ad KPIs give you juicy insights. But how to measure Google ads performance using KPIs? Let’s understand it using an example. Consider a shoe brand that launches a new campaign and decides to track the click-through rate (CTR) as a critical metric.

The business observes a low click-through rate, meaning that only a few people who saw the ad clicked. But what does this mean for the brand? Well, a lower CTR should prompt the brand to review its ad content, targeting demographics, and other factors.

Maybe the ad’s message or design isn’t compelling enough, or the targeting cannot reach the right audience. By tracking the CTR as a key metric, the advertiser gains valuable insights into the ads campaigns. In this way, Google Ads KPIs help you make data-driven decisions to optimize the digital marketing strategy for better engagement (and conversions).

Top 6 Google Ads KPIs You Need to Track in 2023

1. Click-Through Rate

One of the most crucial and widely used Google Ads key metrics is the click-through rate (CTR). It is defined as the percentage of times users click on your ad versus the times they view it. Let’s suppose your ad receives 20 clicks out of 1,000 impressions. In this case, your CTR would be 2%. This means that 2 out of every 100 people who saw your ad clicked on it.

But why should you track CTR in your digital marketing report? A higher CTR signifies that more people are not just viewing your ad but actively engaging with it. This may translate into more sales or leads for your business. By closely monitoring CTR, digital marketers can decide the effectiveness of different ad elements.

It tells which search terms perform better than others and how powerful specific calls to action are. By testing the ads with different versions of keywords and CTAs, marketers can refine their overall strategy to earn more clicks.

In terms of benchmarks, the average CTR typically falls between 4-6%. Thus, achieving a CTA of 7-9% is considered above average when it comes to Google Ads. A higher CTA is not only about numbers; it has far more benefits. A higher CTA can position your ad better on the search engines, enhance your quality score, and even lead to lower click costs (CPC).

If you want to improve your Google Ads CTR, here are a few tips:

  • Target the Right Keywords: Focus on commercial intent, branded, and local keywords for higher click-through rates.
  • Use Negative Keywords: Exclude irrelevant terms to ensure your ad is shown to a more qualified audience.
  • Narrow audience Targeting: Refine your audience criteria to tailor your ad copy more specifically and improve CTR.
  • Include a Clear Call to Action (CTA): Encourage users to take action with a compelling and specific CTA, reinforcing features or benefits.
  • Highlight Special Offers in Headlines: Incorporate promotions and discounts directly into your ad headlines for increased visibility.
  • Create Emotional Ads: Infuse emotion into your ad copy subtly, emphasizing benefits and creating a connection with the audience.

2. Cost per Click

When managing Google Ads campaigns, the cost per click (CPC) is a crucial KPI to track. In essence, CPC refers to the expense brands incur for each click on their advertisements. Given Google Ads operates on a pay-per-click model, tracking CPC is essential to ensure that your advertising budgets are utilized in the right way.

Several factors influence the actual CPC of your campaigns (Read: maximum bid, ad content quality, or competitiveness of targeted keywords). Thus, adjusting bids based on keywords helps businesses control their marketing costs. But how much, on average, do companies spend per click? The average CPC in Google Ads typically ranges between $2 and $4 on the Search Network. However, specific keywords, usually more competitive, can cost $50 or more per click.

3. Quality Score

In online advertising, one of the most common Google Ads KPIs is the quality score since it can directly impact the effectiveness and cost of your campaigns. This score determines how well your ad aligns with the keywords you’re targeting. It also considers the landing page experience users encounter when they click on your ad.

Ranging from 1 to 10, the quality score represents the relevance and reliability of your advertisement. This score is evaluated by three main factors:

  • The anticipated click-through rate
  • Ad relevance
  • The user experience with the landing page

A higher score (Read: 7-10) means your ads are highly relevant to your audience. This results in lowered costs (or better return on investment) and improved ad placements. In essence, a score of 10 gives you a 50% discount on keywords, while a score of 1 increases your costs by 400%.

4. Return on Ad Spend

When understanding Google Ads metrics, one of the most basic ones is the return on ad spend (ROAS). This is because this KPI tells you how successful your ad campaigns are. Put simply, ROAS measures how much a company earns for every dollar spent on advertising. Thus, it provides a clear picture of your ad strategies in terms of performance and profitability.

A screenshot of a computerDescription automatically generated

By analyzing your ROAS, you can decide whether your marketing budget is being utilized efficiently or not. Such an insight helps businesses make informed decisions about allocating costs well to optimize returns. To calculate your ROAS, all you need to do is divide the total revenue by the amount spent.

Let’s say your campaign costs $2,000 and generates $12,000. In this case, your return would be 6:1 or 600% ($12,000 ÷ $2,000). It means that for every dollar spent, you earned $6 from your PPC campaigns. In essence, a high ROAS implies that you’re getting a favorable return and that your ad campaigns are working out in your favor. Conversely, a low ROAS may signify that you aren’t generating enough revenue to cover your ad spend.

5. Number of Impressions

Tracking Google Ads KPIs like impressions helps advertisers optimize campaigns and allocate resources effectively. This metric signifies the number of times your ad appears on the Google search engine, giving insights into your reach and overall visibility. Decoding this KPI is crucial since it tells you how many individuals see your ad and how often they see it.

Notably, a low search impression share could mean your ads are not targeting the right audience. This might mean that you need to tweak your campaigns. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Include relevant variations of keywords to broaden your ad’s reach.
  • Adjust your ad schedule to display ads during peak times for increased visibility.
  • Use ad extensions to provide additional information and occupy more space on the SERP.
  • Increase bids for high-performing keywords to improve ad placement and visibility.
  • Craft compelling ad copy and align it closely with targeted keywords for higher impressions.
  • Incorporate broad match modifier keywords to capture a wider audience
  • Target specific locations to ensure your ads are shown to a relevant and local audience.

By incorporating these strategies into your marketing efforts, advertisers can not only increase impressions but also enhance overall campaign performance and encourage more users to interact with their ads.

Empower Your Digital Marketing Strategy with Catchr

Mastering Google Ads KPIs is crucial for a successful digital marketing strategy. These metrics give you insights into your ad campaigns. By monitoring and optimizing your strategy for these indicators, you can make the most out of your budget. They also help you tweak your campaigns to reach your target audience, increasing sales, conversion, and brand visibility.

However, it takes a lot of time and energy to manually extract marketing data from each of your Google Ad campaigns. But don’t worry, Catchr is here to take all that burden off your shoulders. This cutting-edge software tailored for digital marketing reports connects directly to Google Data Studio, Google Sheets, and other popular data visualization tools.

In this way, Catchr empowers users to effortlessly track and understand their Google Ads performance in real-time. From selecting specific accounts and linking data to creating reports, it handles the entire process with efficiency and ease. So, don’t let your marketing budgets go in vain — harness the power of Catchr today and make informed decisions to convert all those prospects.

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If you need more templates, you could look at our PowerBI template gallery.

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