Google Ads to Looker Studio: Complete guide

Looker Studio is a free and powerful tool for creating dashboards and visualizing your advertising data.
While Google Ads has its own reporting features, many marketers prefer Looker Studio for its flexibility, design options, and ability to blend data from multiple channels.

If you’re reading this, you probably want to connect your Google Ads campaigns to Looker Studio to analyze performance, monitor KPIs, and automate your reports.

There are two main ways to do it:

• Using the native Google Ads connector
• Using a partner connector such as Catchr

Before diving into the step-by-step guide, you can also follow our short video tutorial below to see how to connect your Google Ads data to Looker Studio in just a few minutes.

Why connect your Google Ads data to Looker Studio?

Connecting your Google Ads data to Looker Studio allows you to centralize your marketing insights in one place. Instead of switching between the Google Ads dashboard and spreadsheets, you can visualize all your campaigns in an interactive report.

With Looker Studio, you can:

• Combine Google Ads with other data sources like Meta Ads, Microsoft Ads, LinkedIn, or your CRM.
• Automate your reporting with daily data refreshes.
• Customize dashboards to track the KPIs that matter most, by campaign, ad group, or keyword.
• Share performance insights easily with teammates or clients.

In short, connecting Google Ads to Looker Studio transforms your ad data into actionable insights, helping you optimize spend, performance, and ROI.

Method 1: Using the native Google Ads connector

The native “Google Ads” connector is the simplest, and free, way to link your data to Looker Studio. It’s built by Google and directly connects to your account.

How it works

This connector pulls your data straight from your Google Ads account into Looker Studio. You can visualize metrics such as impressions, clicks, conversions, cost, and CTR in real time.

However, the native connector has limitations:

• Each data source can connect to only one Google Ads account.
• To analyze multiple accounts, you’ll need to create one data source per account, then blend the data manually in Looker Studio.

💡 If you manage several accounts under a Google Ads Manager (MCC), you can connect the MCC instead of individual accounts. This gives you access to all child accounts within a single data source, and you can filter by Customer ID or Account Name.

Steps

1. Create a new data source on Looker Studio
   • Go to the Looker Studio homepage.
   • Click on Create → Data source.

2. Search for Google Ads
   • In the search bar, type Google Ads.
   • From the list, select the native connctor.

3. Authorize your Google Ads accounts in Looker Studio
   • Click Authorize to link your Google Ads account with Looker Studio.

4. Choose your ad accounts
   • Select one account to include in your report.

5. Click Create report
   • Click Create Report to finish the setup.
   • Your Google Ads data, including impressions, clicks, spend, and ROAS, will automatically load into Looker Studio and refresh daily.

Method 2: Automatically connect your Google Ads data to Looker Studio with Catchr

For most marketers and agencies, using a partner connector such as Catchr Google Ads connector is the best choice. It offers more flexibility and advanced features than the native option.

How it works

Catchr connects directly to the Google Ads API to fetch your data automatically.
Unlike the native connector, you can connect multiple Google Ads accounts to a single data source, no blending required.

Your dashboards will update daily, and you’ll have access to all of Google Ads metrics, dimensions, and breakdowns (like device type, region, or campaign type).

Steps

1. Create a new data source on Looker Studio
   • Go to the Looker Studio homepage.
   • Click on Create → Data source.

2. Search for Google Ads
   • In the search bar, type Google Ads.
   • From the list, select a certified connector such as Catchr.

3. Authorize your Catchr and Google Ads accounts in Looker Studio
   • Click Authorize to link your Catchr account with Looker Studio.
   • Then, authorize again to sign in to Google Ads and allow access to your ad accounts.

4. Choose your ad account(s)
   • Select one or multiple ad accounts to include in your report.
   • (Optional) Start from a prebuilt Looker Studio template to save time.

5. Click Create report
   • Click Create Report to finish the setup.
   • Your Google Ads data, including impressions, clicks, spend, and ROAS, will automatically load into Looker Studio and refresh daily.

Once connected, your data syncs automatically and refreshes every day.

💡 Why use Catchr instead of the native Google connector?

• Connect multiple accounts in one dashboard.
• Access more granular data and advanced breakdowns.
• Blend data across channels (e.g., Meta, Microsoft, or LinkedIn Ads).

Catchr is ideal for agencies, freelancers, and teams managing multiple accounts or needing complete, up-to-date reports.

Common Use Cases

Connecting your Google Ads data to Looker Studio helps you monitor performance across campaigns, ad groups, and keywords in one place.

Freelancers create custom dashboards to track performance by client and campaign objective.

Agencies build automated reports to consolidate multiple accounts and share branded dashboards with clients.

Marketing teams analyze spend efficiency, ROAS, and keyword performance to optimize advertising strategies.

To help you get started, Catchr offers ready-to-use Looker Studio templates for Google Ads:

• Google Ads Overview KPI dashboard template
• Google Ads Keyword Performances dashboard template
• Google Ads Funnel dashboard template

Each template automatically refreshes with your latest data and can be customized to match your reporting needs, so you can spend less time building dashboards and more time improving results.

Google Ads Overview KPI dashboard template

Get a complete view of your main advertising metrics across campaigns with the Google Ads Overview KPI dashboard

Google Ads Keyword Performances dashboard template

Explore keyword-level data and identify your best-performing search terms using the Google Ads Keyword Performance dashboard.

Google Ads Funnel dashboard template

Understand your customer journey from impression to conversion with the Google Ads Funnel dashboard.

Which method to use to connect Google Ads to Looker Studio?

FAQ: Google Ads and Looker Studio

Can I connect multiple Google Ads accounts?

‍Yes. You can connect several Google Ads accounts by using a Google Ads Manager (MCC) account or a partner connector like Catchr, which supports multi-account reporting in a single data source.

Are the data updates automatic?

‍Yes. Both the native connector and Catchr refresh data automatically every day, so your dashboards always show the latest results.

Can I combine Google Ads data with other platforms?

‍Absolutely. You can blend Google Ads with Meta Ads, Microsoft Ads, LinkedIn, or your CRM to get a complete overview of your marketing performance.

What data can I access from Google Ads in Looker Studio?

‍You can pull all essential campaign metrics, including impressions, clicks, cost, conversions, CTR, CPC, and ROAS.

Is the native Google Ads connector free to use?

‍Yes. The native connector provided by Google is entirely free. However, it’s limited to one account per data source. If you need to manage several accounts or blend data automatically, a third-party connector like Catchr is recommended.

Google Ads and Looker Studio

Connecting Google Ads to Looker Studio helps you track performance clearly, visualize key metrics, and make data-driven decisions. Whether you use the native connector or Catchr, you’ll gain full control over your reporting, with dashboards that stay up to date automatically.

Once your data is connected, you can focus on what truly matters: analyzing results, optimizing campaigns, and improving your return on ad spend.