How to export Microsoft Ads to Looker Studio ?

Microsoft Ads is the ads manager for Bing search. It allows you to manage campaigns and ads that display in the search result (and in other Microsoft partners, but it is mainly for the search result of Bing).

When you run a campaign, you need to check on the result. How does such a campaign perform? Can you make some modifications that will increase your sales? To answer such a question, you need to analyze your marketing data, and you can then make the right decision to drive your campaign.

That's where Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) comes in! It's a free Google tool that lets you build dashboards and dig into your data to make the best decision!

In this article, I will show you how to connect Microsoft Ads to Looker Studio and build your first dashboard (or use a ready-to-go template).

Settings up your data source:

Choose a data connector:

The first thing to do when connecting a non-Google tool to Looker Studio is to choose a connector. This connector will help you bring your data to Looker Studio.

You can check the entire connector list here. Google provides it, and all the connectors here have been verified and approved by Google.

Catchr provides a connector for Microsoft Ads, available here.

Configure your data source:

Once you have chosen a connector, click on it and allow Looker Studio and the connector's provider to access your Microsoft Ads account. 

Then select the account in the account list. And click Connect to create your data source.

Check on your field and start creating your report:

Once Looker Studio has created your data source, check your field list. 

Here you will be able to : 

• Change the field name.
• Change their type.
• Change their aggregation method.
• Create a calculated field.
• Create a parameter.

Ans especially, create reports from this data source. Click on Create Report and continue reading! We will start to display your data.

Creating the dashboard:

Ok, all the configuration steps are done. We can now start to create your dashboard.

If you have clicked Create Report, you are now in front of a blank report with just your data source. To learn what is each section of this page, check this short article.

We will create this dashboard so you can use it as a template for other accounts.

Choose your KPIs and display them:

For a Microsoft Ads account, we want to follow each step, from when your ads have been seen to when a customer purchases on your website, passing by your number of clicks and your percentage of people that visit your ads and click on them.

Here's the list of KPIs: 

• Spend -> Total budget
• Impression -> how many times do your ads appear on the screen
• Cost per Milles (CPM) -> What do 1000 ads on screen cost you?
• Clicks -> How many clicks on your ads?
• Click-through rate (CTR) -> Percent of people that click on your ads after seeing them.
• Cost per Click (CPC) -> What does a click cost you?
• Conversions -> Your number of purchases (or your number of results if you have a different objective).
• Cost per Conversion -> What does a conversion cost
• Conversion rate -> Percentage of people who click on your ads and then purchase (or a result action).
• Revenue -> Total money generated by your ads.
• Return on Ads Spends (ROAS) -> How many times you get your investment.

And here is how to display them (sometimes a gif is better than a long story) : 

Use tables to details campaigns, audiences, ads, or objectives:

Now, we want to add some breakdowns to our KPIs. That way, we can identify give more insight to our viewers.

To do so, create a new table and choose "Campaign Name" as the dimensions and add some metrics : 

You can do the same with the following dimensions :

• Ad Group Name
• Ad Title
• Goal

Do not hesitate to explore the fields in the right column. You can find more exciting dimensions that can help you present your results.

Creating a design:

You know how to display your information through charts. But your report must still be more beautiful, even with more cards or tables.

To create a visually pleasing dashboard, we will change the dimension and add a header, a square behind the cards, and colors on our table.

Change page's dimension  :

From the menu Theme and Layout, then Layout, search for the Canvas Size section and change the height to 2000 :

You now have enough place for all the tables.

Please note that you change the canvas dimension for all the reports in Theme and Layout. So if you add a new page, they will also have these dimensions.

But you can override this configuration in the Page -> Current Page Settings menu, then Style and Canvas Size. All settings chosen here will only apply to the current page.

Add a header

In Looker Studio, you can natively add two shapes: Rectangle and circle. It's easy to use : 

• Click on the Shape button (the square in the shortcut bar).
• Select your shape.
• Click anywhere in the report to add it.

We will start by adding a square at the top of the page, enlarge it to take the full width, and finally, change its color in the Style menu : 

Then create a new text field to give a title to your report :

You can also add images in PNG format, for example, your logo or clients logo:

Add a rectangle behind the cards:

You know how to add a rectangle. We will now add one behind the card. To do so, place a rectangle. Then Right Clicks on it. Then choose Order -> Send to back : 

Add color to the table header:

We will also change the table header. You can check on the Style tab for every component to modify the visual appearance.

Table is no exception. We can change the color of the header, the font size and color, the interline color, etc.

Tips: you can apply only the style of an element to the other: copy one component you want to re-use the style, the right clicks on other components, Paste Special -> Paste style only

Tips for building your design : 

Alignment tips: if you select multiple elements and right-click on them, you have three options that will become your best friends if you like when everything is pixel-perfect:

• Vertical Align: You can align two or more elements to the top, the bottom, or the middle of your selection.
• Horizontal Align: You can align two or more elements to the left, the right, or the center of your selection.
• Distribute: You can distribute evenly three or more elements vertically or horizontally. 

Shape tips: Looker Studio can only draw two shapes but will accept all PNG. You can use Google Draw to create forms that suit your needs and download them to PNG for your reports. 

Customizing your report:

There are multiple ways to customize your report. For example, you can filter your data by date or campaign or compare KPIs to a previous period.

And you can let your viewer play with dynamic filters to let him dig into the data.

Create a dynamic filter:

In the shortcut bar, click on Add a control. Then select the Drop-down list. Place it on the page and add the Campaign Name dimension.

Now, the viewer can filter the entire report by campaign name.

You can also use the Fixed-size list and the Advanced filter to have the same result with a different appearance.

Compare KPIs to a previous period:

On every component, you can find a section called Comparison date range. Looke Studio will compare the data to the previously selected period if you activate it.

To do so : 

Ready-to-go template

You'll find here a free Bing Ads template. If you copy it with our Microsoft Ads connector for Looker Studio, it is ready to go.

And if you need any help, please write to us on our chat. We will happily help you using Looker Studio and our services!

‍