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Free Google Ads Report Template for Monthly Client Reporting

A structured Google Ads report template that covers spend, campaign performance, keyword analysis, ad copy testing, conversion data, and actionable recommendations. Used by our PPC team for every client engagement.

Last updated: March 2026 · Reading time: 10 min

Contents

Overview

What should a Google Ads report include?

A Google Ads report should answer three questions: where did the money go, what did it produce, and what should change next month. Most reporting templates fail because they dump raw data without context. This template structures your report into 8 sections that tell a story, from high-level spend to granular keyword performance to clear next steps.

Google Ads report: A monthly document that summarizes ad spend, campaign results, keyword and ad performance, conversion data, and specific recommendations for the next period.

We’ve refined this template across 150+ monthly client reports since 2022. Each section includes the specific metrics to include, how to present them, and what commentary to add. The goal is a report that a CMO can scan in 5 minutes and a PPC specialist can act on immediately.

Section	Purpose	Key Metrics	Time to Complete
Spend Summary	Budget accountability	Spend, Budget, Pacing	10 min
Campaign Performance	What’s working/not	Clicks, CTR, CPC, Conv, CPA	20 min
Keyword Performance	Search intent analysis	Top/bottom keywords by CPA	25 min
Ad Copy Performance	Creative testing results	CTR by headline, QS	15 min
Conversion Data	Business outcomes	Conversions, CPA, ROAS, Revenue	15 min
Quality Score Trends	Account health	QS distribution, changes	10 min
Search Terms	Waste identification	Irrelevant terms, new opportunities	20 min
Recommendations	Next month’s plan	Prioritized action items	30 min

Total build time for a monthly report using this template: about 2.5 hours. That’s for a mid-size account with 10-20 campaigns. If you connect it to Looker Studio, the data sections auto-populate and you spend most of your time on analysis and recommendations.

Section 1

How should you present the spend summary?

The spend summary is the first thing your client or manager reads. It answers: did we stay on budget, and what did we get for it? Lead with three numbers: total spend, total conversions, and blended CPA. Then show month-over-month and year-over-year comparisons. Here’s what to include in this section:

Total spend vs. budget: Actual spend, approved budget, and pacing percentage (e.g., “92% of $15,000 budget utilized”)
Month-over-month change: Spend delta in dollars and percentage. Explain any variance above 10%.
Spend by campaign type: Search, Display, Shopping/PMax, Video. Pie chart works well here.
Spend by network: Google Search vs. Search Partners vs. Display Network. This catches accidental Search Partner spend.

A common reporting mistake: showing spend in isolation. Always pair spend with outcomes. “$12,000 spent” means nothing. “$12,000 spent, 240 leads generated at $50 CPA” tells the full story. According to a 2024 Databox survey of 300+ agencies, 68% of clients say they value context over raw data in reports.

Section 2

What campaign metrics matter most in a monthly report?

Campaign-level reporting should rank campaigns by their primary KPI, not alphabetically. If you’re running lead gen, sort by CPA. If ecommerce, sort by ROAS. The top-performing and bottom-performing campaigns should be instantly visible. Your campaign performance table should include these columns:

Campaign name
Impressions and impression share
Clicks and CTR
Average CPC
Conversions and conversion rate
Cost per conversion (CPA)
ROAS (if ecommerce)
Month-over-month change in CPA or ROAS

Add a traffic light system. Green for campaigns beating target CPA by 10%+, yellow for within target, red for 20%+ above target. Visual signals help stakeholders who skim reports. In our experience, adding color coding reduced follow-up questions from clients by roughly 40%. Don’t forget Performance Max campaigns. They blend Search, Display, Shopping, YouTube, Gmail, and Discovery. Break out PMax results separately and note that Google provides limited visibility into which asset groups and channels drive performance. This transparency builds client trust.

Section 3

How should you report on keyword performance?

Don’t list every keyword. A 500-keyword table helps nobody. Instead, present two focused lists: the top 10 keywords by conversions and the bottom 10 keywords by spend with zero conversions. This framing immediately shows what’s driving results and what’s wasting money. For the top keywords table, include: keyword, match type, impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, conversions, CPA, and Quality Score. For the bottom keywords list, include: keyword, spend, clicks, and a recommended action (pause, adjust bid, or improve landing page).

Keyword performance analysis: A review of individual keyword metrics to identify which search terms drive conversions and which consume budget without producing results.

Add a section on match type performance. Google’s broad match algorithm has improved significantly since 2023, but performance still varies. Show CPA by match type (exact vs. phrase vs. broad) so stakeholders can see whether the shift to broad match is paying off or costing more. In accounts we manage, broad match CPA is typically 15-30% higher than exact match, but delivers 2-3x the volume.

Section 4

What ad copy metrics should you track monthly?

Ad copy reporting tells you which messages resonate with your audience. With RSAs, Google rotates 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, making it harder to test systematically. Focus on three things: headline-level performance, ad strength ratings, and creative test results. Google’s Asset Performance report labels each headline and description as “Best,” “Good,” “Low,” or “Learning.” Report the distribution of these ratings across all ads. If 60%+ of your headlines are rated “Low,” your creative needs an overhaul. Include a creative testing log. What headlines were tested this month? What was the hypothesis? What were the results? This prevents the same tests from being repeated and creates a knowledge base for future campaigns. Track ad-level CTR over time. According to Google’s 2024 best practices guide, an RSA with all 15 headlines filled gets 10-15% more clicks than one with 8 headlines. If you’re running multiple ad variations in the same ad group, call out the winner and recommend pausing the loser. Don’t let underperforming ads run indefinitely. A 30-day test period with statistical significance is enough for most ad groups getting 1,000+ impressions per week.

Section 5

How do you present conversion data clearly?

Conversion data is the section that justifies the ad spend. Lead with the business outcome: total conversions, cost per conversion, and conversion rate. If you’re tracking revenue, add ROAS and revenue figures. Our ROAS calculator can help you model different spend scenarios. Break conversions down by:

Conversion action: Form submissions, phone calls, purchases, demo requests. Not all conversions are equal.
Campaign: Which campaigns drive the most and cheapest conversions.
Device: Mobile vs. desktop conversion rates often differ by 30-50%.
Day of week: Identifies patterns (B2B often peaks Tuesday-Thursday).

Include a conversion lag analysis. Google Ads attributes conversions to the click date, not the conversion date. A lead that clicked on March 1 and converted on March 15 shows up in March 1’s data. This means recent data is always undercounted. Note the conversion window and flag that the last 7-14 days of data will increase as late conversions come in.

Section 6

Why should Quality Score trends be in every report?

Quality Score (QS) directly impacts your CPC and ad position. Google uses QS components (expected CTR, ad relevance, landing page experience) to calculate your Ad Rank. A QS improvement from 5 to 7 on a keyword can reduce CPC by 28%, based on Google’s Ad Rank formula. Report QS as a distribution, not an average. Show: what percentage of keywords have QS 8-10 (strong), 5-7 (average), and 1-4 (weak). Track this distribution month over month to see if account health is improving. For keywords with QS below 5, include the specific sub-score that’s dragging it down (expected CTR, ad relevance, or landing page experience). This tells you exactly what to fix. If expected CTR is “Below Average,” the ad copy needs work. If landing page experience is the issue, the fix is on the website, not in Google Ads.

Section 7

What should the search terms analysis include?

The search terms section catches money leaks that keyword-level reporting misses. Search terms are the actual queries users typed. They often don’t match your keywords, especially with broad match. Google’s 2024 transparency report revealed that the average Search campaign shows ads for 3-5x more unique search terms than it has keywords. Include three lists in your report:

Top converting search terms: Queries that drove conversions. These confirm your keyword strategy is working.
Wasted spend terms: Queries with $50+ spend and zero conversions. Add these as negatives immediately.
New opportunities: Relevant queries you’re matching on but don’t have as explicit keywords. Add these as exact or phrase match keywords to improve control.

Use our negative keyword list as a baseline, then layer on account-specific negatives from this analysis every month. We’ve seen accounts cut wasted spend by 15-25% in the first 60 days just from consistent search term reviews.

Section 8

How do you write actionable PPC recommendations?

The recommendations section is what separates a data dump from a report. Each recommendation should follow this format: observation (what the data shows), implication (why it matters), and action (what to do about it, with a timeline). Structure your recommendations as a prioritized list. We use a simple framework:

Priority 1 (do this week): Items affecting conversion tracking, major budget waste, or broken landing pages
Priority 2 (do this month): Bid strategy changes, keyword expansion/pruning, ad copy tests
Priority 3 (next month): Audience testing, landing page redesigns, new campaign launches

Limit recommendations to 5-8 per month. More than that overwhelms the reader and nothing gets done. Each recommendation should include an estimated impact. “Add 35 negative keywords from search terms analysis. Estimated savings: $800-1,200/month based on current wasted spend data.”

“The report isn’t the deliverable. The insight is the deliverable. We’ve seen agencies send 40-page reports where the client reads the first page and the last page. Our template is 6-8 pages because every section earns its space. If a section doesn’t change a decision, cut it.”
Hardik Shah, Founder of ScaleGrowth.Digital

Setup

How do you set up this Google Ads report template?

Getting started takes about 30 minutes. Here’s the setup process:

Download the template. It’s a Google Sheets file with 8 pre-formatted tabs matching the sections above.
Connect your data source. If you use Looker Studio, link the template tabs to your Google Ads data connector. If you report manually, export data from Google Ads and paste into the corresponding tabs.
Customize the KPIs. Swap in your target CPA, ROAS goal, and budget. The template auto-calculates variance against these targets.
Set the reporting cadence. We recommend monthly reports delivered within 5 business days of month-end. Set up a reminder.
Add your branding. Replace the logo placeholder and adjust colors to match your brand or client’s brand.

For automated reporting, connect this to Looker Studio with a Google Ads data connector. The dashboard auto-refreshes daily, and you can schedule PDF exports to stakeholders on the 3rd of each month. This cuts manual reporting time from 2.5 hours to 45 minutes (just analysis and recommendations).

Download the Google Ads Report Template

Get the full 8-section Google Sheets template with pre-built formulas, conditional formatting, and a client-ready layout. Download Free Template →

Google Ads Audit Checklist

38-point checklist for auditing account structure, keywords, ads, bidding, and tracking.

Looker Studio PPC Dashboard

Pre-built dashboard template that connects directly to Google Ads for real-time reporting.

ROAS Calculator

Calculate return on ad spend instantly with our free ROAS calculator.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What metrics should be in a Google Ads report?

A complete Google Ads report includes: total spend vs. budget, campaign-level metrics (impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, conversions, CPA), keyword performance (top and bottom performers), ad copy test results, Quality Score trends, search terms analysis, and 5-8 prioritized recommendations. The specific primary KPI depends on your goal: CPA for lead gen, ROAS for ecommerce.

How often should you send Google Ads reports?

Monthly is standard for most accounts. Deliver reports within 5 business days of month-end to account for conversion lag (conversions attributed to clicks in the last 7-14 days of the month may not have registered yet). For accounts spending over $50K/month, add a weekly performance snapshot covering spend pacing and conversion trends.

Should I use Looker Studio or Google Sheets for Google Ads reporting?

Use both. Looker Studio is better for real-time dashboards that stakeholders can check anytime. Google Sheets is better for the monthly report because it lets you add commentary, analysis, and recommendations alongside the data. The combination gives stakeholders self-serve access plus monthly strategic context.

How long should a Google Ads report be?

6-8 pages for a mid-size account ($10K-50K/month). Each section should fit on one page. If your report exceeds 10 pages, you’re including data that doesn’t change decisions. Cut it. Executives read the summary and recommendations. PPC managers read the keyword and search terms sections. Structure accordingly.