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Improving PPC Ad Performance with Reports

When it comes to ad performance, there are several ways you can tackle optimization. One way that often gets ignored is utilizing reports to analyze data. I’ve been known to forget this tactic, and simply leave it to the interface or other platforms to determine what’s effective in my campaigns. However, it’s important to take a closer look at what we can learn from reporting – so let’s dig in!

In order to build a robust foundation for creating ad copy variations, use the searcher goals data for each category to fill out the “Relevant Messaging in Ads and Landing Page” and “Key Points to Cover” columns. This will enable you to identify how to gain attention and convince users of your product once you are familiar with their intent. You can also use this analysis for a variety of other things such as keyword ideas, competitor intelligence by category, and historical data to see how performance has changed over time. It’s best to review reports like this at least monthly in order to keep your account on its toes, and make sure the optimizations you are making are effective.

Automated Reports

Automated reports are another great way to view data with minimal effort. We suggest running automated reports every 90 days, also known as the maturity phase, so you have enough information to evaluate performance. It’s very easy to set up automated reports in Adwords – all you have to do is create the desired automated report, have it sent to your e-mail, and save the spreadsheet. From there on, you’ll be able to fix the underperforming ads (or completely pausing them) and make the necessary changes.

For example, say you want to run an automated report to notify you when ads have been disapproved. Rather than accidentally bumping into a disapproved ad, which is absolutely not ideal, you can make Adwords do the dirty work for you. Simply set up an automated rule to send an email for disapproved ads, modify your requirements, specify your frequency, and you’re all set. Since it’s so important to make sure your ads are running at all times, we like to set this rule to run on a weekly basis – but you can adjust to your liking. Automation is great for PPC management, regardless of how hands-on or hands-off you like to be. Automated rules are easy to control, test, and preview, and they are a great free alternative to costly 3rd party tools.

Customized Statistic Tables

You can also find ad performance by customizing statistic tables in your account by using columns, segments, and filters. Once this information has been set up the way you want it, you can download these reports in the desired format and save it. You can also set up these reports to run at certain times and have them scheduled to be sent to you via e-mail. These are great in terms of convenience, saving time, and keeping tabs on your account.

In order to drill down specifically to see ad copy data, you’ll have to customize your performance data. You can adjust date ranges, columns, segments, filters, and graphs to see what interests you. Thinking about your Adwords goals, pull the statistics that are most relevant to you. For most cases, conversions, phone calls, and click-through rates are a good way to evaluate if an ad is performing up to par. If there are other aspects of your business that need to be highlighted, you can add those in as well.

Apply Filters to Performance Data

Another great way to deem ad copy successful or unsuccessful is to apply filters to your performance data. The purpose of this would be to find the data that’s most important to you. Once you develop a filter, you can save it for easy access. Filters can help you identify issues that are negatively affecting your account, and allow you to take action as soon as possible. You can set up filters in the “ads” column to show you everything from disapproved ads to underperforming ads with click-through rates that are less than 1%. Think of filters as a helpful shortcut to save you time and energy – quickly see the desired statistics and decide the appropriate course of action.

Choose Columns

You can also use columns to find specific performance data to provide information about your account. Column choices change based on which statistic table and tab you’re seeing. You’re able to choose the columns you’d like to see – in this case, it’d be ads – rearrange them, and save them in the order that’s to your liking. That way you have access to the data that’s vital to a particular business and it’s readily available in your statistics table. Quick pointer: If you’re wondering if there are any ad-related features specific to one column, it’s ad type. This column enables you to view which type of ad you’re running, whether it’s text, image, mobile, or video. This is helpful when you’re doing you’re doing a quick glance of the account.

Use Segments

You can also use segments to view performance data. PPC managers use segments to split data into rows based on what matters most to them. For example, periods of time, click type, or device. You’re also able to assign conversion data to ads under segments, which is always helpful.

So there you have it, our tips for using reports to evaluate data and bettering ad performance. Do you have any reports you like to run for ad performance improvement? Let us know!