How to create a Google Ads report in Report Editor, step by step

Two ways to get a report out of Google Ads

Google Ads gives you two practical routes. Report Editor builds a custom table or chart that you can save, reopen next month, and schedule by email. A statistics table, such as the Campaigns table, is quicker for a one-off export and has a built-in date comparison. Most monthly client reports use both: a saved Report Editor report for the main data and a compared Campaigns table for the change columns.

Build a custom report in Report Editor

1. In the left menu, select Campaigns, then Insights & reports, then Report editor.
2. Select Custom and choose a chart type: Table, Line, Column, Bar, Scatter, or Pie. For a client data table, choose Table. Choose Tree table if you want campaigns with their ad groups nested under them.
3. Drag a dimension, such as Campaign, from the panel on the right into the Row section. In charts the section is called X-Axis, Series, or Segment instead.
4. Drag metrics, such as Cost, Clicks, and Conversions, into the Columns section. In charts this section is called Y-Axis or Value.
5. To remove a dimension or metric, select the X next to its name. To change the chart type later, click the chart type name above the Row section.
6. Set the date range with the date selector in the upper right of the page.

Filter, sort, and format

• Filter the whole report: select the filter icon above the table or chart, choose what to include, then select Apply. To remove a table filter, select the filter icon in the column header, then Remove filter.
• Filter on one value: select the dropdown arrow next to an item, select Filter, then Apply. This is a quick way to exclude a test campaign.
• Sort a table: click the column header. Sort a chart: open the dropdown arrow and choose High to low or Low to high.
• Highlight numbers: open the dropdown arrow in the Row or Column section and choose Conditional formatting. It works on numeric metrics in tables only.

Save, download, and schedule

Two details matter for client work. Scheduled reports go to users of the account, so a client without access to the account cannot receive them this way. Reports for individual accounts run at 3 AM in the account time zone. Google also removes saved reports that nobody has opened for more than 18 months.

1. Select Save, or Save as to keep a copy under a new name. Saved reports appear on the Insights & reports page, and everyone with access to the account can see them. To see only your own, select the three-dot icon under Reports, then Show your reports only.
2. To download, select the download icon and choose a format. Google lists .csv and .xml among the options.
3. To schedule, select the email and schedule icon (a clock), choose one or more account users as recipients, choose how often it is sent, such as daily or weekly, choose the file format, and select Save.
4. To change a schedule, select the same clock icon, then the pencil icon, edit the settings, and select Save.

Add a period comparison in the Campaigns table

Google's Report Editor help describes a date range but not a comparison. For the change columns in a monthly report, use the Campaigns table:

1. Open Campaigns and select the Campaigns table.
2. Click the down arrow next to the date range in the upper right.
3. Turn on the toggle next to Compare.
4. Choose Previous period (the default), Previous year, or Custom. With Custom, set the comparison dates above the calendar.
5. Click Apply. The table now shows the percent change in each column.
6. Click the double arrows (< >) in a column header to expand it into four values: the current range, the previous range, the change, and the percent change.
7. Select the download icon above the table, then Download, and choose a format.

Choose columns and segments

In a statistics table, select the Columns icon above the table, then Modify columns. Check the columns you want, optionally enter a name in Save your column set, and click Apply. Impression share columns such as Search impr. share, Search lost IS (budget), and Search lost IS (rank) are under Competitive metrics.

To split rows by time or by conversion action, select the segment icon above the table and choose a segment. Under Time you can choose Day, Week, Month, Quarter, Year, Day of the week, or Hour of day. Under Conversions you can choose Conversion action. Choose None to remove a segment.

• Conversion segments only fill conversion columns such as Conversions, All conv., and Conversion value. Clicks, Impr., and Cost show “--” when a conversion segment is applied, so do not try to read cost per conversion by conversion action in the same view.
• Google notes that some segments are only available in a downloaded report.
• Time segments follow the account time zone.

A monthly campaign report recipe

This layout works for most lead generation and ecommerce accounts. Build it once in Report Editor and save it with the client's name and the word monthly. Add only the metrics the client's goal needs; a short scorecard is easier to read than every column Google offers.

Reports in a manager account

In a manager account, predefined reports in Report Editor add Account and Customer ID columns, and there is an Account report that lists each managed account. This is useful for a quick cross-account check. Keep accounts with different currencies in separate reports; adding their cost columns together gives a meaningless total.

Turn the export into a client report

A Google Ads export is raw material. A client needs the result, the reason, and the next step. Use this sequence:

1. Paste each export into its own raw tab and do not edit it. Name the file with the month and the date you pulled it, because conversions are dated by click and can still rise after you pull.
2. Recalculate account ratios from totals: total cost divided by total conversions, not an average of campaign rows.
3. Rename columns into the client's words, for example Cost / conv. becomes Cost per lead. Keep the Google name in the data notes.
4. Build the scorecard and the campaign change table, then write two or three findings.
5. Write the summary last, then run a pre-send check.

Where to go from here

Our monthly report template gives the sections and placeholder text. The reporting checklist lists the checks before you send. The monthly reporting workflow puts both into a calendar. If you are deciding whether to keep building reports by hand, the guide to Google Ads reporting software compares the options.

Sources

• Google Ads Help: About Report Editor
• Google Ads Help: Create and manage reports
• Google Ads Help: Compare and track your ads' performance over time
• Google Ads Help: Use segments in your tables