Success in business usually comes down to goals, data, and delivery. A PPC report is no different. So, what then is a good PPC report? For starters, it is one that has it all: changes, account performance, and seasonal spikes.
Another deciding factor is the frequency. Campaign managers working in PPC agencies make these reports on an ongoing basis.
PPC report: What is it?
A PPC report provides clients with a complete and comprehensive review of their campaign performances. The aim is to offer detailed explanations along with demonstrations. It should include vital information along with data visualization, transforming the mere marketer into a sublime storyteller.
What does a Good Report Look Like?
As mentioned above, there are three factors – goals, data, and delivery. So let’s get to it, shall we?
Alignment of the Campaign Goals with Business Objectives
Goals that are clear and defined render efficiency in performance. They are your roadmap! The clearer, the better. The campaign goals are measured, tracked regularly, and presented to clients. Hence, the report must reflect the overall campaign and business objectives.
The PPC and the results go hand-in-hand. Statistics are easily trackable and computable for detailed analyses. Therefore, what matters is how you put forth the data and relate it to the brand goals. It is this presentation that proves the performance for the timeframe under review.
Let us say that the goal is to increase brand awareness for six months. In this regard, your report can include metrics such as impressions, clicks, and CTR (or click-through rate) for the period. If the goal is lead generation, it should mention cost per lead metric, for instance.
Measurable and Easy-to-understand Data
There is raw data, and then there is meaningful data. It is the latter that lays the foundation of good reporting. This is where the concept of KPIs or Key Performance Indicators comes into play.
By definition, a KPI is an indicator that helps measure performance. In terms of PPC, it lays down the parameters that help measure the success of your PPC campaign. With that said, the KPIs that your report can include are:
- Clicks: number of times online visitors click your ad
- Click-through rate: It measures the ratio of your ad clicks to impressions
- Average position: It determines how your ad ranks against the others
- Average cost per click (CPC): The average amount charged per click
- Conversion: The action or objective that someone performs after seeing your ad
- Conversion rate: It computes the percentage of site visitors that perform a specific action, such as form-filling
You’ll be happy to know that all this data is easily accessible and trackable from Adwords. All you got to do is see the Reports tab. Once there, head to View and then to Schedule / Format.
Then scroll down the drop-down list and edit the settings for the type of report and its frequency. Plus, you can also go for the bigger picture by including metrics such as quality score, budget attainment, and Return on Investment.
With omnichannel marketing becoming the need of the hour, you would want to run the search campaigns on both Google (via Adwords) and Bing, for example. And presenting these different streams of data can be a daunting task. So, make it a point to include the appropriate data points.
Create a Dashboard or an Executive Summary
More often than not, reports get passed to people with whom you do not directly interact. When preparing your PPC report, keep this assumption in mind.
Another point is that the report can also reach those who do not know and understand much about PPC metrics. For this reason, a dashboard or executive summary is crucial. If you write this section such that a layperson can grasp it, at least the basics, you have succeeded. So, make reading this part of the report a child’s play for the recipients.
The executive summary also serves a higher purpose. After all, it is a summary! The section should use all the information at first and put forth the gist of your PPC report. Information such as whether you have reached the client goals or not, the strategy used, highlights from prior reporting, and plans should be touched.
Segmentation of Performance Data by Intent
Not all the keywords help drive conversion – at least not directly. Speaking of which, talk about attribution modeling and the customer journey. Do not focus heavily on the last-clicked attributed conversions. Make it a point to account for all the campaigns, ad groups, and keywords.
Also, your report should include the steps in the customer journey. It should explicitly separate brand versus generic terms, including assisted conversions and revenue data, geolocations, and other features that render a fair judgment based on intent or expectation.
Good Presentation
Communication is vital as it can make or break your deal. Therefore, the presentation is no longer about downloading numbers into excel sheets. Google Adwords has in-built Scripts for Google Slides, using which you can curate charts and graphs. So, set expectations and explain the results and strategy.
Plus, the digital age calls for greater involvement. A basic statement can seem run-off-the-mill. This is where an interactive report comes to the rescue by stoking user engagement. The way around this is by using visual elements such as color schemes and formats. Also, implement Tooltips.
Another aspect of the presentation is contextual awareness. It reveals how different elements relate to each other. All the vital points should correlate consistently and logically. For this, use drill-down! This puts forth relevant and next-level information that helps effectively bring out your campaign story.
Going Forward
Thanks to tools and technologies, you can now automate your reports and use templates. These are all the rage now and likely to become game-changers for PPC campaigns.
