Short answer: report Google Ads by campaign type, not as one blended block. Search is about intent and share of demand; Shopping and Performance Max are about conversion value and return; YouTube and Demand Gen are about reach and assisted results. Start with the business result (conversions, cost per conversion, conversion value), then give each campaign type the two or three metrics that explain it.
Why one table does not work
A brand search campaign and a YouTube awareness campaign can sit in the same account. One might show a very high return because it captures people already looking for the brand; the other might show few direct conversions while doing its job. Averaging them into one ROAS tells the client nothing. Split the report by campaign type, and separate brand from non-brand search.
Search campaigns
Search is where Google is easiest to explain: someone typed a query, saw your ad and clicked.
- Lead with: conversions, cost per conversion, conversion value and ROAS (for ecommerce).
- Explain with: clicks, CTR, average CPC, conversion rate.
- Search impression share, plus the share lost to budget and the share lost to rank. This answers the client's favourite question, "could we get more if we spent more?"
- Top search terms: five that converted well and any irrelevant ones you excluded. Clients find real search terms more convincing than any chart.
- Brand and non-brand separately. Brand campaigns usually have a far lower cost per conversion. Mixing them hides how new customer acquisition is really doing.
Performance Max
Performance Max (PMax) runs across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps from one campaign, and Google decides the mix. It gives less detail than Search, though Google has added more reporting over time, including views by channel and search term insights.
- Lead with: conversions, cost per conversion, conversion value and ROAS against target.
- Explain with: asset group performance, the channel breakdown where available, and the top search categories or terms.
- Be clear about brand traffic. PMax can pick up brand searches. If the account uses brand exclusions, say so; if not, mention that some results may come from people already searching for the brand.
Shopping
- Lead with: conversion value, ROAS, cost per conversion.
- Explain with: best and worst products by return, products with spend but no sales, and click share or impression share where relevant.
- Product-level tables are where Shopping reports earn their keep: the client can act on "these five products drove most revenue; these eight spent with no sales".
YouTube and Demand Gen
These campaigns create demand rather than capture it, so judging them only on last-click conversions undersells them.
- Lead with: the goal they were set up for: reach and frequency, views and cost per view, or conversions for action-focused campaigns.
- Explain with: view rate, average watch time, and the video quartiles (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%).
- Show assisted impact: branded search volume, direct traffic and overall sales trend during the flight. Present this as context, not proof.
Conversion columns to get right
Google Ads has several conversion columns, and mixing them up is the most common reason a client's numbers do not match.
| Column | What it means |
|---|---|
| Conversions | Primary conversion actions only, the ones used for bidding. Usually the right column for reports. |
| All conversions | Primary and secondary actions, plus some other types. Useful for analysis, confusing in client reports. |
| View-through conversions | Conversions after an ad impression without a click (Display and video). Show separately. |
| Conversions (by conv. time) | Counted on the day the conversion happened, instead of the day of the ad click. Closer to what the client's store shows for a given day. |
Google Ads reports conversions against the date of the click by default, which is one reason recent days keep updating and why Google Ads and GA4 disagree. We cover the same issue for Meta in why Meta Ads and GA4 never match.
A simple layout
Google Ads, October. Total: spend, conversions, cost per conversion, conversion value, ROAS (vs last month and target).
Search (non-brand): results, impression share lost to budget, top terms.
Search (brand): results, kept separate.
Performance Max / Shopping: results, top and bottom products or asset groups.
YouTube: reach, view rate, quartiles, branded search trend.
Next: three actions for next month.
Adsorra connects Google Ads through Google's official login with read-only reporting access and puts it next to Meta, TikTok and four other platforms in one client report. See Google Ads reporting, or browse the report templates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Conversions and All conversions in Google Ads?
Conversions only includes conversion actions set as primary for bidding. All conversions also includes secondary actions and some other types, such as cross-device and store visits where available. Report the Conversions column unless the client has a reason to see all actions.
Should I show impression share to clients?
For Search campaigns, yes, briefly. It shows how much more of the available demand the client could capture, and whether budget or ad rank is the limit.
How do I report Performance Max when Google hides details?
Lead with conversions, cost per conversion and conversion value. Then add the channel and asset group views Google provides, and the search themes or terms it shows, as supporting context.