Google Ads Tips : How to Customize Your Dashboard

Google Ads provides a large amount of campaign data, but seeing every metric at once can make performance analysis confusing. A customised Google Ads dashboard helps digital marketers focus on the numbers that matter most for a business.

The right dashboard depends on the campaign objective. An ecommerce business may focus on purchases, conversion value and return on ad spend. A service-based company may focus on leads, cost per lead, qualified enquiries and booked appointments.

This guide explains how to create a custom Google Ads dashboard, which metrics to include and how to understand the results for product-based and service-based businesses.

What is a Google Ads Dashboard?

A Google Ads dashboard is a customised reporting space where you can view important campaign data in one place. It can include scorecards, charts, tables and notes.

Instead of opening different campaign screens, a marketer can use the dashboard to review spending, traffic, conversions and business results quickly. Google Ads allows users to create dashboards using selected performance data and reports.

A dashboard is useful when every metric helps answer a business question, not simply because it contains many metrics.

For example:

1. Are the campaigns spending within budget?
2. Are people clicking the advertisements?
3. Are users completing the desired action?
4. Which campaign generates the best return?
5. Are leads becoming genuine business enquiries?

Decide the Main Goal Before Creating the Dashboard

Start by defining the campaign’s main goal. The dashboard should be built around this goal.

For a product-based business, the main objective may be:

• Online purchases
• Revenue
• Product sales
• Shopping cart value
• Profitability
• Return on ad spend

For a service-based business, the objective may be:

• Contact form submissions
• Phone calls
• WhatsApp enquiries
• Appointment bookings
• Consultation requests
• Qualified leads
• Completed sales

Don’t judge a campaign by clicks or impressions alone. These metrics show activity, but they do not always show business success.

How to Create a Custom Google Ads Dashboard

Sign in to Google Ads and open the reporting or dashboard area. The exact menu names may change as Google updates the interface, but the basic process remains similar.

Step 1: Open the Dashboard Area

From the Google Ads account, open the reporting section and select the dashboard option. Choose to create a new dashboard.

Give the dashboard a clear, descriptive name, such as:

• Ecommerce Performance Dashboard
• Lead Generation Dashboard
• Monthly Google Ads Report
• Search Campaign Performance
• Product Sales Report

A clear name makes it easier for other team members to understand the purpose of the report.

Step 2: Add Scorecards

Scorecards provide a quick summary of important metrics. Add the main numbers that require regular monitoring.

Useful scorecards may include:

• Cost
• Clicks
• Impressions
• Conversions
• Conversion rate
• Cost per conversion
• Conversion value
• Conversion value per cost

Do not add every available scorecard. Choose the metrics that directly relate to the campaign objective.

Step 3: Add Performance Charts

Charts help you identify changes over time. A line chart can show whether conversions increased or decreased during a selected period.

You can create charts for:

• Daily campaign cost
• Weekly conversions
• Monthly conversion value
• Click-through rate
• Cost per lead
• Return on ad spend
• Performance by device

A chart is especially useful when comparing the current period with the previous month or the same period last year.

Step 4: Add Tables

Tables provide detailed information about campaigns, ad groups, products or search terms.

A campaign table can include:

• Campaign name
• Campaign type
• Budget
• Impressions
• Clicks
• Click-through rate
• Cost
• Conversions
• Cost per conversion
• Conversion value
• Conversion value per cost

You can also create separate tables for devices, locations, audiences and search terms.

Step 5: Add Notes

Notes help explain important changes in performance. For example, record when you increased the budget, redesigned a landing page, or launched a new offer.

Notes are useful when multiple people manage the same account. They provide context and prevent incorrect conclusions from being made from the numbers alone.

Key Google Ads Metrics and Their Value

1. Impressions

Impressions show how often an ad was displayed. High impressions indicate strong campaign visibility.

However, impressions do not confirm that users noticed or engaged with the advertisement. Review this metric alongside clicks and conversions.

2. Clicks

Clicks show how many times users interacted with an ad. They indicate interest in the message or offer.

A high number of clicks with very few conversions may indicate a problem with the landing page, targeting, offer or tracking setup.

3. Click-Through Rate

Click-Through Rate (CTR) shows the percentage of impressions that result in clicks.

The formula is:

CTR = Clicks ÷ Impressions × 100

A higher CTR can indicate that an ad is relevant to the audience. However, a strong CTR does not always mean that the campaign is profitable.

4. Cost

Cost shows how much the campaign has spent during the selected date range. It helps marketers compare actual spending with the planned budget.

Always review cost alongside conversions and revenue. Spending more is not automatically a problem if the campaign produces profitable results.

5. Conversions

Conversions are valuable actions users take after interacting with an ad. Examples include purchases, calls, forms, sign-ups and bookings.

Accurate conversion tracking is essential. If website visits are incorrectly counted as conversions, the dashboard will show unreliable results.

6. Conversion Rate

Conversion rate shows the percentage of ad interactions that result in conversions.

The formula is:

Conversion Rate = Conversions ÷ Clicks × 100

A low conversion rate may indicate issues with the audience, ad, or landing page.

7. Cost per Conversion

Cost per conversion shows the average amount spent to generate one conversion.

The formula is:

Cost per Conversion = Total Cost ÷ Total Conversions

For a service business, this metric is often called cost per lead. It should be compared with the value of a genuine customer, not only with the number of form submissions.

8. Conversion Value

Conversion value represents the financial value assigned to a conversion.

For an ecommerce campaign, the value may be the actual purchase revenue. For a service campaign, a business can assign an estimated value to a phone call, form submission or appointment.

For example, if a qualified lead is estimated to be worth AED 500, that amount can be used as the conversion value. The value should be based on business data whenever possible.

9. Return on Ad Spend

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) compares conversion value with advertising spend.

The formula is:

ROAS = Conversion Value ÷ Advertising Cost × 100

If a campaign spends AED 1,000 and generates AED 5,000 in tracked sales, the ROAS is 500%.

ROAS is especially important for product-based campaigns. Service businesses may also use it when lead values and final sales data are tracked accurately.

Dashboard Metrics for Product-Based Businesses

An ecommerce dashboard should focus on sales and financial performance.

Recommended metrics include:

• Purchases
• Total conversion value
• Conversion value per cost
• Average order value
• Cost per purchase
• Shopping campaign performance
• Product-level sales
• Cart and checkout conversions
• Revenue by device
• Revenue by location

The dashboard should answer questions such as:

1. Which products generate the most revenue?
2. Which campaign produces profitable sales?
3. Are mobile users completing purchases?
4. Which products receive clicks but no sales?
5. Is the cost of acquiring a customer increasing?

For product-based businesses, high traffic is useful only when it contributes to sales or measurable customer value.

Dashboard Metrics for Service-Based Businesses

A service dashboard should focus on enquiry quality and customer acquisition.

Recommended metrics include:

• Leads
• Qualified leads
• Phone calls
• Appointment bookings
• Cost per lead
• Cost per qualified lead
• Conversion rate
• Lead value
• Location performance
• Search terms
• Impression share

The business should separate primary conversions from smaller actions. For example, a brochure download may be useful, but it should not be treated as equal to a booked consultation.

Service businesses should also connect Google Ads with a CRM or sales process where possible. This helps identify which campaigns generate genuine enquiries and completed sales.

What Results Should You Expect to See?

A product-based dashboard usually shows:

• Product purchases
• Sales revenue
• Average order value
• Cost per purchase
• ROAS
• Best-performing products
• Revenue by campaign and device

A service-based dashboard usually shows:

• Total enquiries
• Qualified leads
• Calls and form submissions
• Cost per lead
• Appointment bookings
• Lead value
• Campaigns that generate sales opportunities

The results will depend on budget, competition, targeting, landing page quality, product demand, offer strength and conversion tracking. A dashboard does not improve campaign performance by itself. It helps marketers identify what needs attention.

Common Dashboard Mistakes

One common mistake is adding too many metrics. A crowded dashboard makes it difficult to identify the most important result.

Another mistake is measuring only impressions, clicks, and CTR. These numbers are useful, but they do not always represent revenue or business growth.

It is also risky to compare product and service campaigns using the same success criteria. An ecommerce campaign may be judged by ROAS, while a service campaign may require lead quality and offline sales data.

Finally, always check whether conversion tracking is working correctly before making optimisation decisions.

Learn Google Ads Through Practical Training

Creating a useful Google Ads dashboard requires more than knowing where to find metrics. Digital marketers must understand campaign objectives, conversion tracking, landing pages, audience behaviour and business value.

At GALTech School of Technology, learners study Google Ads, SEO, social media marketing and campaign reporting through practical digital marketing training. Working with real examples helps students understand how advertising data supports better marketing decisions.

A customised dashboard gives marketers a clearer view of performance. When the right metrics are connected to the right business goals, Google Ads data becomes easier to understand and act on.