How to arrange and view Google Ads columns for top level insights

If you’re a business owner with a Google Ads account the default columns you see when you open the account don’t always make much sense.

Today I’ll show you how I view columns and arrange columns to view top level metrics with little distractions.

This guide is aimed at those new to Google Ads. If you’re already an expert you should check out our in-depth guides on advanced PPC techniques.

Let's get started.

Editing columns in Google Ads

In this example, we’ll be looking at the campaign view or a lead generation PPC account.
You can click the little column icon above your campaign table and remove all current columns.

You can edit your column view by clicking this icon. This is also where you'll find saved views.

My go-to columns for a quick top level analysis

There are over 100 columns in Google Ads. Here are the essential columns I always include when I want top level performance data.

• Cost - I often arrange by cost so I'm looking at the most significant part of the account first.
• Cost per conversion - For lead generation accounts, this is critical as it tells me how efficient each campaign is.
• Conversions - The number of conversions generated.

Quick tip: For E-commerce accounts, I usually replace replace cost / conversion with conv. value / cost (ROAS) to see how big the return from each campaign. I also add conversion value to measure sales revenue. 

• Search impression share - One my favourites, this is an often unsung hero of the the PPC world. This metric tells what % of impression was reached, out of the total impression volume we are eligible to show for.
  In other words, we can use it to understand growth potential and which campaigns can be pushed to deliver more.
  For example, if our keywords have the potential to reach 10,000 impressions during a period and we reached all 10,000, we would have 100% search impression share. If we reached 5,000, we’ll have 50%. Makes sense?
• CPC (Cost Per Click) - The average cost per click.
• CTR (Click Through Rate) - This is a good indicator of the quality of our ads. A higher CTR is usually a good indicator that users find our ads appealing.
• Clicks - The number of clicks we received.
• Impressions - How many times our ads were shown.
• Conversion Rate - A north star metric for many advertisers. I usually prefer to look at cost/ conversion or Conversion value / cost for performance that’s tied to spend.
• Bid Strategy - I like to add this in the campaign view.

These top level metrics let you quickly glance at the account and optimise.

Saving your column set in Google Ads

Once you've selected all your columns, you can save them as a set. This’ll allow you to quickly access whenever needed:

1. Name your column set (I called mine "Demo")
2. Click "Save and apply".
3. If you’re editing an existing column set, you’ll be asked if you want to overwrite it.

Now whenever you click on the columns icon, you’ll find your saved set. You can also delete and edit column sets.

A focused column view

With this setup, we can view your campaigns. I recommend arranging by cost to focus on the campaign where most of your spend is going first. You can easily see how efficient each campaign is (cost/conv. or value/cost) , the number of conversions, and the search impression share for growth potential.

This view allows you to easily get a sense of what's happening in the account without too many distractions. You can quickly see what's working, what's not, and which elements should be adjusted up or down.

About Happy PPC

I hope you found this guide useful! If you need any help with your Google Ads campaign we offer full management, Google audits and training. Get in touch and we’ll be glad to help.

Odi Caspi - founder