A Google Ads report that helps you make decisions shows how much each conversion that matters cost, where those conversions came from, which searches consumed the budget, and what was changed in the account during the period, with the reason for each change. Clicks, impressions and CTR are context, never results. If the agency’s report only shows charts going up and no decisions made, it is decorating the month, not reporting on it.
In Keyword Planner (October 2026, Brazil), “relatório google ads” and “relatorios google ads” each get 40 searches per month, with a top-of-page bid of up to R$23.18. “Relatorio google ads”, without the accent, also gets 40, with a bid of up to R$28.92. Judging by the searches, many people there want to understand the PDF they get from their agency.
This article is about the monthly deliverable. What to check before hiring is covered in what to ask your Google Ads specialist before signing, and the scope of the service in what Google Ads management includes.
What a Google Ads report needs to answer
Before looking at format and charts, ask the document three questions. How much did I spend to get each customer or lead? Did that cost get better or worse, and why? What did you change, and what will you change next month?
If the report doesn’t answer any of the three, it doesn’t matter how many pages it has.
The metrics that count, and the ones that only decorate
| Metric | Counts as a result? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Conversions (main column) | Yes | These are the actions that feed bidding |
| Cost per conversion | Yes | It’s the price of the result |
| Conversion value and ROAS | Yes, if the value is real | Shows return, not just volume |
| Search impression share | Strong context | Tells you whether there was more demand to buy |
| Search terms | Strong context | Shows which searches the money was spent on |
| Clicks and CPC | Context | Goes up and down without saying whether it sold |
| Impressions and CTR | Context | Useful for diagnosing ads, not for measuring the business |
| All conversions | Watch out | Mixes in secondary actions that aren’t sales |
Conversions or All conversions
This is the most common trap. Google’s page on All conversions explains that the Conversions column includes only primary actions, the ones used for bidding. The All conversions column also adds secondary actions and other sources.
If the agency reports All conversions and that includes WhatsApp clicks, page visits and scrolling, the number looks good and doesn’t pay the bills. Ask the report to state which conversion action is being counted, by name.
And check that the primary conversion is the one that generates revenue. The guide to conversion value in Google Ads shows why sending real value changes what bidding chases.
Search impression share
Impression share is the share of impressions your ads received out of the total they could have received. Google says it helps you see whether raising your bid or budget could reach more people.
In the report, it answers a question owners always ask: if I put in more money, will I get more customers? With a high share, there is little room to grow on that search. With a low share and a good cost per conversion, there is.
Search terms
The search terms report shows the actual searches that triggered your ad and generated an impression and a click. That is where you see the money spent on people looking for a job, a course or a competitor.
A serious monthly report includes at least the searches that spent the most without converting and what was done about them, such as adding negative keywords or adjusting the match type.
What was done in the account, with proof
Many agencies describe work that doesn’t show up in the account. Google Ads keeps a change history for the last 2 years, with the User column showing the email of whoever made each change in the interface. Automatic changes by Google appear under system names.
This allows a simple check. If the report says weekly optimizations were made, the month’s history should show changes on scattered dates, made by the agency’s email. If all you see is Google Ads System, the algorithm did the work.
The changes section of the report should include, for each relevant change:
- what was changed (negative keyword, budget, bid, new ad);
- the reason, tied to a number from the month;
- what you expect to see in the next period.
What is just decoration in a Google Ads report
Some elements take up space and don’t help you decide anything.
- A chart of rising impressions with no conversions next to it.
- High CTR presented as a win on its own.
- A whole glossary page explaining what a click is.
- Comparison with a market average without a source.
- An optimization score of 100% as proof of good work. According to the official optimization score page, it changes when you apply or dismiss Google’s recommendations, so it says little about sales.
- Conversions from micro-actions added to sales without separating them.
None of this is forbidden. The problem is when it takes the place of cost per result and decisions.
How to build or demand the right report
You can ask your agency for this or build it yourself inside Google Ads. The Report Editor is under Campaigns, Insights and reports. It builds tables and line, column, bar, scatter and pie charts, downloads as CSV and XML, and schedules email delivery to account users, daily or weekly, for example. The report must be saved before it can be scheduled.
An outline that works for most service businesses:
- One-sentence summary: was the month better or worse, and why.
- Main conversions, cost per conversion and spend, compared with the previous month.
- Breakdown by campaign, showing where the budget paid off and where it didn’t.
- Impression share for the main campaigns.
- The search terms that spent the most without converting and what was done.
- List of the month’s changes with the reason for each.
- Next month’s plan, with what will be tested.
If you have a CRM, the report can go beyond the lead and show closed sales by campaign. This is the kind of cross-reference that the Google Ads conversion integration with your CRM solves, because Google starts learning from the lead that bought, not from any form submission.
Red flags in the agency’s report
Some patterns suggest it’s worth asking for access to the account and checking for yourself.
The report changes metrics every month, depending on what looked good. The agency doesn’t give you read access to the account, or the account is in its name. The number of conversions in the report doesn’t match what you see in your CRM or on WhatsApp. The changes described don’t appear in the account’s history.
If Google Ads is producing little despite an optimistic report, the guide Google Ads isn’t converting helps you find the cause.
Frequently asked questions
How do I pull a Google Ads report? Use the Report Editor, under Campaigns, Insights and reports. You choose the columns, build the table or chart, save it, and download it as CSV or schedule delivery by email.
What is the difference between Conversions and All conversions? Conversions includes only the primary actions, the ones used for bidding. All conversions also includes secondary actions and other sources, according to the Google Help Center.
How often should the agency send a report? Monthly is the most common for the full document. High-budget accounts usually get a shorter weekly check-in. What matters is that the report brings decisions, not how often it arrives.
How do I know if the agency touched the account? Open the change history. It keeps the last 2 years and shows the email of whoever made each change in the interface.
Does a high optimization score mean a good account? Not necessarily. Google defines it as an estimate of account performance, and it goes up when recommendations are applied or dismissed. An account can have a high score and a bad cost per customer.
The report that comes with decisions
At Ciclicko, the monthly report opens with the cost per main conversion and ends with next month’s plan, with the changes made and the reason for each. The account stays in the client’s name, and any number in the PDF can be checked inside it. See how Google Ads management works.
If you want to show the report you get today and hear a second opinion, send it on WhatsApp.