In Google Ads, columns represent the various performance metrics that advertisers can track and analyze to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. These metrics include clicks, impressions, conversions, click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, and more. Columns help advertisers monitor the performance of their ads, ad groups, keywords, and other campaign elements, allowing them to assess their campaign’s success and identify areas for improvement.
Now, custom columns take this functionality to a whole new level. With custom columns, advertisers can create and define their own unique metrics tailored to their specific business needs. This allows them to gain deeper insights into their campaign’s performance beyond the standard metrics provided by default. Custom columns enable advertisers to focus on the key performance indicators (KPIs) that matter most to their business, giving them a more comprehensive understanding of their advertising efforts.
The benefits of using customized data through custom columns are manifold:
- Relevance: Custom columns allow advertisers to track metrics that align precisely with their business goals and objectives. This relevance helps them make more informed decisions about their advertising strategy.
- Flexibility: Advertisers have the flexibility to create custom metrics that may not be readily available in the default columns. This adaptability allows for a deeper analysis of campaign performance.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Custom columns provide data-driven insights that enable advertisers to optimize their advertising efforts based on real performance data, leading to more effective campaigns.
- Personalization: Advertisers can tailor their reporting to focus on the specific data points that are most meaningful to them, streamlining data analysis and reporting processes.
- Comparative Analysis: With custom columns, advertisers can easily compare different custom metrics side by side, facilitating better performance comparisons and informed decision-making.
Our agency’s most-used custom columns empower advertisers to have greater control over their data and make strategic decisions with confidence. In the upcoming sections, we will explore how to effectively use these powerful custom columns to optimize Google Ads campaigns. By leveraging these custom columns, advertisers can uncover valuable insights and elevate the performance of their campaigns to achieve their unique advertising goals. Let’s embark on this journey of maximizing campaign success through the world of custom columns in Google Ads!
How To Use Formulas in Google Ads Custom Columns
To access custom columns in Google Ads, go to the “Columns” menu and select “Modify columns” and then “Custom column”. Next, you will need to switch the interface to text mode in order to copy and paste the formulas from this article into the input field. Once you have pasted the formula, toggle back to visual mode to view and save your custom column.
Custom Formulas
Ideal Daily Budget
(Daily_Budget / Search_impr_share) * (Search_impr_share + Search_Lost_IS_budget)
What does it do? This code helps you estimate the maximum daily budget needed to achieve the highest possible impression share, taking into account both the current search impression share and the budget lost due to insufficient ad rank.
How does this help? By using this code, you can optimize your daily budget for better visibility and more impressions, which can lead to increased clicks, conversions, and revenue. It’s particularly useful when you want to maximize your ad exposure in competitive markets and ensure that your ads are seen by as many potential customers as possible.
How to use it. To use this code, first divide the daily budget by the search impression share, and then multiply the result by the sum of the search impression share and the search lost IS (budget) metric. The search lost IS (budget) metric measures the percentage of impressions that your ads lost due to insufficient budget, and can be found in the “Competitive metrics” tab of your Google Ads account. This will give you an estimate of the maximum daily budget needed to achieve the highest possible impression share, based on your current performance metrics.
Ideal Monthly Budget
((Daily_Budget * 30.4) / Search_impr_share) * (Search_impr_share + Search_Lost_IS_budget)
What does it do? This code allows you to estimate the ideal monthly budget required to achieve the highest possible impression share, while considering both your current search impression share and the budget lost due to insufficient ad rank.
How does this help? By using this code, you can optimize your daily budget for better visibility and more impressions, which can lead to increased clicks, conversions, and revenue. It’s particularly useful when you want to maximize your ad exposure in competitive markets and ensure that your ads are seen by as many potential customers as possible.
How to use it? To utilize this code effectively, divide your desired monthly budget by the search impression share. Then, multiply the result by the sum of the search impression share and the search lost IS (budget) metric. The search lost IS (budget) metric represents the percentage of impressions your ads missed due to budget constraints and can be found in the “Competitive metrics” tab of your Google Ads account. This calculation will provide you with an estimate of the optimal monthly budget needed to achieve the highest possible impression share, based on your current performance metrics.
Estimated Clicks
(Impr / Search_impr_share) * CTR
What does it do? This formula estimates the number of clicks you could receive based on your ad’s impressions and search impression share, while also taking into account the click-through rate (CTR).
How does this help? By utilizing this code, you can optimize your monthly budget to enhance visibility and increase impressions. This optimization can lead to higher click-through rates, improved conversions, and ultimately, higher revenue. It proves especially valuable in competitive markets, ensuring your ads reach a larger audience of potential customers.
How to create it. To use this formula, divide the impressions by the search impression share, and then multiply the result by the CTR. This will give you an estimate of the number of clicks you could receive based on your ad’s visibility and expected click-through rate.
Cost per Impression Share (CIS)
Avg_CPC / Search_impr_share
What does it do? This metric helps you determine the bid needed to achieve the maximum possible impression share, especially in competitive markets where reaching a 100% impression share may not be feasible.
How does this help? By using this metric, you can optimize your bids for better visibility and more impressions, and make data-driven decisions about how to allocate your budget for maximum impact. It’s particularly useful when estimated bids are not available for specific keywords.
How to create it. To create this metric, simply divide the average cost per click (CPC) by the search impression share. This will give you an estimate of the bid needed to achieve the highest possible impression share, based on the current performance of your ads.
Expected Conversion Value per Conversion
(((Impr/ Search_impr_share) * CTR) * Conversion_rate) * Conversion_value / Conversions
What does it do? This code estimates the value of a campaign based on several performance metrics, including impressions, impression share, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, conversion value, and total conversions.
How does this help? By using this code, you can gain insights into the estimated value of your campaign and make data-driven decisions about how to optimize your bids, budget, and other aspects of your advertising strategy. This can help you maximize the ROI of your campaigns and achieve your business goals more effectively.
How to use it. To use this code, first divide the impressions by the impression share, and then multiply the result by the CTR to estimate the number of clicks. Next, multiply the number of clicks by the conversion rate to estimate the number of conversions. Finally, multiply the number of conversions by the conversion value, and then divide the result by the total number of conversions (Conv). This will give you an estimate of the campaign’s value based on its performance metrics.
Lost Impr. Share Warning
IF(AND(OR(Search_Lost_IS_rank > 0, Display_Lost_IS_rank > 0), OR(Search_Lost_IS_budget > 0, Display_Lost_IS_budget > 0)), "Impr. Limited by rank and budget", IF(OR(Search_Lost_IS_rank > 0, Display_Lost_IS_rank > 0), "Impr. Limited by rank", IF(OR(Search_Lost_IS_budget > 0, Display_Lost_IS_budget > 0), "Impr. Limited by budget", "No limitations")))
What does it do? This custom column simplifies the process of comparing ad performance based on both click-through rates (CTRs) and conversion rates. It achieves this by creating a unified score, “Impression Conversion Rate,” which calculates the number of conversions per 100 impressions, considering both CTR and conversion rate.
How does this help? By utilizing this custom formula, you can quickly identify the primary reasons for lost impression share in your campaign. The formula provides informative messages for each scenario: “Impr. Limited by rank” when ad rank is the limiting factor, “Impr. limited by budget” when budget constraints are the issue, and “No lost impr. share due to budget” when there is no lost impression share due to budget limitations.
How to use it? To use this custom formula effectively, follow these steps:
- Examine the “Search_Lost_IS_rank” and “Display_Lost_IS_rank” metrics to assess if lost impression share is due to insufficient ad rank in the search and display networks, respectively.
- Analyze the “Search_Lost_IS_budget” and “Display_Lost_IS_budget” metrics to identify if lost impression share is caused by inadequate budget in the search and display networks, respectively.
- Based on the results, the custom formula will display one of the three messages mentioned above, indicating the specific reason for the lost impression share in your campaign.
Device Clicks Summary
concat("Mobile: ", to_text(Clicks.device(mobile)), " Desktop: ", to_text(Clicks.device(desktop)), " Tablet: ", to_text(Clicks.device(tablet)))
What does it do? The “Device Clicks Summary” formula combines the number of clicks from different device categories, namely mobile, desktop, and tablet, into a single concise summary.
How does this help? By using the “Device Clicks Summary” formula, you can quickly assess the distribution of clicks across various devices. This helps you understand the performance of your ads on different platforms and tailor your advertising strategy accordingly. It enables you to identify which devices are generating the most clicks and make data-driven decisions on how to optimize bids, budget allocation, and ad creatives.
How to use it? To use the “Device Clicks Summary” formula, follow these steps:
- Insert the formula into a custom column in your Google Ads account.
- Upon applying the formula, it will display a summary that combines the number of clicks for each device category (mobile, desktop, and tablet).
- Analyze the summary to understand the click distribution across devices and identify any significant discrepancies.
- Based on the insights gained, you can fine-tune your ad strategy to maximize clicks and overall campaign performance on various devices.
Conv. Cost Breakdown
Cost / (All_conversions.conversion_action("HIER JOUW CONVERSIONS"))Cost / (All_conversions.conversion_action("Mail Contact", "Download (whitepaper)", "Store visits", "Contact Form Submit- houseofbrands.media/contact/"))
What does it do? The “Conversion Cost Breakdown” formula calculates the cost per conversion for specific conversion actions, allowing you to analyze the cost-effectiveness of different actions individually.
How does this help? By using the “Conversion Cost Breakdown” formula, you can gain valuable insights into the performance of different conversion actions. It allows you to understand how much each specific action costs in terms of ad spend, helping you identify which actions are the most cost-effective and which may require adjustments in your advertising strategy.
How to use it? To use the “Conversion Cost Breakdown” formula, follow these steps:
- Insert the formula into a custom column in your Google Ads account.
- Replace “HIER JOUW CONVERSIONS” with the name(s) of the conversion action(s) you want to analyze (e.g., “Mail Contact,” “Download (whitepaper),” “Store visits,” “Contact Form Submit- houseofbrands.media/contact/”).
- Upon applying the formula, it will display the cost per conversion for each specified conversion action.
- Analyze the breakdown to identify which actions have a higher or lower cost per conversion.
- Based on the insights gained, you can optimize your ad spending to allocate more budget to the most cost-effective actions and improve the overall return on investment (ROI) of your campaigns.
By using the “Conversion Cost Breakdown” formula, you can gain a deeper understanding of your campaign’s performance for different conversion actions, allowing you to make informed decisions on budget allocation and advertising optimizations for better results.