If you’re new to Google Data Studio, you’ve probably experienced blank page syndrome.

You connect your data source, open a new file, and you don’t know what to do next.

There are no instructions. No guide rails. Just you and an empty page to fill out.

And while you can start with a template (Google Data Studio Report Gallery has several), it’s still difficult to know how to customize it to suit your needs perfectly.

Here are some proven things to include in PPC dashboards and reports that will banish the white page syndrome and give your stakeholders the information they need.

1. Titles, subtitles and context

When you add a chart in Google Data Studio, you select the data source, dimensions, metrics, and date range from the data panel to populate your visualization.

But your reader doesn’t see the data panel and won’t know what your chart is about unless you take an extra step to include it in your dashboard.

The two graphs below show identical data visualizations. Figure A includes only the graphic, while Figure B includes written titles and context.

Figure A leaves questions in your reader’s mind that Figure B answers.

You can make your charts and tables easier to understand at a glance with these tips:

• Give your data visualizations a title.
• Use captions and microcopy for more context.
• Use captions.
• Indicate the date range if it is not included in the chart. (Note: The default “auto” date range is last 28 days.)
• If multiple data sources are used in your dashboard, specify which ones are used in specific charts.

How to do:

1. Add a text box and write your titles and descriptions.
2. This will open a “Text Properties” panel to change fonts, text size, and styling elements.

It’s worth the little manual effort needed to add a text box and include the context!

2. KPI Dashboards

You don’t need an article to tell you that your dashboard should include your key performance indicators (KPIs).

But while planning your dashboard, pay special attention to or to include them.

Your KPIs matter the most in your report and deserve to be displayed at the top of the list.

This means presenting your KPIs with dashboards like this:

Not like ulterior motives at the end of the table:

Not only do tables make it difficult to identify KPIs, but for languages ​​read from left to right, placing KPIs on the far right of the table tells your reader that these metrics are low priority.

Keep your reader focused on your key growth metrics like lead volume, revenue, or return on ad spend (ROAS), rather than vanity and traffic metrics like impressions and clicks.

How to do:

1. Use Graph > Dashboard.
2. In the “metrics” section of the data panel, add your KPI. Repeat as needed.
3. Control the format and size in the style panel.

Making KPIs appear in charts and other graphs is no problem, but give them extra attention by using dashboards.

3. Goal Pace

Some advertisers use fixed monthly or yearly marketing budgets with no possibility of adjustments.

Others have sales or efficiency goals they need to meet with flexible budgets.

Either way, your dashboard should answer the question:

Are we achieving our goals and how do we know it?

Account goals aren’t standardized, nor is the approach to including goal pacing in your dashboard.

Fortunately, Data Studio gives you plenty of options for adding goals and pacing, from creating a graph against a goal to adding a written description of the target.

Here are some examples of how you might anchor performance to a goal:

How to do:

1. Option: Add a header indicating the purpose
2. Option: Use a rhythm graph such as a chip or a gauge
3. Option: Add calculated field with progress towards goal (metric/target)

Including goal pacing gives your reader confidence in how to interpret performance data.

4. Historical trends and comparisons

Trends and historical comparisons let your reader know if things are improving – or need to be improved – over time.

Maybe you didn’t reach the goal, but you still miss it because it’s unrealistic.

You may have reached your goal, but you’re down from last year and need to take corrective action.

Do not make your reader wonder if the current performance is average, down or “best month ever”.

Instant comparisons (single metric)

Charts and dashboards give you an easy way to show your reader how performance for this period compares to another, using color-coded arrows to indicate the direction of change (delta).

How to do:

• Under “Date range”, select your comparison date range:
  • Fixed
  • Previous period
  • Last year
  • Advanced
• In the Style panel:
  • Control the color of the positive or negative change arrows
  • For scorecards only, you can choose to show absolute or percentage change and include a description of the previous period (comparison label).
  • You can also format scorecards to show YoY and MoM comparisons.

Line charts

You can get a complete picture of performance trends using time series charts.

Rather than just comparing this period to the last period, you have a full history revealing trends in seasonality, market impact, and more.

You can use a continuous time series chart (shown above) or designate a comparison period.

Here’s what that same data looks like as a year-over-year (YoY) time series chart. Note that the year of comparison will be displayed as a lighter shade of the line for this period:

Another way to display historical performance is to use a line chart that uses a time period as the breakdown dimension.

This line chart is from a report comparing CPCs before and during the Covid-19 pandemic:

How to do:

• To compare two time periods: Use a time series chart and select a comparison date range.
• To compare three or more time periods (shown here for years):
  • Select a line chart
  • Set the “Dimension” to Month
  • Set the “distribution dimension” to year
  • Set the “Sort” to Month
  • Set “Secondary Sort” to Year

Some important notes for historical trends and comparisons –

• Use them only for your KPIs or metrics that directly contribute to your KPIs. Don’t add a CTR trend chart just to include a trend chart.
• There is almost never a reason to show daily granularity in these charts. Zoomed in close, you’ll miss the signal from everyday noise. Look for trends in a monthly level.

5. Categorical tables

Alright, so the tables aren’t that glamorous.

But if your Data Studio dashboard doesn’t have a table, something is probably missing.

Why? Because there are times when your audience needs to compare multiple categories across multiple metrics. And nothing does it more effectively than a table.

Tables are great for comparing default categories such as:

• Campaigns
• Ad groups
• Key words
• Search terms
• Final URLs

And depending on the complexity of your PPC dashboard, you can create tables for:

• Engines and Platforms
• Channels and networks
• Funnels/intention/stages of awareness
• Brand vs non-brand
• Time Segment Pivots, Conversion Types, and Other Categories

How to do:

• Chart > Table (or pivot table)
• Dimension(s): the category(ies) you want to compare
• Metrics: your KPIs and associated metrics
• From the style panel, you can format your chart to include heatmaps, bars, and targets

It’s easy to create tables and add measurements, and it’s easy to get carried away. Use restraint and limit the number of measurements in your chart to keep it useful to your reader.

Bonus: Brilliant graphics

Our list narrowed us down to five categories, but here’s a bonus for getting to the end:

Brilliant graphics.

What are Brilliant Graphics?

Brilliant diagrams are visualizations that your audience loves and gets excited about, even if they’re not super actionable.

Your readers may not learn anything new, but they will feel like they learned something new.

Cards are a great example.

Many dataviz experts advise against using map graphics; there are better ways to communicate location data.

But try to find a customer or stakeholder who doesn’t like seeing performance data on a map. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Of course, it’s a bit counter-intuitive when trying to create an actionable dashboard. Maybe even a little controversial. And you don’t have to. But a graphic that makes your audience feel good just to see it has its own merit.

put it all together

While your Data Studio dashboard can technically include anything you want, at a minimum it should include:

• Title and context
• KPI Dashboards
• Goal pace
• Historical comparisons
• Categorical tables

These need not (and cannot) all be discrete sections. A dashboard can include a title, KPI, pace, and time comparison.

There are plenty of other charts and visualizations that can take your PPC dashboard from good to great. Starting with this list will set you up for success and give you a dashboard worth the time it took to build it.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About the Author

Amy Hebdon is a Google Ads conversion expert and the founder and CEO of Google Partner agency Paid Search Magic. Since 2004, she has managed Google Ads for clients ranging from the Fortune 10 to SMBs in agencies, in-house and freelance. His articles have appeared in Search Engine Journal, Unbounce, PPC Hero, Supermetrics, Copy Hackers and CXL. Along with her husband James, she also runs the Facebook group Google Ads for Savvy Digital Marketers.