PPC Dashboard Essentials: Key Metrics Every Agency Should Monitor Daily

Why monitor: Ensure profitability, track efficiency, optimize for ROI.

What to look for:

• ROAS above targets
• Stable or improving
• Profitable campaigns
• Efficiency maintained

Efficiency Metrics

Cost per click (CPC):

• Click costs
• Cost trends
• Efficiency indicators
• Budget impact

Why monitor: Track efficiency, identify cost issues, optimize bidding.

What to look for:

• CPC within normal range
• No sudden increases
• Competitive costs
• Efficient spending

Cost per acquisition (CPA):

• Acquisition costs
• Efficiency trends
• Profitability indicators
• Performance vs. targets

Why monitor: Ensure profitable acquisition, track efficiency, optimize costs.

What to look for:

• CPA below targets
• Stable or improving
• Profitable acquisition
• Efficiency maintained

Engagement Metrics

Click-through rate (CTR):

• Ad engagement
• Creative performance
• Audience relevance
• Performance indicator

Why monitor: Track engagement, identify creative issues, optimize relevance.

What to look for:

• CTR stable or improving
• No sudden drops
• Above benchmarks
• Good engagement

Impression share:

• Market coverage
• Budget sufficiency
• Competition level
• Opportunity identification

Why monitor: Understand market position, identify opportunities, optimize coverage.

What to look for:

• Sufficient impression share
• Opportunities to increase
• Budget adequate
• Competitive position

Dashboard Design Principles

Focus on Key Metrics

Prioritize essentials:

• Most important metrics first
• Quick-glance visibility
• Clear hierarchy
• Actionable data

Avoid clutter: Too many metrics reduces focus, prioritize what matters most.

Visual Design

Clear visualization:

• Charts and graphs
• Color coding
• Trend indicators
• Comparison views

Best practices:

• Use colors meaningfully
• Show trends clearly
• Make comparisons easy
• Highlight important data

Customization

Client-specific views:

• Customize per client
• Relevant metrics
• Client goals
• Industry benchmarks

Flexibility: Different clients need different metrics, customize accordingly.

Daily Monitoring Routine

Morning Check (5-10 minutes)

Quick scan:

• Overall performance
• Key metrics
• Alerts and issues
• Budget status

Focus: Identify urgent issues, check overnight performance, plan day.

Mid-Day Check (5 minutes)

Performance update:

• Current performance
• Budget pacing
• Any issues
• Quick adjustments

Focus: Stay current, catch midday issues, make quick fixes.

End of Day Review (10-15 minutes)

Comprehensive review:

• Full day performance
• Compare to targets
• Identify trends
• Plan next day

Focus: Understand daily performance, plan optimizations, prepare for next day.

Alert Setup

Critical Alerts

Set up alerts for:

• Budget thresholds (80%, 100%)
• Performance drops (CPA spikes, conversion drops)
• Campaign issues (paused, errors)
• Tracking problems (missing conversions)

Benefits: Immediate notification, quick response, prevent issues.

Performance Alerts

Set up alerts for:

• Significant performance changes
• Budget pacing issues
• Efficiency changes
• Delivery problems

Benefits: Early warning, proactive management, optimization opportunities.

Using Dashboard Data

Quick Decisions

Daily optimizations:

• Budget adjustments
• Campaign pausing
• Quick fixes
• Urgent optimizations

Use dashboard: Make quick decisions, respond to issues, optimize efficiently.

Trend Identification

Weekly trends:

• Performance patterns
• Seasonal trends
• Growth trajectories
• Decline indicators

Use dashboard: Identify trends, plan optimizations, strategic planning.

Client Communication

Client updates:

• Performance summaries
• Quick updates
• Issue notifications
• Proactive communication

Use dashboard: Stay informed, communicate proactively, build trust.

Common Dashboard Mistakes

Mistake 1: Too Many Metrics

Problem: Information overload, can't focus, missed important data.

Solution: Focus on essentials, prioritize key metrics, avoid clutter.

Mistake 2: Not Customizing

Problem: Generic dashboard, irrelevant metrics, missed insights.

Solution: Customize per client, focus on relevant metrics, align with goals.

Mistake 3: Not Setting Alerts

Problem: Miss issues, reactive management, problems escalate.

Solution: Set up alerts, monitor proactively, respond quickly.

Mistake 4: Ignoring Trends

Problem: Focus only on daily data, miss patterns, poor planning.

Solution: Review trends, identify patterns, plan strategically.

Best Practices

Regular Review

Make it routine:

• Daily checks
• Weekly deep dives
• Monthly analysis
• Quarterly strategic review

Consistency: Regular monitoring catches issues early and identifies opportunities.

Action-Oriented

Focus on actionable:

• Metrics that drive decisions
• Data you can act on
• Optimization opportunities
• Performance improvements

Avoid vanity metrics: Focus on metrics that drive action and improvement.

Documentation

Document insights:

• Performance notes
• Optimization decisions
• Trend observations
• Client updates

Benefits: Track decisions, learn from history, improve over time.

Conclusion

A well-designed PPC dashboard with the right metrics provides daily visibility into campaign performance. By:

• Focusing on essential metrics
• Monitoring daily
• Setting up alerts
• Using data for decisions
• Following best practices

You'll have dashboards that:

• Provide quick visibility
• Enable fast decisions
• Catch issues early
• Drive optimization

Remember, dashboards are tools for insight and action. Monitor regularly, focus on what matters, and use dashboard data to make better decisions and improve performance.

Ready to optimize your dashboard? Connect your accounts to our dashboard and see how comprehensive metrics and daily monitoring can help you manage campaigns more effectively and make better optimization decisions.