Google Ads: what you paid, what you got.
The Ads dataset is a ledger: every row is money out and outcomes in. These are the fields a PPC report is built on, with the API names your calculated fields will need.
- Fields
- 26
- Data source
- Google Ads
- Names
- Standard API
See them live in the Google Ads Dashboard for Data Studio.
Delivery metrics
| Field | API name | Type | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Impressions | metrics.impressions | metric | How many times an ad was shown, on any network. |
| Clicks | metrics.clicks | metric | Clicks on the ad; for Search, roughly a visit. |
| CTR | metrics.ctr | metric | Clicks divided by impressions; the first read on ad relevance. |
| Avg. CPM | metrics.average_cpm | metric | Average cost per thousand impressions; the price of being seen. |
| Avg. CPC | metrics.average_cpc | metric | Cost divided by clicks; the price of a visit. |
Cost and conversion metrics
| Field | API name | Type | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | metrics.cost_micros | metric | Total spend in the account currency (the API returns micros: divide by 1,000,000). |
| Conversions | metrics.conversions | metric | Conversion actions counted, weighted by the action’s counting setting. |
| Conv. rate | metrics.conversions_from_interactions_rate | metric | Conversions divided by interactions (clicks, for most campaigns). |
| Cost / conv. | metrics.cost_per_conversion | metric | Cost divided by conversions: what one result cost. |
| Conv. value | metrics.conversions_value | metric | Value assigned to the conversions, as set on each action or passed from the site. |
| ROAS | conversions_value / cost | metric | Conversion value divided by cost; a calculated field, not an API metric. |
| Search impression share | metrics.search_impression_share | metric | Impressions received as a share of the impressions the ad was eligible for on Search. |
Campaign dimensions
| Field | API name | Type | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign | campaign.name | dimension | The campaign name; the key that joins Ads cost to GA4 outcomes through utm_campaign. |
| Campaign status | campaign.status | dimension | Enabled, paused or removed; reports usually filter to enabled. |
| Campaign type | campaign.advertising_channel_type | dimension | Search, Display, Video, Shopping, Performance Max; the split every budget review starts with. |
| Ad group | ad_group.name | dimension | The ad group inside the campaign; where keywords and ads live. |
| Network | segments.ad_network_type | dimension | Search, Search partners, Display or YouTube: where the impression happened. |
Keyword and audience dimensions
| Field | API name | Type | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search keyword | ad_group_criterion.keyword.text | dimension | The keyword you bid on, as written in the ad group. |
| Match type | ad_group_criterion.keyword.match_type | dimension | Broad, phrase or exact: how loosely the keyword may match a search. |
| Search term | search_term_view.search_term | dimension | What the user actually typed that triggered the ad; often different from the keyword. |
| Device | segments.device | dimension | Desktop, mobile, tablet or TV screen. |
| Region | geographic_view.region | dimension | Region or state of the user, as targeted or as located. |
| City | geographic_view.city | dimension | City of the user; the pivot of the location page. |
| Age | ad_group_criterion.age_range.type | dimension | Age range of the user, in Google’s brackets (18-24 to 65+). |
| Gender | ad_group_criterion.gender.type | dimension | Female, male or undetermined. |
| Date | segments.date | dimension | Day of the impression, in the account timezone. |