A good monthly PPC report answers six questions: how much did we spend, what did it bring (enquiries, sales, margin), what changed (in campaigns and platforms), what did we test, what did we learn and what will we do. Since 17 August 2026, according to PPC Land, campaigns with ROAS or CPA targets follow targets more closely, which makes reading ROAS without margin even more misleading. The report should separate bidding value (like the new customer multiplier) from real revenue.
The problem with reports that only show the platform
Native platform reports are useful, but answer the platform’s question: how many clicks, impressions and attributed conversions. They don’t answer the business owner’s question: how much money came in, with what margin, from which customers, and whether it would have come in anyway.
A report that just repeats the dashboard adds no value. Pay for analysis, not for a screenshot.
Block 1: money spent and money in
Total spend by platform and campaign; management cost; enquiries, sales and real revenue (from your CRM, ERP or shop, not just the platform); cost per enquiry or sale; and gross margin where possible. Compare with the previous month and with the same month last year, if it exists.
If platform revenue and your system’s differ a lot, the report should explain the difference: attribution, windows, returns, offline sales.
The six blocks of a good PPC report
- Money spent and money in, with margin
- Bidding value separated from real revenue
- What changed in the account and platforms
- Tests, results and lead quality
- Risks, next steps and decisions requested
Block 2: separating bidding value from revenue
In October 2026, Google launched new customer value multipliers between 1.1x and 5x, according to PPC Land. In that case, a purchase of 100 may count as 120 for bidding. That is not revenue. The report should show ROAS with bidding value and ROAS with real revenue, and say which is which.
Without this separation, it’s easy to confuse an inflated number with a good result.
Block 3: what changed
Changes made in the account (budgets, targets, campaigns, ads, negatives), platform changes affecting the account (for example migration to AI Max, 17 August bidding changes, image extraction by default from 4 December) and the expected or observed impact of each, with date.
A change history is what lets you understand, later, why numbers changed. Without it, any explanation is opinion.
Pay for analysis, not for a screenshot.
Block 4: tests and learnings
Each test has hypothesis, metric, duration, result and decision. Even failed tests matter: they avoid repeating mistakes. An honest report says “we tested X, it didn’t work, because Y, now we’ll do Z”.
If the report never mentions failures, it’s either hiding or not testing. Neither is good.
Block 5: quality, not just quantity
For service businesses, include qualified lead rate, close rate and loss reasons (price, wrong audience, no response). For shops, include returns, average order value and new versus repeat. Ask the sales team for a brief note on the month’s lead quality.
Portugal has a market where many decisions go through phone calls and trust. Quality only appears by talking to whoever answers.
Block 6: risks and next steps
Identified risks (limited budget, AI features on, policy changes, seasonality, dependence on one campaign), proposed actions, owners and dates. End with a page of decisions requested from the client: approve, choose, authorise.
A report without decisions requested is a bulletin. A good report moves the account forward.
Benchmarks: use with care
References such as the average CPC of 5.42 dollars and the 8.18% conversion rate, attributed to WordStream by secondary sources such as Search Engine Journal, come from campaign data across industries between April 2025 and March 2026, mostly from English-speaking markets. They serve as context, not as a target for your business in Portugal.
The report should compare your account with itself over time, with your sector when reliable data exists, and only then with global averages.
Questions for your manager and a simple template
Can you show me real revenue, margin and cost per enquiry? Which platform changes affected the account this month? What did we test and decide? What risks do you see? Which decisions do you need from me?
If you want a one-page report template, with the six blocks, adapted to your business, I can prepare a version with you to start next month.
A common mistake: pretty reports, weak decisions
Colourful dashboards and trend charts impress, but don’t replace the essential question: what will we do differently next month? If the report doesn’t end with actions and owners, it’s decoration. Always ask for a final page with three possible decisions, one recommendation and the risk of each.
Frequently asked questions
Which metrics are essential?
Spend, real enquiries or sales, cost per enquiry, margin and quality. Clicks and impressions serve only as context.
Can I use global benchmarks?
As context, yes. As a target, no: they come mostly from English-speaking markets and are secondary data.
How often should I receive reports?
Monthly is the minimum, with a short weekly summary in peak periods, like Black Friday.