Starting August 24, 2024, Google’s Looker Studio has lost access to the Google Ads Auction Insights fields for new data sources. In an announcement, Google said, “existing data sources will lose this access on September 23.”
However, Auction Insights will continue to be available on Google Ads.
While Google Ads offers its own competitive analysis tools, advertisers may need to explore alternative reporting solutions or adjust their existing strategies to ensure they have the necessary insights for effective optimisation.
In its blog, Google said, “A Looker Studio data source can connect to any one Google Ads account to which you have access. Google Ads users with manager (MCC) accounts can connect to and report on up to 50 sub-accounts per data source.”
Why Auction Insights Matter
Auction Insights offer competitive intelligence and help advertisers to assess their performance against rivals within the same bidding landscape.
By removing these crucial fields from Looker Studio, Google is forcing advertisers to revert to the less efficient process of manually gathering competitive metrics directly from Google Ads.
This change will significantly disrupt advertisers’ workflows so they can adjust their Looker reports, strategy tools, and overall marketing approach.
Key Fields Impacted
Auction Insights include a wide range of metrics essential for competitive analysis.
Google recommends removing these fields from your reports and charts to prevent your reports breaking:
- Domain
- Average Position
- Impression Share
- Outranking Share
- Position above rate
- Overlap Rate
- Top Of Page Rate
- Store Display Name
- Shopping Impression Share
- Shopping Outranking Share
- Shopping Overlap Rate
Entities such as AdGroup or Campaign, with zero impressions will not appear in Google Ads data sources.
When using Google Ads data in Looker Studio and looking at clicks or impressions, you need to include the Ad Type and Asset ID to get accurate results. If you don’t, the data might be wrong. If you’re using the wrong combination of dimension and metrics, charts that aren’t correctly configured will display a message to warn you.
Immediate Action Required
To mitigate disruptions, advertisers should promptly remove the affected Auction Insight fields from their Looker Studio reports and charts before September 23. Neglecting to do so could lead to broken reports, the ability to track and analyse ad performance.
Advertisers can safeguard their data insights once they address this issue and ensure that their marketing strategies remain informed and optimised.
How To Connect To Google Ads
A Looker Studio data source can connect to any one Google Ads account to which you have access. If you have an MCC account, you can connect to and report on up to 50 sub-accounts per data source.
Connecting a Google Ads Account to Looker Studio
- Log in to Looker Studio.
- Create a New Data Source:
- Click the “Create” icon at the top left.
- Select “Data Source.”
- Choose Google Ads:
- Select the “Google Ads” connector.
- Authorise Looker Studio to access your account if prompted.
- Select Your Account:
- Click “ALL ACCOUNTS.’
- Choose the desired account by ID or name.
- Use Overall Account Fields:
- Select “Overall Account Fields” to combine all Google Ads dimensions and metrics into a single list.
- Connect the Data Source:
- Click “CONNECT” in the upper right.
Your data source is now connected and ready for use in Looker Studio reports.
Manage Data Access in Looker Studio
To control who can view or use the data from your Google Ads data source:
Change Data Credentials:
- Go to the top of the fields panel.
- Adjust the credentials settings.
OWNER’S CREDENTIALS:
Allow others to view or create reports based on this data without needing their own access.
VIEWER’S CREDENTIALS:
Require each user to provide their own credentials for accessing the dataset.
The removal of Auction Insights from Looker Studio necessitates a shift in how advertisers track competitive performance metrics and analyse their Google Ads data.
