Google has ended the ability to connect Google Ads Auction Insights data to Looker Studio reports. In this post we’ll cover why this data is important for guiding optimisation decisions for Google Ad campaigns. We’ll also discuss our workaround for this new limitation and what it means for you as a business owner that is familiar with receiving this type of info each month in your reports.
What is Auction Insight data?
Simply put, it is a collection of metrics that compare how a business’s Google Ads perform in auctions against other competitors. This info can reveal increased efforts from competitors and signal when to adjust bids, examine quality score, etc, to regain that prominent ad positioning.
Why did Google do this?
The reason for this is a mystery. Google has not made any announcements to explain this decision. The data is still available in Google Ads. However, the ability to adjust how that data is presented is limited in their platform. For us this has reduced the ease at which a quick analysis can be completed. One can speculate that removing this data connection takes some pressure off their infrastructure required for these data exchanges. Perhaps also improving some of their systems from potential security breaches.
Where to from here?
The question we need to ask is is it useful for business owners to receive this level of info? When a decision needs to be made to increase a budget or steer away from a specific keyword then this info should be brought to light. Auction insight data can help clearly demonstrate why this action needs to be taken and provides comparative data to show that these actions had a positive impact. It can be argued that this data should only be accessed and interpreted by a specialist, and presented to business owners when appropriate, such as during a scenario mentioned above.
Our thoughts
While there has always been some PPC specialists on the fence whether to divulge this data each month. Google has forced our hand here. Fortunately we still have access to this important data set to help us steer our efforts. The positive outcome is that we will simplify our reports for you and let you know when and if there are any concerns around increased activity from competitor activity that impacts your ads performance.