Quick answer: a one-page monthly ads report template that business owners can read in five minutes: spend, leads, cost per lead, sales, what changed, and what happens next month.
The template
| Section | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| 1. Headline numbers | Spend, leads, cost per lead, booked jobs or sales, revenue (if tracked), vs last month and vs target |
| 2. By channel | Google Search, Local Services Ads, Facebook/Instagram: spend, leads, cost per lead |
| 3. Top performers | Best 3 keywords, ads or audiences and why |
| 4. What we changed | Bullet list of changes made this month and the reason |
| 5. Problems found | Tracking issues, policy warnings, missed calls, lead quality notes |
| 6. Next month | 3 to 5 planned actions and the expected result |
| 7. Decisions needed | Anything the owner must approve: budget, offers, new pages |
Example headline block
| Metric | This month | Last month | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ad spend | $2,400 | $2,250 | $2,500 |
| Leads | 31 | 26 | 30 |
| Cost per lead | $77 | $87 | under $85 |
| Booked jobs | 12 | 9 | 10 |
| Revenue from ads | $18,600 | $13,900 | $15,000 |
Rules for a useful report
- Lead with business outcomes (jobs, sales), not clicks
- Always compare to last month and to target
- Explain every change in plain English
- Flag tracking problems before they distort decisions
More: what a good monthly ads report includes.
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Written by Gregory
20 years building websites and running lead generation, mostly with my own money on the line. Based in Sydney, working with clients worldwide. How I work →