What Clients Actually Want in a Performance Report (And Why Most Dashboards Miss the Mark)
If you manage PPC campaigns, you already know this: your clients don’t speak in CTRs or CPMs. They speak in outcomes. That’s why most traditional PPC reports miss the mark—not because they’re inaccurate, but because they’re written for marketers, not decision-makers.
Client performance reporting for PPC shouldn’t just be a data dump. It should explain what’s working, what’s not, and what happens next.
Most Dashboards Are Built for You, Not Your Client
Marketers love metrics. We love analyzing performance changes, comparing ad sets, and diving into ROAS benchmarks. But your client? They’re just trying to understand if their money is being well spent.
When a report is filled with five different charts on click-through rate but doesn’t clearly explain whether the campaign is doing well, you’ve already lost them.
Here’s the truth: most clients care about three things—
- What happened?
- Why did it happen?
- What are we doing about it?
If your report doesn’t answer those, it doesn’t matter how beautiful your dashboard is.
Common Mistakes in PPC Performance Reporting
Before we get into how to fix things, let’s call out what’s broken:
1. Too Much Data, Not Enough Insight
Your client doesn’t want 20 metrics—they want the 3 that matter right now. Highlight the wins. Flag the risks. Make it digestible.
2. Using Jargon Instead of Plain English
Saying “CTR dropped 15%” isn’t helpful unless you explain what that means and why it matters. Good reporting should sound like a conversation, not a spreadsheet.
3. Hiding Bad News
If performance dipped, be transparent—but also bring a plan. Clients appreciate honesty paired with action.
4. No Clear Takeaways
A report with no recommendations is just a recap. The best reports guide next steps.
What Clients Actually Want in a PPC Performance Report
Let’s break it down. A great report doesn’t just “show” performance—it tells a story. Here’s what clients are really looking for:
✅ Context
Don’t just show numbers. Explain them. If CPC went up, was it because of a new competitor? An algorithm change? Context builds trust.
✅ Simplicity
Boil things down. Use one-sentence insights. Highlight key changes. Think executive summary, not data dump.
✅ Wins
Clients want to celebrate progress. Even if the overall campaign is still optimizing, share what’s working—like a new audience that’s converting well or a creative with high engagement.
✅ Risks
Don’t shy away from calling out what’s underperforming. But do it proactively. Show that you’re already working on a fix.
✅ Recommendations
What are you testing next? What do you want to adjust or scale? Clients don’t want to guess. They want a confident roadmap.
How carrotcake Makes Reporting Easier
If you’re tired of manually building reports every week, carrotcake makes it simple.
We take your Meta and Google ad data and turn it into readable, human-friendly reports with:
- Performance summaries that highlight wins and anomalies
- Change impact analysis so you know what moved the needle
- Creative fatigue tracking to spot declining ads early
- Actionable next steps to show your client what’s coming
No more guessing what to include. No more endless spreadsheets.
Just clear, confident reports that say, “Here’s what matters and here’s what we’re doing next.”
Tips for Building Better Client Reports
Even if you’re not using carrotcake AI (yet), you can level up your reporting with a few small shifts:
- Start with a 3-bullet summary. Lead with the wins, the watchouts, and the plan.
- Use bold headers and plain language. Break up text and avoid jargon.
- Include trend context. Is this performance change unusual or expected for the time period?
- Always explain “why.” If something changed, say what caused it.
- End with your action plan. What’s being paused, tested, scaled, or changed?
Final Thoughts
Your clients don’t want to become PPC experts. They hired you for that.
What they want is clarity. Reassurance. A plan. When you give them that in your reporting, you build trust—and long-term retention.
That’s why carrotcake AI doesn’t just measure performance. It explains it.
Want to simplify your reporting and impress your clients? Try carrotcake AI free.
We turn raw PPC data into reports your clients will actually read—and understand.
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