How to Build a ROAS Dashboard: A Step-by-Step Guide

Tracking your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is essential for any digital marketer. It helps you understand exactly how much revenue you're generating for every dollar you spend on advertising. While you can look at ROAS in each individual platform (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.), a unified dashboard provides a clear, holistic view of your performance across all channels.

This guide will walk you through building a custom, automated ROAS dashboard using Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio), which is a powerful and free tool. We'll focus on combining data from Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Facebook Ads.

Step 1: Define Your ROAS Metrics

Before you start, you need to be clear about what you're measuring.

• ROAS: The fundamental formula is (Revenue from Ads) / (Ad Spend).
• Ad Spend: The total amount of money spent on your campaigns.
• Revenue: The total value of purchases or conversions that resulted directly from your ads.

You'll need to define which conversions you're counting as revenue in each platform. Ensure your e-commerce tracking is set up correctly in both Google Analytics and Facebook Ads to pass revenue data accurately.

Step 2: Choose Your Tools

The easiest and most effective way to build this dashboard is with Looker Studio and a few key connectors.

• Looker Studio: The central hub for your dashboard. It’s free and integrates seamlessly with other Google products.
• Google Ads & Google Analytics: Looker Studio has native connectors for these, so you can pull data with a single click.
• Facebook Ads: Since this is a non-Google product, you will need a third-party connector. Popular options include Supermetrics, Porter Metrics, or Catchr. Many offer a free trial to get you started.

Step 3: Connect Your Data Sources

This is where the magic happens. You’ll link your ad platforms to your Looker Studio report.

1. Connect Google Ads and Google Analytics

1. In Looker Studio, click "Create" and select "Report."
2. In the data source panel, search for and select "Google Ads."
3. Choose your Google Ads account, and then select the specific campaign or account you want to analyze. Click "Add."
4. Repeat this process, but this time, search for and select "Google Analytics." Choose your Google Analytics account and the specific view that contains your e-commerce data.

2. Connect Facebook Ads

1. On the same report, click "Add data" again.
2. Search for your chosen third-party connector (e.g., "Porter Metrics" or "Supermetrics").
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to authorize the connector to access your Facebook Ads account. You will need to log in to your Facebook account and grant the necessary permissions.
4. Once authorized, you can select the Facebook ad account and specify the data you want to import, such as spend, impressions, clicks, and conversion value.

Step 4: Create a Blended Data Source for Unified ROAS

This is a critical step for a true cross-channel dashboard. You need to combine your ad spend (from both Google Ads and Facebook Ads) and your revenue (from Google Analytics and/or Facebook Ads).

1. Go to the "Resource" menu in Looker Studio and select "Manage blended data."
2. Click "Add a Data Source" and add your Google Ads and Facebook Ads data sources.
3. Join the data: Looker Studio needs a common dimension to blend the data. The most reliable is the Datedimension. Join the two data sources on the Date field.
4. Create calculated fields:
   • Total Ad Spend: Use a formula like SUM(Google Ads: Cost) + SUM(Facebook Ads: Amount Spent). The exact field names may vary depending on your connector.
   • Total Revenue: Use a formula like SUM(Google Analytics: Revenue). Pro-tip: You might also want to blend in Facebook's "purchase conversion value" if you're not solely relying on Google Analytics for revenue tracking.
5. Calculate ROAS: Create a new metric using the formula Total Revenue / Total Ad Spend.

Step 5: Design and Build Your Dashboard

Now that you have your data connected and blended, you can start building the visuals.

1. Add Scorecards: Start with the most important numbers. Use a "Scorecard" chart to display your Total Ad Spend, Total Revenue, and ROAS.
2. Add Time-Series Charts: Create line graphs to show trends over time. Add a chart for Total Ad Spend and another for Total Revenue to see how they fluctuate daily, weekly, or monthly.
3. Create Funnel Visualizations: Use a bar chart to compare performance across different channels. For example, a chart with Channel on one axis and ROAS on the other will instantly show you which channels are most profitable.
4. Add Tables: Use tables to display granular data for individual campaigns or ad sets. This is great for an in-depth look at performance.
5. Add Interactive Filters: Add a "Date Range Control" and "Filter Controls" so anyone viewing the dashboard can change the time period or filter by campaign, channel, etc. This makes the dashboard dynamic and useful for a variety of purposes.

Step 6: Automate and Share

The beauty of this setup is that it's automated. Looker Studio automatically refreshes the data from your sources, so your dashboard is always up-to-date.

• Sharing: Click the "Share" button in the top right corner. You can invite specific people via email or generate a link to share your report.
• Scheduling: You can even set up email delivery of your dashboard on a regular schedule (e.g., daily or weekly) so key stakeholders receive the report automatically.

By following these steps, you can move from a fragmented view of your ad performance to a single, powerful dashboard that provides real-time insights into your ROAS, empowering you to make smarter, data-driven marketing decisions.