Google has announced that Auction Insights in Looker Studio will no longer be available. This means that advertisers will no longer be able to access Auction Insights, a feature that provided valuable insights into their ad auctions.
Auction Insights was a powerful tool that allowed advertisers to analyze their ad performance, including metrics like impression share, average position, and cost-per-click. Unfortunately, this feature will be discontinued.
The update is expected to take effect soon, and advertisers are advised to start exploring alternative tools to gain insights into their ad auctions.
Immediate Action Required
Advertisers need to remove the affected Auction Insight fields from their Looker Studio reports and charts before September 23.
This is crucial to avoid broken reports and the inability to track and analyze ad performance.
You can safeguard your data insights by addressing this issue and ensuring your marketing strategies remain informed and optimized.
The removal of Auction Insights from Looker Studio requires a shift in how advertisers track competitive performance metrics and analyze their Google Ads data.
This change necessitates a proactive approach to data analysis and reporting to maintain informed marketing decisions.
Impact of Google's Update
The removal of Auction Insights from Looker Studio is a significant change for marketers and advertisers. Google's decision to remove these metrics starting August 24, 2024, will impact how users access and analyze competitive data.
Existing data sources will lose access to Auction Insights beginning September 23, 2024. This means that all the metrics currently available in Looker Studio, including Domain, Average Position, and Impression Share, will no longer be accessible.
The removal of Auction Insights affects several key metrics, including Absolute Top of Page Rate, Position Above Rate, and Shopping Impression Share. These metrics were essential for competitive analysis in Looker Studio.
Marketers will need to manually pull data from Google Ads and integrate it into Looker Studio, increasing the complexity and time required to generate reports. This process is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors.
The following metrics will no longer be available in Looker Studio:
- Auction Insight - Domain
- Auction Insight - Average Position
- Absolute Top of Page Rate
- Position Above Rate
- Impression Share
- Outranking Share
- Overlap Rate
- Top of Page Rate
- Auction Insight - Store Display Name
- Shopping Impression Share
- Shopping Outranking Share
- Shopping Overlap Rate
Advertisers should take the following steps to ensure their reports remain functional: remove the affected fields from Looker Studio reports to prevent disruptions. Auction Insights data will still be available within Google Ads.
Visual Data Presentation
Visual data presentation is a crucial aspect of analyzing auction insights in Looker Studio. Marketers relied on Looker Studio to create dashboards that offered a comprehensive view of campaign performance, including competitive dynamics.
The removal of Auction Insights from Looker Studio fundamentally changes how marketers can present and analyze competitive insights visually. This change impacts reporting in significant ways.
Without Auction Insights, dashboards lose a significant portion of their analytical power, making it harder to visualize and compare competitive positioning directly within a single platform.
Here are the specific ways the removal of Auction Insights affects visual data presentation:
- Unified, comprehensive reports are no longer possible.
- Reporting becomes fragmented, requiring manual data extraction from Google Ads.
- The need to extract data manually adds an extra layer of effort and time.
- Visual dashboards are no longer comprehensive, complicating communication of insights to stakeholders.
Manually pulling data from Google Ads and integrating it into Looker Studio or another visualization tool is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors. This can lead to inconsistencies in reporting and analysis, making it harder to trust the data.
Coping with Changes
Google advises using the native reporting features within Google Ads to access Auction Insights data. This approach may lack the visual integration with other data sources, but it's the most direct way to access and analyze competitive metrics.
Marketers should become well-versed in Google Ads' reporting capabilities to extract maximum value from the available data. With practice, you'll be able to create detailed reports that include Auction Insights data.
To regain the lost visualization capabilities, consider exploring third-party data visualization tools that can integrate with Google Ads. Platforms like Tableau, Power BI, or advanced Google Sheets add-ons can serve as alternatives for creating detailed, visual reports.
Auction Insights data can be exported from Google Ads and manually imported into Looker Studio, but this requires a careful, methodical approach to avoid errors. Alternatively, setting up automation scripts or using API connections might streamline this process, though such solutions require technical expertise.
Adjusting your reporting focus to include broader performance metrics like Conversion Rate, Cost Per Conversion, and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) can provide critical insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns. These KPIs are essential for delivering impactful reports that drive strategic decisions.
To stay informed about the latest updates from Google, engage with industry news, participate in webinars, and follow expert discussions. By doing so, you'll remain agile and ready to adapt to future changes in the digital marketing landscape.
Google's Auction Insights Removal
Google has confirmed that Auction Insights will no longer be available for new data sources in Looker Studio starting August 24, 2024.
Existing data sources will lose access to Auction Insights on September 23, 2024, which means advertisers need to act fast to avoid disruptions.
The affected metrics include Domain, Average Position, Impression Share, Outranking Share, and other critical competitive analysis metrics.
To avoid broken reports, advertisers must proactively remove these fields from their Looker Studio reports and charts.
Here are some key steps to take:
- Remove Auction Insights Fields: Proactively remove these fields from Looker Studio reports and charts.
- Adjust Reporting Strategies: Revert to using Google Ads for competitive metrics.
Failing to take these steps could result in broken reports, impacting the ability to track and optimize ad performance effectively.
Impact on Advertisers
Advertisers who rely on Auction Insights in Looker Studio will need to make some adjustments. The removal of these fields from Looker Studio will necessitate adjustments in Looker reports and strategy tools.
Advertisers should take the following steps to ensure their reports remain functional:
- Remove affected fields from Looker Studio reports to prevent disruptions.
- Access Auction Insights data directly through the Google Ads interface.
- Adjust reporting strategies and tools to continue tracking competitive performance metrics effectively.
The removal of Auction Insights from Looker Studio affects several key metrics, including Auction Insight - Domain, Auction Insight - Average Position, and Impression Share. Advertisers should be aware of these changes and plan accordingly to avoid any disruptions to their reporting.
Key Facts and Bottom Line
Google is removing Auction Insights fields from Looker Studio, which will affect how advertisers access and analyze competitive data.
Existing data sources will lose access to these fields on September 23, 2024.
The affected fields include Domain, Average Position, Impression Share, and others.
Auction Insights data will still be available within Google Ads.
Advertisers will need to remove these fields from Looker Studio reports to prevent disruptions.
This change requires adjusting reporting strategies and tools to continue tracking competitive performance metrics effectively.
Advertisers can still access all competitive analysis metrics in Google Ads.
Sources
- https://www.360om.agency/news-insights/google-removes-auction-insights-from-looker-studio-what-you-need-to-know
- https://ppc.land/google-removes-auction-insights-from-looker-studio/
- https://www.gradientmediagroup.com/blog/removal-of-auction-insights-in-looker-studio
- https://ppcgeeks.co.uk/marketing/google-pulls-auction-insights-from-looker-studio-what-advertisers-need-to-know/
- https://www.glowmetrics.com/blog/auction-insights-in-google-data-studio/
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