Skip the vanity metrics. These are the reports that show you what's really happening with your campaigns.
Google Ads provides dozens of reports, but most of them are noise. For service business owners who need to make decisions quickly, there are four reports that give you everything you need to know about your campaign performance.
The Search Terms Report shows you the actual words people typed before clicking your ad. Review this weekly to find new negative keywords (irrelevant searches you're paying for) and new keyword opportunities (relevant searches you're not explicitly targeting). This single report is responsible for more budget savings than any other.
The Campaign and Ad Group Performance Report filtered by conversions shows you which campaigns and ad groups are generating leads and at what cost. Sort by cost per conversion to identify your most and least efficient segments. Shift budget from high-CPL ad groups to low-CPL ones for immediate improvement.
The Landing Page Report shows conversion rates by destination URL. If one landing page converts at 15% while another converts at 3%, you know where to focus your optimisation efforts. Often, the difference between a high and low converting page is simple: headline relevance, page speed, or CTA placement. This report points you to the biggest opportunities.