Part of: Data and analytics
Attribution and ROI dashboards
One view of sales, spend and channels, built around the decisions you need to make. We show blended measures such as MER next to platform figures, and say plainly what attribution cannot tell you.
Is this right for you?
Who it is for
Stores that spend across several channels and want one trusted view of what marketing is doing, built on tracking that already matches real orders.
When it is not
Stores whose tracking is still unreliable, since a dashboard would only show bad numbers more neatly, and stores with too few orders for trends to mean anything. It is also not a way to prove which single ad caused a sale.
What is included
- Agreement on the questions the dashboard must answer
- One view of revenue, orders and marketing spend by channel
- Blended measures, such as MER and ROAS, next to platform figures
- New and returning customer views, and cohort views where there is enough data
- Notes on what each number can and cannot tell you
- A walkthrough, so your team knows how to read it
Blended measures, and why we use more than one
ROAS is what a platform reports as revenue from its ads, divided by its spend. It is useful inside one channel, but each platform marks its own homework.
MER, the marketing efficiency ratio, is total revenue divided by total marketing spend. One platform’s attribution cannot flatter it, but it cannot tell you which channel is working either.
We show both, with new and returning customers separated, and cohort views where there is enough data to mean something. A cohort view shows how customers who first bought in a given month go on to behave, which is often more useful than the attribution of a single order.
What attribution can and cannot tell you
Attribution is an informed estimate. A platform may credit a sale to an ad someone saw but did not click. GA4 may credit the last click. Your store knows the order happened but not why. Each view is partly right, and each has blind spots.
So the dashboard shows several views side by side, and we explain where they disagree. The aim is a decision you can defend, not a number that looks good.
GA4 and Google Ads now offer two attribution models: data-driven, which is the default, and last click. The older rule-based models, such as first click and linear, were removed in 2023.
What is in the dashboard
We agree the contents with you, but a typical dashboard includes revenue and orders compared with your store’s own records, marketing spend by channel, MER and platform ROAS side by side, new and returning customers, and a cohort view where there is enough data.
We build it in Looker Studio, so you can open it any time and share it with your team.
What we measure
We check that the dashboard’s totals match your real orders and spend, and that it is used. A dashboard nobody opens has failed, however tidy it looks. We do not promise changes in revenue or ROAS from having one.
Where this connects to other work
A dashboard draws on GA4 and on the conversions you pass to Google Ads, so both need to be sound first. It is also the way to judge what email automation really adds, bearing in mind that email is often credited generously. If gaps in the data remain, server-side tracking may help, at a cost. Not sure where your tracking stands? get in touch.
How we do it
Every project is different, so timings depend on its size and complexity. You get a realistic timeline in writing before work starts, and we never promise results by a date.
Step 1: Agree the questions
We start with the decisions you need to make, not the charts we could build.
Step 2: Check the data
We confirm the sources match your real orders. If they do not, we fix that first.
Step 3: Build
We build the dashboard around the agreed questions, from your own sources of data.
Step 4: Explain
We walk through each view, including what it hides.
Step 5: Review
After a few weeks we look at how it is used and remove what is not helping.
What it costs
Retainers start from £500 per month and cover our services only. They do not include your ad spend, or any software or other subscription costs. One-off optimisation projects are priced by current need or an agreed hourly rate. Our pricing page has the detail.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between MER and ROAS?
ROAS is the revenue a platform credits to its own ads, divided by what you spent on them. MER, the marketing efficiency ratio, is your total revenue divided by your total marketing spend, whichever channel it came from. ROAS depends on each platform's attribution rules. MER does not, but it cannot tell you which channel did the work.
Can a dashboard prove which ad caused a sale?
No. Attribution is an informed estimate and every method has blind spots. A dashboard can show several views side by side, so a decision does not rest on one flattering number.
Why does the dashboard not match my ad platform?
Each platform uses its own attribution rules and time windows, and may count sales that GA4 or your store do not credit to it. We show the differences and explain them. Since 2023, GA4 and Google Ads have offered only data-driven and last-click models, with data-driven as the default.
What do I need before a dashboard is worth building?
Tracking that matches your real orders, within a gap you can explain. Without that, a dashboard only makes unreliable numbers look more convincing. If you are not there yet, start with a GA4 audit.
Which tools do you build dashboards in?
We build dashboards in Looker Studio, using GA4, your store and your ad platforms as sources.
Will the dashboard tell me what to do?
No. It shows what happened and what the numbers can and cannot support. The decisions stay with you, and we are happy to talk them through.
Ready to talk it through?
Get a free, top-level audit of your website for SEO, your ad account for PPC or your analytics account. A subject matter expert at Advent reviews it, and we aim to send it within 5 working days of receiving access.