Supermetrics for Google Sheets: Review of The Pros and Cons and How To
If you are looking for a way to export data easily and automatically from your marketing tools like ad networks and CRMs, you’re in the right place.
In this article, I’m going to explore one tool which can help you do exactly that: Supermetrics for Google Sheets.
I’ll run through what it is, whether you actually need it, the pros and cons versus its very popular cousin, Supermetrics for Google Data Studio, and how to create useful interactive dashboards and reports with it using Google Data Studio.
This article is perfect for marketers and agencies who want to know whether Supermetrics for Google Sheets is the right fit for them before committing to a significant purchase.
What is Supermetrics for Google Sheets?
Supermetrics for Google Sheets is a Google Sheets Add-On that helps you automatically pull data from various sources, into Google Sheets.
This saves you from having to manually export data from each source.
(Which usually involves logging into each platform you want to get data from, exporting it as a CSV file, then uploading it to Google Drive and transforming into a Google Sheets file.)
When you connect your Google Sheets into a reporting tool like Google Data Studio, you can virtually automate all of your reporting.
This allows you to spend more time gaining useful insights from your data and move your business forward.
Supermetrics is one of the most popular and reputable data connectors out there. In mid-2020 Supermetrics announced that they closed €40 million in funding to continue growing their business. One of the investors was leading venture capital firm, IVP, which has Slack, Twitter, ZenDesk and Dropbox in its portfolio.
What this means is that Supermetrics is likely here to stay for a long time, and only get better for users like me and you (especially in terms of the number of data sources supported, and the occasional bug or two).
Do You Actually Need Supermetrics For Google Sheets?
Not everyone will need Supermetrics for Google Sheets.
However, many will find it useful (and I suspect this number will only increase as privacy wars make ad platform data less granular and reliable).
Here are a few situations where you may find it valuable.
#1 — You run ads on multiple ad networks
If you run ads on a single network, then you may find it sufficient to log into that network, check your stats and make decisions from there.
However, once you start running in multiple networks, not only is it time-consuming logging onto each platform.
You’ll also want to compare how each is doing and also see any causal links (for example, you may be running a big campaign on Facebook, and want to see the impacts on branded keywords you are bidding on in Google).
The best way is to pull data from all the different sources into one place, for example, in a Google Data Studio report.
#2 — The conversion data on your ad network(s) dashboard doesn’t line up with your CRM or shopping cart
Another reason why you might like to use a tool like Supermetrics for Google Sheets is if there is discrepancy between the conversion data in your ad network dashboard and your CRM or shopping cart.
For example, your Facebook dashboard might show 13 leads, while your CRM only shows 10.
With Supermetrics for Google Sheets you can ensure your conversions are consistent in your reporting by using conversions from one source as the ‘source of truth’ for all.
For example, you can use your CRM as the source of truth for conversions.
Then combine cost data from ad platforms (if you have correctly labelled your ads with UTM parameters and captured it into your CRM) to get consistent cost per conversion and conversion volume data across your sources, in your reports.
#3 — You capture leads on one channel, but convert them on another
If you have a long and complex user journey, Supermetrics for Google Sheets can be invaluable.
For example, let’s say you use Facebook Ads to generate phone leads.
These leads go into your CRM, where they are passed onto your sales team.
These leads then take multiple calls and emails over the course of several weeks before they turn into customers. This is then logged in your CRM.
Since the sale happens ‘offline’ and a long time after the original lead is generated, the ad platform won’t be able to show valuable metrics such as cost per sale, only cost per lead (unless you setup offline conversions).
You need to combine data from your ad platforms and your CRM in order to do that.
Well, that’s exactly what Supermetrics for Google Sheets allows you to do by pulling data from all your different ad platforms and your CRM (if it is one of the data sources Supermetrics supports. If not, you’ll have to do a manual export).
#4 — You run reports regularly
If you only do analysis on an ad-hoc basis, you may find it okay to export data manually from each source.
However, if you are like most marketers who need to do reports weekly, monthly and quarterly, either for agency clients, or for people in the company you work in-house at — you will need a tool like Supermetrics for Google Sheets that automated the data collection process.
What Data Sources Does Supermetrics Work With?
Supermetrics for Google Sheets connects with most major ad networks. These include Facebook Ads, Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Snapchat Ads, Taboola, TikTok Ads, Outbrain, Pinterest Ads, Quota Ads, Twitter Ads, Verizon Media Native Ads, Microsoft Ads and more.
Supermetrics for Google Sheets also connects to other key marketing platforms such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console.
It does connect to CRMs and shopping carts such as Shopify, Salesforce and Klaviyo. However, the number is rather limited at the moment. You may need to try using their custom JSON/CSV/XML connector if your CRM / shopping cart lets you grab data via an API. Or simply just export data manually.
Supermetrics is constantly adding more sources. You can also request a data source too if you don’t see it on the list.
However, please note that some data sources are only available on the more expensive plans. And it can be a significant jump in price from one plan to another.
If you are a marketing agency or big advertiser, this likely won’t matter as it will only be a small percentage of your advertiser. On the other hand, if you are a smaller business, running a smaller and budget, then you’ll have to do a cost/benefit analysis.
Supermetrics for Google Sheets Vs Supermetrics Google for Data Studio: Which One is Right for You?
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether someone should get Supermetrics for Google Data Studio or Supermetrics for Google sheets.
After all, if you are going to display data on Google Data Studio in the end, why bother sending data to Google Sheets first? Why not connect the data source(s) straight to Google Data Studio?
Well, here are some of the pros and cons of Supermetrics Google Sheets versus Supermetrics Google Data Studio.
Supermetrics for Google Sheets Pros
Perform complex data manipulation
Supermetrics for Google Data Studio is fine if you do no or only simple data manipulation.
However, if you want to do complex data manipulation for your reporting, then Supermetrics for Google Sheets is what you need.
With Supermetrics for Google Sheets, you can use any spreadsheet function to manipulate your data before displaying.
This means that whatever you want to show on your report, Supermetrics for Google Sheets can likely help you do it.
Blend complex data from multiple sources
Supermetrics for Google Sheets also lets you blend data from up to five sources.
Supermetrics for Google Data Studio can do this too.
However, with Supermetrics for Google Sheets, since you can blend data with complex spreadsheet functions such as IF statements (for filtering data), pivot tables and LOOKUP statements.
Again, what this means is that you can display more unique metrics which you need on your reports.
Supermetrics for Google Sheet Cons
Has a steeper learning curve
Supermetrics for Google Sheets is more powerful, but as such, has a steeper learning curve.
If you are already good at doing analysis and data manipulation in spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel, you should find Supermetrics for Google Sheets a breeze to use.
But if that’s not your strong suit, then it definitely can be a challenge.
You’ll need to ensure you are getting the raw data you want into Google Sheets. Then ensure you are doing the data manipulation you want in Google Sheets before displaying in your reporting tool. (e.g. Google Data Studio).
Does not refresh data in real-time
This is a minor point, but is worth still nothing.
Supermetrics for Google Data Studio ports your data in real-time.
That means the view on your dashboard is current as of when you hit refresh.
However, with Supermetrics for Google Sheets, your data refreshes on a periodic basis. This can be daily, weekly, monthly or hourly depending on what you select and what plan you have (hourly is only available on the more expensive plans).
For 99% of people though, this won’t be an issue.
Subject to Google Sheets 5 million cell limit
Google Sheets itself has a 5 million cell limit per file.
This limits the size of the dataset you display in your reports.
Now, you can be smart about it and only collect the fields you need.
Or even collect different fields in different spreadsheets.
However, it is a limit you need to keep in mind.
That being said, with Google Data Studio, even though you don’t have the 5 million cell limit for data because you are not using Google Sheets but pulling straight from the data source, you still have an issue with large data sets. Queries that take more than 6 minutes aren’t handled.
So if you have a super large data set, you are likely to have issues with Google Data Studio itself.
For most though, the 5 million cell limit on Google Sheets should be more than enough.
(If you need more, you should definitely be looking at a more enterprise-level solution anyway.)
Creating a Google Data Studio Dashboard With Supermetrics for Google Sheets
Google Data Studio is a free tool which allows you to create interactive dashboards and reports.
Google Data Studio can pull data straight from Google Sheets. Which means together with Supermetrics Google Sheets, you can automate the entire reporting process.
Here’s the step-by-step process for creating a working Google Data Studio Dashboard with Supermetrics for Google Sheets.
BONUS: If you’d like the free Google Data Studio Dashboard template I use to monitor multiple ad networks (shown below), simply sign up for Supermetrics using this link and send a copy of your receipt to contact [at] cmocasetudies [dot] com.
Step 1. Pull your data into Google Sheets with Supermetrics for Google Sheets
Create a Google Sheets file in your Google Drive.
Open up the Supermetrics for Google Sheets Add-On.
Select the data source, date range, dimensions and metrics you want to pull into the sheet. You can also specify any data you want to filter for or out.
Select the frequency you want to refresh the data under the Schedule tab.
Then pull your data into the table. Please note the data will dump starting at the cell you have selected.
Repeat this step for every data source. You can pull different data sources into the same sheet, separate sheets or have them in their own file altogether. Having them in separate files will allow you to store more data (Google Sheets has a 5 million cell limit per file). However, having the different sources in the one file will make it easier to do data manipulation.
Step 2. Perform any necessary data manipulation
Now the data is in Google Sheets, you can manipulate the data with any spreadsheet function.
The best way to do this is to open up a new sheet in the same file and then reference the sheet containing the raw data.
Please note, if you only need to do simple calculations on a handful of data sources, you can do this in Google Data Studio itself using Calculated Fields, rather than in Google Sheets. However, once your calculations involve more than 5 data sources, you will want to process them beforehand in Google Sheets and feed it in as a separate data source.
Step 3. Connect your Google Sheets to Google Data Studio
Once your data is all prepared, login to Google Data Studio.
Select ‘Create’ > ‘Data Source’.
Then select the Google Sheets connector.
Select the file you want and connect it up.
Step 4. Setup your Google Data Studio report / dashboard
To display your data, you need to create a report.
There are an array of templates available in Google Data Studio, as well as online.
If you have a unique setup, or certain metrics you need to display, then you may want to create your own.
For example, I created one to help me monitor key metrics across multiple ad networks. Get the template free when you sign up for Supermetrics for Google Sheets using this link, and email me the receipt at contact [at] cmocasetudies [dot] com
One thing to note if you are new to Google Data Studio. It can be laggy, especially when you are connecting multiple, large data sources on the same report.
Bottom Line
Supermetrics for Google Sheets is an invaluable tool for marketers who need to streamline their analysis and reporting.
Supermetrics for Google Sheets supports most ad networks, however is limited in what other sources it supports (e.g. CRMs, shopping carts) out of the box.
However, with recent VC funding in 2020, this should improve this already great tool.
Supermetrics for Google Sheets is better than Supermetrics for Google Data Studio for marketers who want more control over what metrics they display on their Google Data Studio reports.
However, it does involve a steeper learning curve.
Regardless, as a marketing professional myself, I highly recommend Supermetrics for Google Sheets for anyone who needs to keep an eye on their marketing operations, or regularly create reports for clients or team members.
Sign up for Supermetrics for Google Sheets using this link, email me the receipt at contact [at] cmocasetudies [dot] com and get the Google Data Studio template I use to monitor the performance of multiple ad networks, with Supermetrics for Google Sheets.
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