Google Ads Analytics Across Search, Shopping and PMax
Orphex is Google Ads analytics for the places waste hides: search terms, Performance Max, Shopping products, keywords and placements. It reads GA4 and Search Console in the same view and, through the Orphex MCP, proposes fixes such as negative keywords as previews you confirm.
| Product | Spend | Revenue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trail Runner 2 | $4,820 | $21,300 | Scale |
| Rain Jacket | $2,140 | $0 | No sales |
| Wool Socks 3-pack | $310 | $2,960 | Starved |
Google Ads Analytics vs Google Analytics
Google Ads reports what happened around your ads: impressions, clicks, cost and the conversions that followed an ad click. Google Analytics (GA4) measures behavior on your site or app from every traffic source. Google Ads analytics needs both views. Orphex reads them side by side and keeps each one’s conversion count as that platform reports it.
- CoveredCampaigns, keywords and search terms
Search, Shopping, Dynamic Search Ads and Performance Max.
- CoveredGA4
Site and app behavior from every source, next to ad results.
- CoveredSearch Console
Organic queries read beside paid search terms.
- CoveredMerchant Center
Product status and issues for the Ads account. Read only.
- CoveredGoogle Tag Manager
Container changes read; tag edits and rollbacks proposed as previews in the Orphex MCP.
- Not coveredOne merged conversion number
Google Ads and GA4 count differently. Orphex shows both instead of blending them.
Search Terms and Negative Keywords
Orphex reads the search terms behind your Search and Shopping campaigns, Dynamic Search Ads and Performance Max, plus Google’s category-level view of search demand. Search Term Cleaning goes through them with you and suggests which to exclude.
In the Orphex MCP, negatives go back as one keyword packet: up to 1,000 keyword operations in a single preview you confirm, at campaign or ad group level. Microsoft Advertising, Pinterest and Yandex Direct take negative keywords too, one per preview.
For example: “free”, “jobs” and “diy” searches that took spend last month without a conversion come back as one packet of negatives for your review.
Performance Max, Opened Up
Search terms
The terms a Performance Max campaign matched, with metrics and whether each one is already excluded.
Asset groups and assets
What each asset group and linked asset delivered: impressions, clicks, cost and conversions.
Structure
Asset groups, audience signals and listing group filters in one list.
Which products a campaign covers
Through the Orphex MCP, add or remove listing group filters, each as a preview you confirm.
AI Max matches
On Search campaigns that use AI Max, which search term was matched to which headline and landing page.
Shopping Products and Why They Don’t Serve
For the products your Ads account can advertise, Orphex reads Merchant Center status and the issues behind it: Google’s error code, its severity, the attribute at fault and a link to Google’s help article.
For standard Shopping campaigns, it reads the product group tree, so you see how inventory is split by custom label, brand or product type. Over the MCP, Orphex does not edit the feed; that happens in Merchant Center or your feed tool.
| Issue | Products | Spend at risk |
|---|---|---|
| Disapproved: missing GTIN | 38 | $1,940/mo |
| Price mismatch with landing page | 12 | $860/mo |
| Impressions but no clicks | 64 | $410/mo |
Connecting Google Ads to an AI Assistant
Google publishes an official Google Ads MCP server. Here is how it compares with connecting through Orphex.
| Question | Google Ads MCP (official) | Orphex MCP |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On your machine, or self-hosted on Cloud Run | Hosted; sign in from Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft 365 Copilot or Cursor |
| Setup | A Google Cloud project, OAuth credentials and a command-line install | Sign in and connect the account |
| Changes to the account | None, read only | Negatives, budgets, bids, status, campaigns and more, each a preview you confirm, on the Free and Action plans |
| Other sources in the same chat | Google Ads only | GA4, Search Console, Merchant Center, Tag Manager and the rest of 50+ integrations |
Sources: googleads/google-ads-mcp repository and Google’s docs (updated September 2026); Orphex MCP platform table. As of October 2026.
Tracking Health With Tag Manager
When conversions drop overnight, the cause is often a tag, not the campaign. Through the MCP, Orphex reads your Tag Manager container’s changes so you can find which one broke tracking, then proposes restoring the affected tags to their earlier state.
It also lists the conversion actions your Google Ads account measures, which ones are primary and how each one counts, and can propose updates to them as previews.
- Daily budget $4,300 → $3,440 · confirmed by DenizOrphex
- Proposed by assistant in Claude · previewedOrphex
- Audience edited directlyAds Manager
- Status Paused → ActiveAds Manager
Alerts, Recommendations and Impact Analysis
Custom alerts watch the Google Ads metrics you pick and notify Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp or email. Anomaly detection compares results with your account’s expected range, which tells you more than a generic CTR benchmark.
Through the Orphex MCP, Google’s own recommendations can be applied or dismissed as previews, and auto-apply can be turned on or off per recommendation type. After a budget or bid strategy change, Impact Analysis estimates what it did against a modelled baseline.
Dashed line: what Orphex expected without the change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Google Ads and Google Analytics?
Google Ads runs and reports your ads, including conversions after ad clicks. Google Analytics measures behavior on your site or app from all traffic sources. Orphex reads both side by side.
Do I need a third-party tool for Google Ads reporting?
Not for the basics. A tool helps when you compare Google with other channels, want alerts and a change history, or need a written weekly summary.
How do I see Performance Max search terms?
Orphex reads the search terms a Performance Max campaign matched, with metrics and whether each term is already excluded.
Can Orphex add negative keywords for me?
Yes, through the Orphex MCP. It proposes them, shows the change as a preview and sends it once the preview is confirmed. On Google Ads one preview can hold a packet of up to 1,000 keyword operations.
Why don’t Google Ads and GA4 conversions match?
They use different attribution, counting and timing. Orphex shows both and does not merge them into one number.
What is a good CTR for Google Ads?
It depends on network, industry and intent. Compare against your own history: Orphex’s anomaly detection uses your account’s expected range.
Find the Google Ads Spend You Can Cut
Connect Google Ads on the free MCP plan and ask which search terms spent without converting last month. Or book a demo for the web app.
