How to track ad spend and ROAS
BrandOps' Ad Spend tracker keeps every paid channel's spend, clicks, conversions, and ROAS in one table, whether you type it in yourself or let it sync automatically from Google Ads.
This guide walks through manual logging, auto-sync, and how ROAS gets calculated.
Logging Spend Manually
Click Log spend and fill in one entry per period, per channel. Nothing here is required to sync with an ad platform first.
- Pick a Channel, then a period start and end date the entry covers.
- Enter Spend (required), then optionally Clicks, Impressions, Conversions, and Conversion Value.
- Add free-form Notes for anything worth remembering later, like a creative name or campaign objective.
- Every entry can be edited or deleted afterward from the same table.
Channels
BrandOps tracks five channels side by side so your whole paid budget lives in one table instead of five separate spreadsheets.
- Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Other are all logged the same way, with the same fields.
- There's no per-day granularity requirement. A period can be a single day, a week, or a whole campaign flight, whatever matches how you actually track spend.
Auto-Syncing Google Ads
Once your Google Ads account is connected, BrandOps can log that channel's spend for you every day, no manual entry required.
- An "Auto-sync from Google Ads" toggle appears on the Ad Spend page once your account is connected.
- Turning it on logs yesterday's Google Ads spend automatically every day for that channel.
- Auto-synced rows are tagged with an "Auto" badge in the table, so you can tell at a glance which entries you didn't type in yourself.
- Auto-synced entries are keyed separately from manual entries for the same period, so the two never overwrite each other.
Reading ROAS & Your Totals
The page header always shows three running numbers, and every entry gets its own ROAS the moment it has a conversion value.
- The header shows your total entry count, total spend across every entry, and total conversion value across every entry.
- Each row's ROAS is Conversion Value ÷ Spend, shown as a multiple (e.g. 3.20x). It only appears once you've logged a conversion value; otherwise the column shows a dash.
- Conversions (a raw count) and ROAS (a value ratio) are tracked as two separate optional fields, so you can log one without the other.
Editing & Deleting Entries
Every logged entry, manual or auto-synced, stays fully editable from the same table.
- Click into any row to update its channel, period, spend, or performance numbers.
- Delete an entry outright if it was logged in error. This doesn't affect any other entry or your Google Ads connection itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts toward the "total spend" shown at the top of the Ad Spend page?
Every entry's Spend field, added together: manual entries and auto-synced entries both count. The page header also shows your entry count and total conversion value across every logged entry.
How is ROAS calculated?
ROAS is Conversion Value ÷ Spend for that entry, shown as a multiple like 3.20x. If you haven't logged a conversion value, or spend is zero, the ROAS column just shows a dash instead of a number.
What's the difference between a manual entry and an "Auto" entry?
A manual entry is one you typed in yourself. An entry tagged "Auto" was logged by BrandOps' daily Google Ads sync job rather than a person, and it's kept as a distinct record so it never collides with a manual entry you made for the same period.
Which channels can I log spend for?
Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn, or Other. Auto-sync only applies to Google, since that's the one channel BrandOps has a live API connection for today.
Do I need to connect Google Ads to use this page?
No. Manual logging works for every channel regardless of any connection. The auto-sync toggle for Google Ads only appears once you've connected your Google Ads account from Settings.
Can auto-synced and manually entered spend for the same period both exist?
Yes. A manual entry and an auto-synced entry for the same brand, channel, and date range are tracked as separate rows rather than overwriting each other, so switching auto-sync on never erases anything you logged by hand.
What happens if I turn auto-sync off?
BrandOps stops logging new Google Ads entries automatically going forward. Every entry it already logged stays in your history untouched.
Ready to log your ad spend?
Open Ad Spend to log your first entry or connect Google Ads for daily auto-sync.
Go to Ad SpendRelated guides
Something unclear? Contact support or send feedback from your dashboard settings.