TrueClicks can’t pull auction insights from Google Ads directly, because the Google Ads API doesn’t make that data available to us. To fill that gap, you set up a scheduled Auction insights report in Google Ads that writes to a Google Sheet, then link that sheet to TrueClicks. After that, the Auction Insights for AI check, the TrueClicks AI assistant, and the TrueClicks MCP can all use your competitor data.
It takes four parts: create the report in Google Ads, schedule it to Google Sheets, share the sheet with TrueClicks, and paste the sheet link into TrueClicks.
Before you start, you need:
Access to the Google Ads account or manager account (MCC) you want to report on
A Google account that can create Google Sheets
Notes:
Setting this up at manager account level works best. One report can then cover as many accounts as you want.
Your Google Ads interface language doesn’t matter. TrueClicks reads the report in all languages supported by Google Ads.
Part 1: Create the auction insights report in Google Ads
Part 1: Create the auction insights report in Google Ads
In Google Ads, open your manager account or a single account and go to Insights and reports > Report editor.
Scroll down to the predefined reports and open Competitive visibility.
Select Auction insights: Search to create a new report.
Note: Only Auction insights: Search is supported for now. Shopping auction insights won’t work.
Drag the Campaign and Week dimensions into the report. Both are required.
Set the date range to Last 30 days. Don’t use a custom date range. A custom range is fixed, so the report would keep sending the same old data.
If you’re in a manager account, select the accounts you want to include.
Check that all the default columns are still in the report, including Customer ID. Don’t remove any of them. TrueClicks uses Customer ID to match each row to the right account.
Important: Removing default columns can break the import.
Part 2: Schedule the report to Google Sheets
Part 2: Schedule the report to Google Sheets
Click Schedule.
Set the frequency to Weekly on Monday. Daily also works, but weekly is our recommendation.
Set the format to Google Sheets and sign in with your Google account when asked.
Turn on Automatically refresh report. This updates the same spreadsheet every week instead of creating a new file each time.
Important: If Automatically refresh report is off, Google Ads creates a new spreadsheet every week, and TrueClicks keeps reading the old one.
Leave the dropdown on Create a new report.
Enter a File name (for example, “AuctionInsights_TrueClicks”) and choose a Folder in your Google Drive.
Under Who do you want to share the report with?, add at least one recipient, such as yourself or a colleague. This field is required. You will share the sheet with TrueClicks in the next part, not here.
Click Schedule. Google Ads creates the spreadsheet in the folder you chose.
Part 3: Share the spreadsheet with TrueClicks
Part 3: Share the spreadsheet with TrueClicks
You can’t share the sheet from the Google Ads schedule settings. You have to do it in Google Sheets.
Open the new spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
Click Share and add the TrueClicks service account:
trueclicks@trueclicks-app-sheets-access.iam.gserviceaccount.com
Give it Viewer access and click Send.
Part 4: Link the spreadsheet in TrueClicks
Part 4: Link the spreadsheet in TrueClicks
Copy the spreadsheet URL from your browser’s address bar.
In TrueClicks, open the custom attributes for the account. You can do this from the right-most column of the All accounts dashboard, or on the top right on the account page. See Introducing custom attributes for details.
On the Custom Attributes tab, scroll to Additional.
Paste the URL into Do you want to analyze Auction Insight data?
Click Save & Close.
That’s it. TrueClicks picks up new data each time Google Ads refreshes the sheet.
What TrueClicks shows from your data
The Auction Insight for AI check ignores competitors with a search impression share below 10%.
Tip: Managing several accounts? Set the spreadsheet URL in one account, then copy it to the rest with bulk edit for custom attributes. This only works for accounts included in your Google Ads report, so set up the report at the manager account level and select all the accounts you want to cover in step 6.