Reporting and Dashboards Checklist

Complete Marketing Dashboard Checklist

This checklist helps you verify data quality, structure useful dashboards and set a simple rhythm for reporting and decisions. Start with data integrity, then align KPIs, and finally build dashboards that your team will read in under 5 minutes.

1) Data integrity checklist

• GA4 property and data streams are correct for your domain and subdomains.
• Key events and conversions are defined (form submits, calls, sales, qualified leads).
• UTM standards documented and used across Ads, Email, Social and Partnerships.
• Cross-domain and referral exclusions set (payment gateways, CRM domains).
• Consent banner behaviour and data retention align with Australian Privacy Act expectations.
• Server-side or enhanced conversions considered where signal loss is material.
• Ad platform pixels are installed and deduplicated (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn).
• Test conversions verified end-to-end in GA4 and ad platforms.

2) Commercial KPI checklist

Dashboards exist to answer one question: are we creating pipeline and revenue efficiently?

• Goal-level KPIs: leads, qualified leads, opportunities, revenue, gross margin.
• Efficiency KPIs: CPL, CPA, ROAS, CAC, payback period.
• Channel KPIs: sessions, CTR, CPC, conversion rate, cost per qualified lead.
• Quality KPIs: lead source accuracy, lead-to-appointment rate, no-show rate.
• Customer value KPIs: LTV by segment, LTV:CAC ratio, churn/retention where applicable.

Keep the core dashboard to 5–7 KPIs. Secondary drill-downs can house channel and creative detail.

3) Funnel and stage definitions

Agree on consistent definitions with sales and finance so reporting is trusted.

• Define MQL, SQL and Opportunity with objective rules.
• Track conversion rates: Lead → MQL → SQL → Opportunity → Won.
• Measure average time between stages to spot bottlenecks.
• Annotate changes to definitions so trends remain comparable.
• Sync CRM fields and marketing forms so data is complete at each stage.

4) Attribution and source of truth

No single model is perfect. Use models to inform, not to “prove”.

• Nominate a source of truth for commercial numbers (usually CRM or accounting).
• Use GA4 for behaviour trends and assisted paths; pair with platform data for spend and reach.
• Compare models: last click vs. data-driven vs. first touch for key campaigns.
• For long sales cycles, track self-reported attribution and branded search growth.
• Document known biases (e.g., walled gardens, view-throughs) in the dashboard notes.

5) Dashboard design checklist

• Audience and purpose defined: executive summary vs. channel manager detail.
• One-page summary with colour-coded KPI status and month-on-month deltas.
• Drill-down tabs: traffic, ads, SEO, content, email, social, ecommerce or lead gen.
• Annotations for campaigns, site changes, budget shifts and seasonality.
• Data freshness and last updated timestamp clearly shown.
• Owner assigned for each KPI to drive action and commentary.
• Mobile-friendly layout for leadership review on the go.

6) Reporting cadence and decisions

• Weekly pulse: health checks, anomalies, budget pacing, top wins/risks.
• Monthly review: performance vs. targets, insights, test results, next hypotheses.
• Quarterly planning: channel mix, CAC/LTV, market shifts, roadmap and resourcing.
• Decision log captured in the dashboard so context is never lost.

Dashboards should improve decisions, not just show charts. Tie each review to a small set of actions.

Quick-start marketing dashboard template

If you need a fast, minimal setup:

• Top row: Leads, Qualified Leads, Opportunities, Revenue, ROAS, CAC, LTV:CAC.
• Channel row: Sessions, Cost, Conv. Rate, CPL by Google Ads, Organic, Paid Social, Email, Direct.
• Funnel row: Lead→MQL, MQL→SQL, SQL→Won with time between stages.
• Insights row: 3 wins, 3 risks, 3 next tests with owners and due dates.
• Notes row: Annotations for major changes and external events (public holidays, promos).

Common reporting mistakes to avoid

• Tracking not validated before launching campaigns.
• Too many metrics, no clear KPIs or targets.
• Reporting lag with no data freshness indicator.
• No annotations, so trends are misread.
• Attribution interpreted as certainty rather than guidance.
• Dashboards with no owners or decisions attached.

Where dashboards fit in your growth system

Reporting touches every channel. Strong dashboards connect strategy, creative, websites, tracking and follow-up. If one part is weak, the numbers will mislead or underperform. Pair this checklist with clear channel strategies and realistic commercial targets.

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