Weather-Based Performance Reporting

Overview

Spreadsheet tool that will scrape weather.com forecasts to log daily Weather conditions for your client's targeted Zip Code. You can add multiple zip codes into this one tool and use filters in GDS to parse the data appropriately.

GDS template for reporting on the weather data with a Google Analytics blended dataset is also included below.

Setting Up The Sheet

• Make a copy of the sheet by clicking the button above. One sheet for one client.

• Rename the sheet "Weather Data | <Client>" and place in your client's folder or however you stay organized :)

• Go to the "Settings" tab. Delete the placeholder and enter your client name and the Zip Code you want to record weather data for – whatever is most applicable for the client's target market.

• Enter your email address at the top right corner of this tab. If there are any issues with the data retrieval, you'll get an email notifying you of the issue.

• Within about 30-60 seconds after opening the sheet, you should see a menu item called "Sheet Setup" to the right of the "Help" menu

• Once you've added your zip code(s), open that menu and select "Log Today's Weather."

• Authorize the script by following the pop-up instructions.

• After the dialog box closes, if the green "Running Script" alert is at the top of the screen for more than 5 seconds, just hit "Cancel" and click "Log Today's Weather" again. You should now see today's forecast on Row 2 of the "Weather Report" tab, where the logs will be collected.

• Now go back to Sheet Setup and click "Schedule Daily Data Logs," which will just instruct the script to fire every day between 12am and 1am ET.

• Once you see a dialog box pop up with the message: "Your Triggers To Log Weather Data To The 'Weather Report' Sheet Have Been Created. Data Will Log Daily Between 12am & 1am. Check In Tomorrow To Ensure That Logging Is Occurring Properly." you are all set! Click Ok.

• That's it!

Setting Up The Report

This is just a template report. You can follow the general set up of this and blend this Weather dataset with any other Data source you'd like. Just follow this template as a sample. The report below will just blend together Weather data and Google Analytics data (which will include linked Google Ads data).

• Start by making a copy of the Weather Data Source and clicking "Edit Connection" in the top left corner of your new Data Source to change the Source to the sheet you created above.

• Rename the Data Source "Weather Data | <Client>" to stay organized!

• Close the Data Source window when you're done.

• Open the Template Report at the link below.

• If you want to just merge this report in with an existing report on a new page, you can just click & drag over all elements in the 4 Weather Rows before Copying and Pasting them into the report you'd like to include this in. Once it's pasted onto a new page in that report, just be sure to swap out all the Data Sources that have come along with it with the appropriate Data Sources and remove the Template Sources from the Resources > Manage Added Data Sources page!

• To duplicate: simply click the Duplicate button at the top right corner of the screen and swap out the Data Sources with a standard GA Data Source and the Weather Data Sheet you've created above. Click Apply and the new report will be created!

• Rename the report: "Weather Report | <Client>" or something distinct for your client!