18 Essential PPC Campaign Metrics to Track (& How to Improve All)

Success in the world of PPC isn’t about throwing money at ads and hoping for the best—it’s about knowing your numbers. Without understanding your click-through rates, conversion metrics, and ROI, you’re essentially navigating a jungle blindfolded. But don’t worry, every trailblazer needs a guide.

Ultimately, measuring your PPC metrics is the compass that directs your campaigns toward success. The best part? With the right tools and partners, it doesn’t have to feel like rocket science—it’s more like finding the perfect recipe for ROI greatness!

We dug out the most important 16 metrics to measure in 2025 and asked our top paid advertising agency experts what they think about it. Keep reading if you want to stay on top of your numbers (and make sure you keep an eye on the ones that will help you move the needle.)

Average CTR

Click-Through Rate (CTR) measures the percentage of users who click on an ad after seeing it. A higher CTR indicates that your ad is relevant and compelling to the audience. This metric is crucial as it reflects the effectiveness of your ad creatives and their ability to attract interest.

How to improve this metric

• Experiment with different ad headlines and descriptions to see what resonates best with your audience.
• Include compelling calls-to-action that motivate users to take the desired step, such as "Shop Now" or "Learn More."
• Make sure the ad design is visually appealing and aligns with your brand to capture attention effectively.
• Focus on targeting the right audience to ensure your ad reaches people who are most likely to engage with it.

Quality Score

Quality Score is a Google Ads metric that evaluates the relevance of your ad, keywords, and landing page to the user. A higher Quality Score reduces your cost per click and improves ad placements. It’s essential for maintaining efficient ad campaigns.

How to improve this metric

• Ensure your landing pages are optimized for both relevance and loading speed to provide users with a seamless experience.
• Incorporate highly relevant keywords that align closely with the user’s search queries to improve ad targeting.
• Craft compelling ad copy that directly matches the user’s search intent, making your ad more engaging and effective.
• Regularly monitor and analyze keyword performance, refining your strategy over time for better results.

Impression Share

Impression Share represents the percentage of total eligible impressions your ads receive. It’s a key indicator of your visibility in the competitive space of digital advertising. Maximizing your impression share ensures better reach.

How to improve this metric

• Increase your bid in competitive spaces to ensure your ads have a better chance of appearing in high-visibility areas.
• Focus on optimizing your Quality Score, as a higher score will improve your ad positioning while keeping costs manageable.
• Adjust your budget to allow for higher visibility, especially in key moments when your audience is more active.
• Target specific time slots to reach your audience when they are most likely to engage with your ads.

Average Cost per Click

Average Cost per Click (CPC) measures how much you’re paying on average for each ad click. Lowering CPC while maintaining the same results can increase your campaign ROI.

How to improve this metric

• Focus on high-performing, relevant keywords to ensure your ads reach the right audience and drive meaningful traffic.
• Incorporate negative keywords to filter out irrelevant searches and reduce unnecessary clicks that don’t convert.
• Work on improving your ad Quality Score by creating compelling ad copy and aligning it with your landing pages.
• Regularly analyze campaign performance to identify areas of improvement and optimize your ads for better results.

Conversion Rate

Conversion Rate is the percentage of users who complete a desired action after clicking on your ad. It’s one of the most critical metrics for evaluating campaign success as it directly impacts ROI.

How to improve this metric

• Simplify the conversion process on landing pages by removing unnecessary steps and making the call-to-action clear and easy to follow.
• Create audience-specific ad campaigns that speak directly to the needs and interests of your target audience.
• Use A/B testing to compare different elements of your campaigns and continually optimize performance based on the results.
• Incorporate trust signals, such as customer reviews, testimonials, or certifications, to build credibility and reassure potential customers.

Cost per Action/ Cost per Conversion

Cost per Action (CPA) indicates the cost of acquiring a conversion. It’s an essential metric for budgeting and ensuring profitability in your campaigns.

How to improve this metric

• Optimize targeting to focus on high-intent users
• Implement automated bidding strategies for CPA
• Refine underperforming ads with lower Quality Scores
• Evaluate and enhance funnel efficiency

Average Position

Average Position determines the rank of your ad in comparison to competitors. A higher average position increases the likelihood of clicks and visibility.

How to improve this metric

• Regularly monitor your Quality Score and make necessary adjustments to improve ad performance and efficiency.
• Use aggressive bidding strategies when needed to stay competitive and capture high-value opportunities.
• Continuously refine your ad relevance to better align with user intent and increase engagement.
• Implement granular targeting to reach the right audience more effectively and maximize campaign results.

Average CPM

Cost Per Mille (CPM) reflects the cost for every 1,000 impressions. This metric is especially crucial for brand awareness campaigns and measuring overall reach.

How to improve this metric

• Prioritize placing ads on platforms and locations that consistently deliver higher engagement to maximize your reach.
• Experiment with various ad formats, such as video, carousel, and static images, to determine which performs best with your audience.
• Refine and streamline your audience targeting criteria to ensure your ads are reaching the most relevant and interested users.
• Allocate your advertising budget to the channels that generate the best results, optimizing your spending for maximum ROI.

Total Impression Rate

Total Impression Rate refers to the percentage of potential impressions your ad receives during a campaign. Higher total impression rates help ensure that your brand message reaches its audience.

How to improve this metric

• Enhance the precision of your targeting by using clear and specific demographic filters to reach the right audience.
• Optimize your ad schedules by aligning them with the times your audience is most active to maximize engagement.
• Consider increasing your bids to expand your potential reach and connect with a wider audience.
• Regularly refine your keywords and ad placements to ensure your campaigns remain relevant and effective.

Average CPV

Cost Per View (CPV) is the average amount paid for video ad views. It’s a particularly important metric in video ad campaigns, determining cost efficiency and user engagement levels.

How to improve this metric

• Focus on creating engaging video content that captures attention and keeps viewers interested.
• Leverage audience targeting tools to ensure your videos reach viewers who are most likely to engage with your message.
• Experiment with different video lengths and formats to determine which ones perform best for your audience.
• Regularly monitor performance metrics to identify areas for improvement and optimize your videos for better results.

View-through Conversions

View-through conversions occur when a user views your ad but doesn’t click and later completes the desired action. This metric is vital for evaluating the indirect influence of your ads.

How to improve this metric

Search Impression Lost

Search Impression Lost quantifies the percentage of search ad impressions lost due to budget or rank. This metric helps pinpoint opportunities to amplify visibility.

How to improve this metric

• Increase the daily ad spend for campaigns that show a strong return on investment to maximize their performance and reach.
• Focus on enhancing Quality Scores to achieve higher rankings in ad auctions and improve overall ad efficiency.
• Utilize negative keywords to refine your targeting, ensuring your ads reach the most relevant audience while reducing wasted spend.
• Adjust your bids strategically based on competition to remain competitive and capture high-value opportunities.

Display Impression Lost

Display Impression Lost measures missed impressions on display networks. Understanding this metric helps improve campaign coverage and visibility.

How to improve this metric

• Increase your advertising budget during high-demand periods to maximize visibility and capitalize on heightened consumer interest.
• Focus on placing ads in highly effective locations with strong engagement potential to ensure your message reaches the right audience.
• Continuously test different ad creatives to evaluate their relevance and appeal, refining them for better performance.
• Utilize contextual targeting strategies to align your ads with the content your audience is already engaging with.

ROAS

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) measures the revenue earned for every dollar spent on advertising. Higher ROAS signifies better campaign profitability and performance.

• Create ads that are visually impactful and leave a lasting impression on your audience to ensure they stand out.
• Use retargeting strategies to re-engage users who have previously interacted with your brand and keep them in the loop.
• Dive into view-through data to uncover patterns and insights that can inform and improve your campaigns.
• Focus on optimizing your ads to maintain top-of-mind awareness, ensuring your brand stays front and center for your audience.

How to improve this metric

• Focus your efforts on creating high-converting campaigns and ads that drive measurable results and maximize profitability.
• Increase your investment in platforms that demonstrate a strong return on ad spend (ROAS) to optimize your budget and performance.
• Diversify your ad formats and channels to reach a broader audience and improve your overall return on investment (ROI).
• Conduct detailed analytics to identify and improve underperforming campaigns, ensuring your marketing strategy remains effective and efficient.

Relative CTR

Relative CTR compares the CTR of your ad to other ads in the same space. It offers insights into how well your ads resonate with the audience versus competitors’.

How to improve this metric

• Refine your ad copy to align closely with your audience's intent, ensuring it speaks directly to their needs and interests.
• Use creative elements that are visually striking to grab attention and make your ads stand out from the competition.
• Experiment with different ad placements to determine where your audience engages the most and maximize your reach.
• Regularly monitor competitor performance to identify trends, opportunities, and areas where you can improve.

Invalid Clicks

Invalid clicks result from activity such as bots, accidental clicks, or malicious behavior. Understanding and reducing them ensures ad spend is optimized for legitimate engagement.

How to improve this metric

• Leverage automated click-fraud detection tools to identify and prevent fraudulent activity on your ads.
• Exclude irrelevant and low-quality ad placements to ensure your budget is spent on valuable opportunities.
• Regularly monitor your campaigns for suspicious spikes in click activity, which could indicate fraudulent behavior.
• Use IP exclusions to block known fraudulent sources and protect your ad spend from being wasted.

Engagements

Engagements measure user interactions with your ad beyond clicks, such as likes, shares, or comments. This metric showcases the ad’s ability to connect and resonate with the audience.

How to improve this metric

• Encourage user engagement by incorporating interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, or sliders that invite participation and keep audiences interested.
• Leverage social proof by showcasing testimonials, reviews, or user-generated content in your ad copy and design to build trust and credibility.
• Focus on storytelling to create emotional connections with your audience, making your message more relatable and memorable.
• Use relevant hashtags or align with current trends to increase visibility and ensure your content reaches the right audience.

Interactions

Interactions encompass all types of user activity with your ad, indicating its overall effectiveness across platforms. It reflects how well your ad captures attention and drives participation.

How to improve this metric

• Always use clear and tailored calls-to-action that align with your audience's needs and encourage immediate engagement.
• Focus your efforts on optimizing content for platforms with high interaction rates to maximize visibility and results.
• Experiment with different ad formats, such as carousel or video ads, to see which resonates most with your target audience.
• Regularly gather and evaluate user feedback to refine your tone and messaging for better connection and impact.

Extra tips from Mayple experts

We wanted to see what our top PPC experts think of the main metrics to measure in paid -- so we asked them. Special thanks go to the following agencies and specialists who provided us with their expertise-fueled insights:

• Daniel Johnson
• Abdo Mazloum (Webtmize)
• Jesus Noguera
• Cristian Calls (Cosmic Growth)
• Michael D Elicio (Dweeso)
• Sergio Felix
• Andrew Maff (BlueTuskr)

Prioritize financial KPIs

Financial KPIs are vital to the success of any paid media campaign. Always focus on key performance indicators that directly affect your finances, such as revenue, return on investment (ROI), and return on ad spend (ROAS). These metrics ensure that your campaigns are aligned with profitability goals and help guide scaling decisions.

Build a KPI pyramid

Developing a hierarchical structure of KPIs can help align overall business goals with specific campaign metrics. A KPI pyramid ensures that each level of the funnel is measured and optimized effectively, creating a clear connection between top-level objectives and individual performance indicators.

Improving click-through rate (CTR)

CTR is a critical metric for measuring audience engagement. To improve CTR, focus on enhancing your ad copy and creative assets. High-quality, compelling content tailored to your audience can significantly boost interaction and clicks.

Enhancing conversion rate (CVR)

Conversion rates are influenced by several factors, including landing page quality, customer service, branding, and promotions. Ensuring a seamless user experience and a strong alignment between ad messaging and landing pages can drive better conversion outcomes.

Effective conversion tracking

Accurate conversion tracking is essential in paid media campaigns. Track low, middle, and high-value actions, assigning a monetary value to each conversion when appropriate. This approach enables value-based bidding strategies, focusing on the most profitable outcomes. Metrics like cost per acquisition (CPA) and customer lifetime value (CLV) offer insights into both short- and long-term campaign success.

Developing a measurement framework

Create a measurement framework in alignment with client goals and stakeholder expectations. This framework should emphasize three main metrics across the funnel:

• Volume (e.g., impressions, clicks)
• Quality (e.g., CTR, CVR)
• Cost/revenue (e.g., CPA, ROAS)

Apply these measures to different funnel stages, such as top of funnel (TOFU), middle of funnel (MOFU), and bottom of funnel (BOFU), and tailor them to individual platforms like Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, etc.

Focusing on cost per acquisition (CPA)

CPA is the most important metric to track. Ideally, actual customer acquisition or purchase should be used as the primary conversion to monitor. For lower CPA, optimize landing pages, ensure consistency between ads and landing pages, and refine targeting. Analyze the causes of low conversion rates and address them strategically.

Monitoring return on ad spend (ROAS)

ROAS determines profitability and informs scaling opportunities. Before launching campaigns, establish a target ROAS or CPA to align with client expectations. Improving ROAS involves testing different campaign types and continuously optimizing assets, such as images, videos, and copy.

Evaluating average cost per mille (CPM)

CPM is a valuable metric, especially for top-of-funnel strategies. On platforms like Meta and Google, examining CPM helps identify whether ad costs are too high or if other campaigns might provide more reach at a lower cost. By lowering CPM, CPC and ROAS will improve, ensuring better overall campaign performance.

Essential PPC campaign metrics to track (& how to improve them)

Key metrics like ROAS, CPC, and CTR are the foundation of campaign performance analysis, but CPM often goes unnoticed. A/B testing your ad copy and investing in high-quality creative can not only lower CPM but also expand your audience reach, thereby supporting top-of-funnel activities. Keeping CPM low consistently leads to better CPC and ROAS metrics.

Conclusion: focus on what matters most

While it's easy to get lost in a sea of metrics and numbers, the key to running successful PPC campaigns lies in measuring what truly matters. Rather than obsessing over every minor figure, prioritize the metrics that align with your business goals—such as ROAS, CPM, and CTR—and optimize strategies around them. A clear focus on impactful data points ensures your efforts drive meaningful results without unnecessary complexity.

Need more clarity, precision, or simply someone to lend you an expert hand in your PPC efforts? Hire a vetted paid advertising agency or paid advertising expert from Mayple's database. Contact us and we'll match you with the best agency or expert for your specific needs (and we'll manage the entire process of working with them, in an unbiased way, as well.)