Once your campaign is up and running, you’ll want to monitor performance and use that information to adjust your strategies as needed. Don’t forget to make sure that your Google Analytics account is connected to your Google Ads account and that you have conversion tracking set up. This will give you access to as much data as possible about how your ad campaigns are performing.
There are many different metrics available for campaign performance, so we’ve included the most important ones below, along with some guidance on how you can use these metrics to know how your campaign is performing. Use the worksheet on the last page to track your campaign performance and understand what is working and what needs adjusting.
Metrics To Track
Impressions – How many times your display or discovery ad was shown to viewers. This number includes multiple impressions by the same viewer.
View rate – How many people have actually watched your video ad compared to the number of people that it was shown to. This metric is only relevant for skippable ads.
Average cost per view/impression (CPV/CPM) – The average cost for each video
view or thousand impressions.
Click-through rate (CTR) – How many people clicked on your ad compared to the number of people that saw it.
Earnings per view/impression – How much revenue you have earned on average per video ad view or non-video ad impression.
Engagement Performance – How many times your video ad has been watched for at least 10 seconds (or to completion if the video is less than 10 seconds).
Reach – How many unique viewers your ad has been displayed to.
Frequency – The average number of times each viewer has been shown your ad.
Video Viewership – What percentage of your video ad is viewed and how often. Metrics are displayed for 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of your video length.
Performance Metric Interpretation Examples:
Low view rate – this means a lot of people are skipping your ad. This can indicate that your targeting is not correct, your ad content is not engaging, or that your ad is too long.
High view rate – this means your content and targeting are working, and that viewers find your ad interesting enough to continue watching instead of skipping.
Low CTR – this indicates that something in your campaign needs adjusting. It could be your targeting, ad content, or call-to-action.
High CTR – this indicates that your audience targeting, ad content, and/or call-to-action are doing a good job generating interest and action.
Vanity Numbers vs Meaningful Metrics:
Don’t confuse high numbers with success. Getting thousands of ad views sounds great but if your goal is to get clicks to your website and purchases of your product, views alone aren’t enough to achieve that goal.
Combining metrics can give you an even better understanding of how your campaign is performing. One metric alone often doesn’t give enough information to understand the bigger picture.
High view rate + low CTR – this can indicate a poor performing CTA. Your ad is engaging enough to get people to watch, but they aren’t doing what you want them to do in the end. You may need to change up your CTA or make it more obvious.
High CTR + low earnings per view – this can indicate a problem with your landing page. Your ad is engaging and direct enough that people are watching and clicking through, but they aren’t signing up for your offer or completing a purchase once they land on your website. You may need to modify your landing page to increase conversions.