In this post, we will examine the 5 Important Google Ads Metrics you should monitor, and they are the following:

With all the Google Ads metrics available, identifying what matters the most is vital to measuring your account performance.

1. Impressions
2. Clicks
3. CTR
4. Search Impression Share
5. Average CPC

Important Google Ads Metrics #1 Impressions 

Analyzing impressions lets advertisers gauge if the ads are appearing on the search results page.

When your ad is on the search results page (Google Network), this counts as one “impression” in Google Ads.

Essentially, an impression is the number of times your ad is “seen,” but just because your ad is on a search result page, doesn’t mean that the user actually saw it. This metric alone does not indicate the overall performance of the account.

If your ad isn’t showing, you’re not even providing searchers a chance to click anything which defeats the purpose of running ads. The bottom line here is that you first need impressions if you’re expecting to perform well in other areas.

Important Google Ads Metrics #2 Clicks

“Clicks” in Google Ads are recorded whenever someone clicks on your ad or any ad extensions.

Note: If someone clicks your ad and is unable to reach your website (404 error), their action will still count as a click.

If your campaign receives the right amount of impressions but no clicks, it may be an effect of the following:

1. Low-Quality Score: The ad copy and overall ad relevancy score are too low.

2. Keywords: Low search keywords implemented

3. Campaign Budget: You assigned a low budget for that campaign (limited budget)

4. Biding: The bidding strategy may not work for your particular goal, or the bid itself is too small.

Important Google Ads Metrics #3 Click-Through-Rate (CTR)

CTR helps advertisers assess the relevance and effectiveness of a campaign. 

Obtaining a high ratio of clicks to impressions indicates that your campaigns target the right audience with relevant keywords and ad text. 

In contrast, a low CTR shows that there is some disconnect between you and your audience. 

Important Google Ads Metrics #4 Search Impression Share

Search impression share is the number of impressions received divided by the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive. 

Eligibility is measured by your current ads’ targeting settings, bids, and quality scores.

We spend a significant amount of time analyzing search impression share, and depending on the campaign, we like to aim for 80-95%.

Search impression share tells us how a particular campaign is performing, if a campaign is less than the optimal goal of 80%, we then assess if it is a result of lost to budget or rank.

Search impression share (loss to budget) solutions:

• increase the campaign budget
• decrease the targeted areas

Search impression share (loss to rank) solutions:

• increase your keyword bid
• improve your ad quality
• improve your quality score

Important Google Ads Metrics #5 Average Cost-Per-Click (CPC)

Average CPC in Google Ads is the average amount of how much you pay for each person who clicks on your campaign, so it’s a crucial financial metric. 

It’s essential to pay attention to CPC to understand if you’re overpaying or underpaying per click. 

The primary reason why your CPC may increase is due to an increase in competition for ad space. (visit your auction insights) 

Wrapping It Up

Analyzing one of these metrics alone will not provide the needed answers for optimizing your campaign. Still, at a universal level, each one can point you in the proper direction towards understanding why the numbers are what they are and what needs to be addressed? If you have any questions regarding Google Ads, please fill out our contact form, and we will respond within 24 hours.