Metrics Dashboard Reference: The Essential Metrics You Actually Need

Understanding Metric Categories

Type	Purpose	Examples
Primary	Measure business outcomes	Cost, Conversions, ROAS, CPA
Diagnostic	Explain why results are good/bad	CTR, Conv. Rate, Impression Share

Rule: Primary metrics guide strategy; diagnostic metrics guide tactics.

Essential Traffic Metrics

Metric	Formula	What It Shows
Clicks	-	Total ad clicks
Impressions	-	Times ads shown
CTR	Clicks ÷ Impressions	Ad relevance
Avg. CPC	Cost ÷ Clicks	Auction competitiveness
Cost	-	Total spend

E-Commerce Metrics

Metric	Formula	What It Shows
Conversions	-	Number of sales
ROAS	Conv. Value ÷ Cost	Return on ad spend
CPA	Cost ÷ Conversions	Cost per sale
Conv. Rate	Conversions ÷ Clicks	Landing page effectiveness
AOV	Conv. Value ÷ Conversions	Average order value

Lead Gen Metrics

Metric	Formula	What It Shows
Conversions	-	Number of leads
CPL	Cost ÷ Conversions	Cost per lead
Conv. Rate	Conversions ÷ Clicks	Landing page effectiveness

CTR Benchmarks

Campaign Type	Healthy	Warning	Red Flag
Brand Search	8%+	4-8%	Below 4%
Non-brand Search	3%+	2-3%	Below 2%
Shopping	1%+	0.5-1%	Below 0.5%
Display	0.5%+	0.2-0.5%	Below 0.2%

Conversion Rate Benchmarks

Campaign Type	Good	Average	Below Average
Search (B2B)	5%+	2-5%	Below 2%
Search (E-com)	3%+	1-3%	Below 1%
Shopping	2%+	1-2%	Below 1%

Impression Share Explained

Metric	What It Shows
Search Impr. Share	% of eligible impressions captured
Search Top IS	% in top positions
Search Abs. Top IS	% in position #1
Lost IS (Budget)	% lost due to budget
Lost IS (Rank)	% lost due to ad rank

How to Interpret

Scenario	Meaning	Action
High ROAS + Low IS	Profitable but not maximizing	Increase budget
High Lost IS (Budget)	Budget limiting	Increase budget if profitable
High Lost IS (Rank)	Ad rank limiting	Improve Quality Score/bids

CTR Warning Signs

Issue	Likely Cause	Action
CTR below 2% (Search)	Weak ad copy or wrong keywords	Improve headlines, check search terms
Sudden CTR drop	New competitor or ad fatigue	Check auction insights, refresh ads

Conversion Rate Warning Signs

Issue	Likely Cause	Action
Conv. rate below 1%	Landing page or traffic quality	Review search terms, audit landing page
High CTR, low conv. rate	Ad/page mismatch	Align messaging

Cost Warning Signs

Issue	Likely Cause	Action
CPC spiking	Competition or Quality Score	Check Quality Score, auction insights
CPA doubling	Multiple possible causes	Check conv. rate, CPC, search terms