--- title: Read your ad spend and KPIs description: What each ad metric means — spend, impressions, reach, CTR, CPC, CPM, conversions, and cost per conversion — and how to tell if your campaigns are on track. --- [Skip to content](https://help.plai.io/read-ad-spend-kpis#main-content) [Submit a Ticket!](https://help.plai.io/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) Open main navigation Close main navigation - [Submit a Ticket!](https://help.plai.io/kb-tickets/new) How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Plai Help Center](https://help.plai.io/?hsLang=en) 2. [Optimize & Results](https://help.plai.io/optimize-results?hsLang=en) 3. [Reading results](https://help.plai.io/optimize-results?hsLang=en#reading-results) # Read your ad spend and KPIs ## Your campaign dashboard shows everything happening with your ads — spend, reach, clicks, and results. Here's what each number means and how to tell if your campaigns are on track. #### Who this is for All users who have at least one active or recently run campaign. Available on all plans. ### Where to find your metrics Open the **Advertise** tab from the top navigation. Each campaign row shows a summary of its key metrics. Click any campaign to see a full breakdown by ad set and individual ad. To view across a date range, use the date picker in the top right. You can compare any time period. ### Key metrics explained | Metric | What it means | What good looks like | | --- | --- | --- | | **Spend** | Total amount charged by the ad platform for this campaign. This is billed directly by Meta, Google, etc. — not by this platform. | Spend should be close to your daily budget × days running. Large gaps usually mean the ad is underperforming or in review. | | **Impressions** | How many times your ad was shown. One person can generate multiple impressions. | Growing impressions with flat clicks = creative or audience issue. Flat impressions = budget too low or audience too narrow. | | **Reach** | How many unique people saw your ad. Always lower than impressions. | High reach with low clicks points to a creative or offer problem. | | **Clicks** | Total number of clicks on your ad (includes link clicks and other interactions). | Should trend up as the algorithm learns who clicks. | | **CTR (Click-Through Rate)** | Clicks ÷ Impressions. The percentage of people who saw your ad and clicked it. | Facebook/Instagram: 0.9–1.5% is average. Above 2% is strong. Below 0.5% suggests a creative problem. | | **CPC (Cost Per Click)** | Spend ÷ Clicks. How much you paid for each click. | Varies widely by industry. E-commerce: $0.50–$2. B2B: $3–$8. High CPC often means low CTR or a competitive audience. | | **CPM (Cost Per Mille)** | Cost per 1,000 impressions. What you pay to reach 1,000 people. | Facebook average: $8–$15. High CPM = competitive audience or low ad quality score. | | **Conversions** | The number of people who completed your goal action (purchase, sign-up, lead form, etc.) after clicking your ad. | Requires a pixel or tracking tag to be set up and firing correctly. | | **Cost Per Conversion** | Spend ÷ Conversions. What you paid for each result. | Depends entirely on your product/service value. Generally, your cost per conversion should be less than the value of that conversion. | | **Frequency** | Average number of times each person has seen your ad. | Above 3–4 on Facebook can cause ad fatigue. If frequency is high and CTR is dropping, refresh your creative. | ### Reading the numbers in context **Don't judge too early.** Campaigns need at least 7 days and ~50 conversions before the algorithm stabilizes. Data in the first 3–5 days can be misleading — especially cost per conversion.   #### The numbers tell a story in sequence Read metrics from top to bottom: Impressions → CTR → Clicks → Conversions. If numbers drop off at any stage, that's where the problem is: - **Low impressions** → Budget too low, audience too narrow, or ad in review - **High impressions, low CTR** → Creative or offer isn't compelling enough for this audience - **High clicks, low conversions** → Landing page problem, or pixel not tracking correctly - **High conversions, high cost per conversion** → Audience is converting but too expensive — test broader targeting or different creatives **Group different campaigns** to compare performance across Meta, Google, and TikTok. Your best-performing platform usually deserves more budget. #### Related articles - Understand the learning phase - My ad is above or below benchmarks — what now? - Set up Optimize for Me   - [Start Here](https://help.plai.io/start-here?hsLang=en) - [Connect Your Accounts](https://help.plai.io/connect-your-accounts?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Platform connections](https://help.plai.io/connect-your-accounts?hsLang=en#platform-connections) - [Troubleshoot Connections](https://help.plai.io/connect-your-accounts?hsLang=en#troubleshoot-connections) - [Pixels & tracking](https://help.plai.io/connect-your-accounts?hsLang=en#pixels-tracking) - [Account Management](https://help.plai.io/connect-your-accounts?hsLang=en#account-management) - [Launch Campaigns](https://help.plai.io/launch-campaigns?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Campaign Management](https://help.plai.io/launch-campaigns?hsLang=en#campaign-management) - [Campaign features](https://help.plai.io/launch-campaigns?hsLang=en#campaign-features) - [Platform guides](https://help.plai.io/launch-campaigns?hsLang=en#platform-guides) - [Targeting & audiences](https://help.plai.io/launch-campaigns?hsLang=en#targeting-audiences) - [Blockers](https://help.plai.io/launch-campaigns?hsLang=en#blockers) - [Creative & AI Tools](https://help.plai.io/creative-ai-tools?hsLang=en) - [Optimize & Results](https://help.plai.io/optimize-results?hsLang=en#main-content) - [AI optimization](https://help.plai.io/optimize-results?hsLang=en#ai-optimization) - [Reading results](https://help.plai.io/optimize-results?hsLang=en#reading-results) - [Improve performance](https://help.plai.io/optimize-results?hsLang=en#improve-performance) - [Budget guidance](https://help.plai.io/optimize-results?hsLang=en#budget-guidance) - [Troubleshooting](https://help.plai.io/optimize-results?hsLang=en#troubleshooting) - [Agency Operations](https://help.plai.io/agency-operations?hsLang=en#main-content) - [Agency setup](https://help.plai.io/agency-operations?hsLang=en#agency-setup) - [Client Management](https://help.plai.io/agency-operations?hsLang=en#client-management) - [Billing & subscription](https://help.plai.io/agency-operations?hsLang=en#billing-subscription) - [Reference](https://help.plai.io/agency-operations?hsLang=en#reference) [mailto:getsupport@gmail.com](mailto:getsupport@gmail.com) Copyright © 2025, Plai #### Still need help? 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