THE SHORT ANSWER
Key points
- Count an impression only when the placement is actually viewable.
- Use CTR to understand whether the suggestion earned interest.
- Use CPA or ROAS when conversion data is available.
- Review performance by AI product, campaign, category, and type of need.
01
The core metrics
- Viewable impressions: sponsored placements that met the agreed visibility threshold.
- Reach: the number of distinct opportunities or people exposed, depending on available privacy-safe measurement.
- CPM: campaign spend per 1,000 viewable impressions.
- Clicks and CTR: the number and share of viewable placements that produced a click.
- Conversions and CPA: desired actions and the average cost of each action.
- ROAS: tracked revenue divided by campaign spend.
02
Measure quality, not only volume
Conversational ads live inside a high-trust product. A reporting system should therefore show more than total impressions. Advertisers should be able to understand which products ran the placement, what campaign rule made it eligible, and whether the result met quality expectations.
AI developers also need controls for relevance, frequency, blocked categories, and no-ad decisions.
03
How to run a useful first test
- 01
Choose one clear offer
Use a product with an obvious problem and customer need.
- 02
Define success
Pick the primary metric before launch, such as qualified visits, purchases, or signups.
- 03
Keep attribution consistent
Use campaign links and the same conversion window across placements.
- 04
Review context
Find the types of questions that produce both helpful placements and strong outcomes.
COMMON QUESTIONS
What else should you know?
What is the most important conversational ad metric?
It depends on the goal. CTR shows immediate interest, while CPA or ROAS is more useful when reliable conversion data is available.
Should every rendered ad count as an impression?
No. The placement should meet a defined viewability standard before it counts as an impression.
Can conversational ads use standard campaign links?
Yes. UTM parameters and compatible conversion tracking can connect clicks to downstream outcomes.
FOR ADVERTISERS