Standard PPC metrics like clicks, impressions, and conversions tell part of the story. But your clients care about business-specific metrics: first-time deposits (FTDs), qualified leads, customer lifetime value, and other KPIs that directly impact their bottom line.
This guide shows you how to set up custom metrics for PPC campaigns, track business-specific KPIs, and create reports that demonstrate real value to your clients beyond standard advertising metrics.
Why Custom Metrics Matter
Beyond Standard Metrics
Standard metrics (clicks, impressions, conversions):
- Show advertising performance
- Don't show business impact
- May not align with client goals
- Limited strategic value
Custom metrics (FTDs, qualified leads, LTV):
- Show business impact
- Align with client goals
- Demonstrate real value
- Enable better optimization
Client-Specific Value
Different clients care about different metrics:
- E-commerce: Revenue, AOV, repeat purchases
- SaaS: Sign-ups, trial conversions, MRR
- Lead gen: Qualified leads, sales-qualified leads
- B2B: Pipeline value, closed deals
- Gaming: First-time deposits, player lifetime value
Custom metrics: Track what matters to each specific client.
Common Custom Metrics
First-Time Deposits (FTDs)
What it is: First deposit or purchase from a new customer.
Why it matters:
- True new customer acquisition
- Better than all conversions
- Aligns with business goals
- More accurate ROI measurement
How to track:
- Set up conversion event for first purchases
- Exclude returning customers
- Track per campaign/ad
- Report separately from all conversions
Qualified Leads
What it is: Leads that meet specific qualification criteria.
Why it matters:
- Not all leads are equal
- Quality matters more than quantity
- Better sales alignment
- More accurate optimization
How to track:
- Define qualification criteria
- Tag leads as qualified/unqualified
- Track qualification rate
- Optimize for qualified leads
Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
What it is: Total revenue from a customer over their lifetime.
Why it matters:
- Shows long-term value
- Better than immediate revenue
- Enables LTV-based optimization
- More accurate ROI calculation
How to track:
- Calculate LTV per customer
- Assign LTV to conversions
- Track LTV by campaign
- Optimize for LTV, not just immediate revenue
Revenue per Customer
What it is: Average revenue generated per customer.
Why it matters:
- Shows customer value
- Better than conversion count
- Enables value-based optimization
- More accurate performance measurement
How to track:
- Track revenue per conversion
- Calculate average revenue
- Compare across campaigns
- Optimize for revenue, not just conversions
Setting Up Custom Metrics
Step 1: Define Metrics
Work with client to define:
- What metrics matter to them?
- How are they calculated?
- What are the targets?
- How do they align with goals?
Document metrics:
- Metric name and definition
- Calculation method
- Data sources
- Target values
- Reporting frequency
Step 2: Configure Tracking
Set up conversion events:
- Create custom conversion events in Meta
- Configure event parameters
- Set up value tracking
- Test event firing
Set up custom tracking:
- Use Conversions API for custom events
- Track additional data points
- Store in your database
- Link to campaigns
Step 3: Implement Tracking
On website/app:
- Add tracking code
- Fire events on actions
- Pass custom parameters
- Test thoroughly
Server-side:
- Set up Conversions API
- Send custom event data
- Include value parameters
- Ensure data accuracy
Step 4: Validate and Test
Test tracking:
- Verify events fire correctly
- Check data accuracy
- Compare to business data
- Identify discrepancies
Fix issues:
- Debug tracking problems
- Correct data errors
- Improve accuracy
- Document fixes
Custom Metrics by Industry
E-Commerce
Key metrics:
- Revenue per customer
- Average order value (AOV)
- Repeat purchase rate
- Customer lifetime value
- Product-specific conversions
Tracking:
- Revenue per conversion
- Order value tracking
- Customer segmentation
- Product performance
- Category performance
SaaS
Key metrics:
- Trial sign-ups
- Trial-to-paid conversion
- Monthly recurring revenue (MRR)
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
- Lifetime value (LTV)
Tracking:
- Sign-up events
- Conversion events
- Revenue tracking
- Customer segmentation
- Cohort analysis
Lead Generation
Key metrics:
- Qualified leads
- Sales-qualified leads (SQLs)
- Lead-to-customer conversion
- Cost per qualified lead
- Pipeline value
Tracking:
- Lead qualification
- Lead scoring
- Sales pipeline tracking
- Conversion attribution
- Value assignment
B2B
Key metrics:
- Marketing-qualified leads (MQLs)
- Sales-qualified leads (SQLs)
- Opportunity value
- Closed deals
- Customer lifetime value
Tracking:
- Lead qualification
- CRM integration
- Pipeline tracking
- Deal attribution
- Value tracking
Implementation Examples
Example 1: First-Time Deposits (FTDs)
Setup:
- Create custom conversion event "FirstTimeDeposit"
- Fire event only for new customers
- Exclude returning customers
- Track value (deposit amount)
- Report separately from all conversions
Tracking code:
// Fire event only for first-time customers
if (isFirstTimeCustomer) {
fbq('track', 'FirstTimeDeposit', {
value: depositAmount,
currency: 'USD'
});
}
Reporting:
- FTDs by campaign
- Cost per FTD
- FTD value
- FTD conversion rate
Example 2: Qualified Leads
Setup:
- Define qualification criteria
- Tag leads as qualified/unqualified
- Track qualification rate
- Create custom event for qualified leads
- Optimize campaigns for qualified leads
Tracking:
- Lead form submissions
- Qualification scoring
- Qualified lead events
- Qualification rate tracking
Reporting:
- Qualified leads by campaign
- Cost per qualified lead
- Qualification rate
- Qualified lead value
Example 3: Customer Lifetime Value
Setup:
- Calculate LTV per customer
- Assign LTV to conversions
- Track LTV by campaign
- Optimize for LTV, not just immediate revenue
- Report LTV metrics
Tracking:
- Customer purchase history
- LTV calculation
- LTV assignment to conversions
- LTV by campaign tracking
Reporting:
- Average LTV by campaign
- LTV per conversion
- LTV-based ROAS
- LTV trends
Dashboard and Reporting
Custom Metric Dashboards
Create dashboards:
- Custom metrics prominently displayed
- Comparison to targets
- Trends over time
- Campaign-level breakdowns
Key features:
- Real-time data
- Custom visualizations
- Client-specific views
- Export capabilities
Client Reports
Include custom metrics:
- Custom metrics section
- Comparison to standard metrics
- Business impact analysis
- Goal progress tracking
Best practices:
- Explain what metrics mean
- Show business impact
- Compare to targets
- Provide insights
Automated Reporting
Schedule reports:
- Weekly custom metric summaries
- Monthly comprehensive reports
- Quarterly strategic reviews
- Automated delivery
Benefits:
- Saves time
- Ensures consistency
- Keeps clients informed
- Demonstrates value
Optimization with Custom Metrics
Optimize for Custom Metrics
Campaign optimization:
- Optimize for custom conversion events
- Use custom metrics for bidding
- Scale campaigns based on custom metrics
- Pause campaigns with poor custom metric performance
Example: Optimize for FTDs instead of all conversions, scale campaigns with best FTD performance.
Value-Based Optimization
Optimize for value:
- Assign values to custom events
- Optimize for value, not just volume
- Scale high-value campaigns
- Improve overall ROI
Example: Optimize for revenue per customer, not just conversion count.
Segmentation and Analysis
Segment by custom metrics:
- High-value vs. low-value customers
- Qualified vs. unqualified leads
- First-time vs. returning customers
- Product-specific segments
Benefits:
- Better understanding
- Improved optimization
- Targeted strategies
- Higher ROI
Best Practices
Metric Selection
Choose metrics that:
- Align with client goals
- Are measurable and trackable
- Provide actionable insights
- Demonstrate business value
Avoid metrics that:
- Are difficult to track accurately
- Don't align with goals
- Provide little insight
- Are vanity metrics
Tracking Accuracy
Ensure accuracy:
- Test tracking thoroughly
- Validate data regularly
- Compare to business data
- Fix discrepancies quickly
Documentation:
- Document tracking setup
- Explain calculations
- Provide data sources
- Maintain accuracy standards
Client Communication
Explain custom metrics:
- What they mean
- Why they matter
- How they're calculated
- What targets are
Regular updates:
- Share custom metric performance
- Explain trends
- Provide insights
- Recommend optimizations
Common Challenges
Challenge 1: Tracking Complexity
Problem: Custom metrics require complex tracking setup.
Solution: Start simple, add complexity gradually, use tools and templates, document thoroughly.
Challenge 2: Data Accuracy
Problem: Custom metrics may have data accuracy issues.
Solution: Test thoroughly, validate regularly, compare to business data, fix issues quickly.
Challenge 3: Client Understanding
Problem: Clients may not understand custom metrics.
Solution: Explain clearly, provide context, show business impact, educate gradually.
Challenge 4: Optimization Complexity
Problem: Optimizing for custom metrics is more complex.
Solution: Start with standard optimization, add custom metrics gradually, test systematically, monitor closely.
Conclusion
Custom metrics transform PPC reporting from advertising metrics to business impact. By:
- Defining client-specific metrics
- Setting up proper tracking
- Creating custom dashboards
- Optimizing for custom metrics
- Communicating value clearly
You'll provide reports that:
- Show real business impact
- Align with client goals
- Demonstrate value
- Enable better optimization
Remember, custom metrics are about tracking what matters to your clients, not just what's easy to measure. Invest time in setting up proper tracking, and your clients will see the real value of your PPC campaigns.
Ready to track custom metrics for your clients? Connect your accounts and see how custom metric tracking can help you demonstrate real business value and improve campaign optimization.