5 Google Ads Metrics Every Business Should Actually Track
You’ve set up your Google Ads, started running campaigns, and now you’re staring at a dashboard full of numbers.
Clicks? Impressions? Quality Score? CPC? It’s enough to make your head spin.
If you’re feeling unsure about which Google Ads metrics actually matter, you’re not alone. Most business owners aren’t looking for a pile of data, they just want to know if their ads are working and how to improve them.
At The Search Republic, we help simplify things by focusing on the handful of metrics that really move the needle. In this post, we’ll walk you through the five most important Google Ads metrics to track and what each one actually means for your business.
1. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Why It Matters in Google ads Metrics
CTR tells you how many people saw your ad vs. how many actually clicked on it. It’s one of the clearest signals of how relevant and compelling your ad is to your audience.
If people aren’t clicking, your ad isn’t cutting through.
What to Aim For with this Google Ads Metric
Benchmarks vary, but a CTR of 3–5% or higher is generally a good sign for search ads.
If your CTR is low, it could be time to tweak your headlines, update your call to action, or refine your targeting.
2. Conversion Rate
Why It Matters
It’s one thing to get clicks, it’s another to turn those clicks into actual leads or sales. Conversion rate measures the percentage of people who took action after clicking your ad.
High clicks but low conversions? That’s a red flag that something’s off post-click.
What to Look For
Track actions that matter to your business, form submissions, phone calls, bookings, purchases, etc.
And make sure you’ve got conversion tracking properly set up in Google Ads or via Google Analytics.
3. Cost Per Conversion
Why It Matters
Also known as Cost Per Lead or Cost Per Acquisition, this metric tells you how much you’re paying for each actual result, not just a click.
It’s one of the clearest indicators of your ad ROI.
How to Improve It
- Improve landing page experience
- Write more targeted ad copy
- Use better audience targeting
- Pause keywords that aren’t converting
The goal is more leads for less spend, not just more traffic.
4. Search Terms Report
Why It Matters
This report shows you exactly what people typed into Google before clicking on your ad and it’s gold.
It reveals two key things:
- If your ads are being triggered by irrelevant searches
- Hidden keyword opportunities you may not have thought of
What to Do With It
- Add irrelevant queries as negative keywords
- Identify new high-converting search terms and build ad groups around them
- Better align your ads with searcher intent
It’s one of the most underused and most valuable tools in your Google Ads account.
5. Quality Score
Why It Matters
Google assigns a Quality Score (1–10) to each keyword in your account. This is based on:
- Ad relevance
- Expected click-through rate
- Landing page experience
A higher score means lower cost per click and better ad positions. A low score? You’re paying more than you should.
How to Lift Your Score
- Write highly relevant ads that match the keyword
- Improve the content and speed of your landing page
- Group similar keywords into tight, focused ad groups
Even small tweaks can boost this Google Ads metric and your overall results.
Want to Track the Metrics That Actually Matter?
Google Ads shouldn’t feel like a numbers game you need a PhD to understand.
When you focus on the right Google Ads metrics, you get clearer insights, stronger performance, and better ROI.
At The Search Republic, we help businesses cut through the fluff and track what really counts.