How do you monitor the results of an ad and know if it is successful?

Aug 17
4 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

Some people think that the success of an ad is measured by the number of likes or views, but the truth is much further than that.

In the modern world of marketing, It is not enough to launch an advertisement...but you must monitor it carefully, understand its results, and know whether it is worth continuing or should it be modified?

In this post, we provide you with a practical guide that explains How to measure the performance of any ad And you know whether it brings actual results or just useless noise.

First: Why should you monitor advertising results?

Imagine that you paid 500 riyals for an advertising campaign, and after a week:

There are no real requests
You don't know who reacted
You don't know if the problem is in the advertisement or the product

📉 This situation is very common among shop owners and small businesses.

✳️ Close monitoring means:

Stop wasting your budget
Improve results quickly
Learn what works and replicate it
Make decisions based on numbers, not feelings

Second: What indicators should be monitored?

In any ad, whether on Facebook, Google, or Instagram, there are key indicators to watch for:

Indicator

What it means

Why do you care?

Number of views (Impressions)

How many times did the ad appear?

Reflects the reach of your ad

Number of clicks

How many people clicked on the ad?

Shows how attractive the ad is

Click through rate (CTR)

Clicks ÷ number of views

The higher it is, the more attractive the ad

Cost per click (CPC)

How much do you pay per click?

To compare the return with the cost

Number of requests (Conversions)

How many people bought, reserved or sent a message

This is the most important metric: Are there actual sales?

Cost per order (CPA)

Total amount ÷ number of orders

To know how much it costs to get a client

Engagement

Likes, comments, save, share

It reflects the impact of advertising on the audience

Third: Tools that help you monitor results

1. Facebook Ads Manager (Meta Ads Manager)

Allows you to see all indicators in detail
Allows you to segment results by category, age, location, and device
You can compare the performance of more than one ad

2. Google Ads Dashboard

Perfect for search ads
Shows keyword performance
Displays cost per click and site conversions

3. Google Analytics

To know what visitors did after entering your site
How long did they stay? Did they buy? What city did they come from?

4. WhatsApp Business Tools

Displays the number of incoming messages
You can trace where customers come from
Segmentation of customers according to status (interested, requested, not responded)

Fourth: When is advertising truly successful?

Ad success is not measured by likes only, but by... Actual results.

Successful advertisement =

Attracts the right category
Achieves the goal (sales, reservations, messages)
At a reasonable cost
It can be repeated or developed

✅ Practical example:

An advertisement that costs you 300 riyals
I got 15 orders
The cost of each order = 20 riyals
The selling price of the product = 120 riyals

🚫 But if:

It cost you 500 riyals
Didn't get any request
Or just likes and views

Fifth: How do you read indicators and make smart decisions?

If the number of views is low:

↪ Try changing the platform - budget - viewing time

If CTR is low (less than 1%):

↪ Change the image - change the title - modify the display

If there are many clicks and no order:

↪ The problem lies in the page to which the advertisement is directed or in the price

If the orders are few and the cost is high:

↪ Review the target audience - modify the offer - shorten the ordering steps

Sixth: When did the advertisement stop? And when does it last?

🟥 Stop the ad if:

It has been more than 3 days and no results have been achieved
The cost of the order exceeds your profit
The reaction is negative or non-existent

🟩 Continue advertising if:

Check actual orders
Customers repeat purchases
CTR and CPA indicators are good

💡 Golden rule: Don't decide based on your feeling, but on the numbers.

Seventh: What is “continuous improvement” for campaigns?

Even a good ad can get better.

📌 Steps for improvement:

Change the ad image every week
Test more than one version (A/B Testing)
Try different audience segments
Adjust the budget according to performance
Add new keywords (in Google)

Eighth: A simple tracking form

Create a table like:

the date

Number of views

Clicks

Requests

CPC

CPA

Notes

June 1

5,000

220

1.8

An effective new image

June 3

4,000

190

1.6

I used a different audience

📊 This data helps you know:

Best version
Best audience
Best timing

Ninth: Practical examples from reality

Flower shop

🎯 Goal: Graduation season requests 📱 Platform: Instagram 🎁 Offer: “Graduation bouquet + delivery within 2 hours” 📊 Results within 5 days:

3500 viewers
270 clicks
28 requests
CPC = 1.4 SAR
CPA = 13 riyals

✅ A very successful advertisement

Training center

🎯 Objective: Register for a course 📱 Platform: Facebook 📊 Results:

12,000 viewers
45 clicks
0 registration
CPA = very high

❌ Failed ad – edited with video content instead of an image

Tenth: Common mistakes that should be avoided

🚫 Not installing a Facebook Pixel or Google Tag 🚫 Neglecting to manually track messages or orders 🚫 Making decisions after only a day or two 🚫 Confusing engagement with sales 🚫 Ignoring customers’ voice and feedback

Conclusion:

“What you can't measure, you can't improve.”