M
MUKESH SHARMA
So I was talking with a friend the other day who also ran iGaming campaigns, and we both ended up stuck on the same question. Out of all the numbers and dashboards we keep checking, which ones actually matter when it comes to measuring iGaming ads performance. I mean, everyone says “track everything” but after a while it feels like drowning in data.
The headache of too many numbers
When I first started running iGaming ads, I thought the more numbers I tracked, the smarter I'd be. CTR, impressions, CPM, CPA, retention, lifetime value, viewability, conversions… I had tabs everywhere. At some point I wasn't even sure what was good anymore. Like is a 5 percent CTR amazing or just okay. Is a low CPA always a win if the players don't stick around. It got confusing fast.
The problem I noticed is that if you try to follow everything, you don't end up making better decisions. You just get lost in spreadsheets. That's the real pain point I think many people don't admit. It's not about missing data. It's about having too much and not knowing which to trust.
What I figured out after a few bad runs
I remember running a campaign where the clicks were crazy high. The CTR was something I had never seen before, and I thought I cracked the code. But when I looked at actual sign-ups, it was flat. Zero meaningful growth. That was when I realized a click doesn't mean much on its own.
Later I ran another campaign where the traffic looked smaller, but the CPA was solid and players stayed active for weeks. That taught me the hard way that sometimes fewer clicks but better quality matter more.
So now I treat some numbers like “vanity” and others like “decision makers.” CTR and impressions look nice, but they don't pay the bills. CPA, retention, and lifetime value feel more real because they actually tell me if the campaign is worth the money.
How I started simplifying
I slowly built a habit of picking three to five numbers to check regularly instead of chasing everything. For me that's usually:
What helped me stop overthinking
Another thing I find useful is asking a simple question every time I look at a metric: “Does this number actually change my decision.” If the answer is no, I just stop stressing over it. For example, impressions tell me reach, but they don't really change how I adjust a campaign. CPA does.
That shift in thinking saved me a lot of time and honestly a lot of panic-checking dashboards at midnight.
A small pointer if you're stuck
If you're in the same boat and feel like your ads are all over the place, I'd say start by cutting down the noise. Pick a handful of metrics that feel connected to actual results, and ignore the rest at least for a while. It's way easier to compare campaigns when you're not juggling ten charts at once.
I came across a helpful breakdown that puts these ideas into a cleaner framework. If you want something structured instead of just my messy notes, this Guide to iGaming Ads lays out the key metrics in a way that's easy to follow.
Final thought
At the end of the day, iGaming ads can trick you into chasing shiny numbers that don't mean much. I've done it, and I know a lot of others have too. What matters more is knowing which numbers actually guide your choices. Once I narrowed it down, not only did my campaigns perform better, but I also stopped feeling like a data zombie.
Sometimes less really is more.
The headache of too many numbers
When I first started running iGaming ads, I thought the more numbers I tracked, the smarter I'd be. CTR, impressions, CPM, CPA, retention, lifetime value, viewability, conversions… I had tabs everywhere. At some point I wasn't even sure what was good anymore. Like is a 5 percent CTR amazing or just okay. Is a low CPA always a win if the players don't stick around. It got confusing fast.
The problem I noticed is that if you try to follow everything, you don't end up making better decisions. You just get lost in spreadsheets. That's the real pain point I think many people don't admit. It's not about missing data. It's about having too much and not knowing which to trust.
What I figured out after a few bad runs
I remember running a campaign where the clicks were crazy high. The CTR was something I had never seen before, and I thought I cracked the code. But when I looked at actual sign-ups, it was flat. Zero meaningful growth. That was when I realized a click doesn't mean much on its own.
Later I ran another campaign where the traffic looked smaller, but the CPA was solid and players stayed active for weeks. That taught me the hard way that sometimes fewer clicks but better quality matter more.
So now I treat some numbers like “vanity” and others like “decision makers.” CTR and impressions look nice, but they don't pay the bills. CPA, retention, and lifetime value feel more real because they actually tell me if the campaign is worth the money.
How I started simplifying
I slowly built a habit of picking three to five numbers to check regularly instead of chasing everything. For me that's usually:
- CPA (cost to acquire a player)
- Conversion rate (did the ad actually lead to sign-ups)
- Retention or activity (do people keep playing after they join)
- ROI or lifetime value (did I actually make back more than I spent)
What helped me stop overthinking
Another thing I find useful is asking a simple question every time I look at a metric: “Does this number actually change my decision.” If the answer is no, I just stop stressing over it. For example, impressions tell me reach, but they don't really change how I adjust a campaign. CPA does.
That shift in thinking saved me a lot of time and honestly a lot of panic-checking dashboards at midnight.
A small pointer if you're stuck
If you're in the same boat and feel like your ads are all over the place, I'd say start by cutting down the noise. Pick a handful of metrics that feel connected to actual results, and ignore the rest at least for a while. It's way easier to compare campaigns when you're not juggling ten charts at once.
I came across a helpful breakdown that puts these ideas into a cleaner framework. If you want something structured instead of just my messy notes, this Guide to iGaming Ads lays out the key metrics in a way that's easy to follow.
Final thought
At the end of the day, iGaming ads can trick you into chasing shiny numbers that don't mean much. I've done it, and I know a lot of others have too. What matters more is knowing which numbers actually guide your choices. Once I narrowed it down, not only did my campaigns perform better, but I also stopped feeling like a data zombie.
Sometimes less really is more.
