Why the Click Is the Wrong Metric for Online Ads

Posted by Yates Jarvis on Feb 23, 2009 in The Web | 0 comments

The last-ad-seen method of tracking advertising success is obviously anachronistic now- but what technologies have stepped up to replace it? The biggest issues publishers will face is providing a true ROI for THEIR display ad vs the 5 others that “could have” contributed to a purchase or conversion. Until ROI can be suggested or proven multiple steps back, the game will be severely different based on the network or site’s quality and popularity (read charisma and selling power), leaving the little guys stuck in a click-tracking nightmare.

The great paradox of the web is that it’s an interactive medium and everything can be measured. And that’s wonderful — unless you’re measuring the wrong thing.

In the past several months, there has been increasing evidence that the most easily measured metric on the web, the click, is not the right metric to use for many advertisers. And that’s good news for publishers struggling to monetize their content with online ads.

via Why the Click Is the Wrong Metric for Online Ads – Advertising Age – Digital.