Why Your Digital Ads Aren’t Working
Your Fix Your Digital Ads That Aren’t Working
If you’ve ever stared at your ad dashboard and thought, Why am I paying $10 a click for zero conversions? You’re not alone.
Most ads don’t fail because “Facebook doesn’t work anymore” or “Google Ads are dead.” They fail because you’re ignoring the metrics that scream what’s wrong.
Let’s break it down:
CTR (Click-Through Rate)
What It Means: The percentage of people who saw your ad and actually clicked it.
Benchmark: Aim for at least 2%+ on awareness/TOFU campaigns.
If It’s Low (<2%):
Your creative isn’t resonating → test new images, videos, or UGC.
Your hook is boring → A/B test headlines and scroll-stoppers.
Your audience may be wrong → check if you’re targeting too broad or irrelevant segments.
Fix: Refresh creative weekly, test different hooks, and keep your copy aligned with audience pain points.
CPC (Cost Per Click)
What It Means: How much you’re paying for each click.
Benchmark: Under $1 for awareness ads is strong. $1–$2 is acceptable. $3+ = 🚨.
If It’s High:
Copy doesn’t match the audience intent.
Targeting is too narrow or too competitive.
Relevance score (Meta) / Quality score (Google) is low.
Fix: Adjust targeting, refine copy, and test broader audiences to let the algorithm optimize.
CPM (Cost Per 1,000 Impressions)
What It Means: How much you’re paying for people just to see your ad.
Benchmark: Under $12–$15 for TOFU is decent. Above $20 means something’s off.
If It’s High:
Audience competition is fierce (you’re bidding against big budgets).
Your ad account history is weak or has low relevance.
Fix: Expand to less competitive audiences, adjust placements, or test different campaign objectives.
Frequency
What It Means: The average number of times each person has seen your ad.
Benchmark: 2–4x is healthy. 6+ = ad fatigue.
If It’s Too High: Your audience is too small, and people are sick of seeing the same thing.
Fix: Rotate creative more often, expand audiences, or cap frequency.
Landing Page Conversion Rate
What It Means: The percentage of people who clicked your ad and actually took action (sign up, download, buy).
Benchmark: 20–30%+ for lead forms, 2–5%+ for purchases.
If It’s Low: The ad did its job—your landing page didn’t.
Fix: Improve page speed, simplify forms, align messaging with the ad, and add social proof.
TOFU Awareness Ads: How to Tell If They’re Flopping
Awareness ads are about volume and visibility but they still need performance guardrails. If you’re seeing:
CTR under 1%
CPC consistently above $2
CPM above $25
Frequency climbing past 6 with no lift
That’s your sign the campaign needs a refresh.
Bottom Line: Ads don’t fail. Strategies do. The numbers don’t just measure performance, they tell you exactly what to fix.
