The Dismal ROI of Online Ads: Unveiling the Truth Behind the Numbers

Richard A Meyer
3 min readNov 29, 2023

In the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape, businesses increasingly turn to online advertising to reach their target audience. However, as the investment in online ads continues to surge, so does the scrutiny surrounding the return on investment (ROI). Despite the promises of increased visibility and engagement, many businesses find that the ROI of online ads often falls short of expectations.

The Illusion of Impressions:

One of the primary metrics that marketers often tout is the number of impressions an online ad receives. Impressions, the number of times an ad is viewed, can create a false sense of success. While high impressions may initially seem impressive, they don’t necessarily translate into meaningful interactions or conversions.

Click-Through Rate (CTR) Disappointment:

Click-through rate, the percentage of people who click on an ad after seeing it, is another metric that advertisers closely monitor. However, a high CTR doesn’t guarantee a high conversion rate. Users might click on an ad out of curiosity. Still, suppose the landing page fails to deliver relevant content or a compelling call to action. In that case, the user will likely bounce, leaving the advertiser with an increased CTR but a lackluster conversion rate.

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Richard A Meyer

Healthcare marketing thought leader and CPG marketing consultant with over 20 years of experience.