ROAS Tracking: How to Measure Return on Ad Spend

ROAS compares attributed revenue with ad spend. The formula is simple; the hard part is making sure both numbers refer to the same campaigns and attribution rules.

On this pageROAS formula Revenue quality Cost quality Attribution caveat

ROAS formula

ROAS = attributed revenue ÷ ad spend. A value of 2.0 means two units of revenue were attributed for every one unit of ad spend.

Revenue quality

Decide whether revenue is gross order value, net revenue, subscription value or another measure. Refunds, cancellations and recurring revenue can materially change the business interpretation.

Cost quality

Import actual platform spend at a consistent cadence. Estimated CPC multiplied by clicks can diverge from final billed spend.

Attribution caveat

ROAS is only as objective as the attribution method behind the revenue. Different windows or models can create different ROAS for the same underlying orders.

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