How do I really measure online insurance ads?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been running online insurance ads for a while now, and honestly, it sometimes feels like throwing money into a black hole. You set up a campaign, you watch some clicks roll in, but then you ask yourself—did that actually make a difference? Or did I just waste a bunch of money on impressions that never converted? I’m guessing some of you have felt the same way.

At first, I mostly looked at the basics—clicks, impressions, maybe a conversion here or there. But I quickly realized that these numbers don’t tell the full story. Just because someone clicks on an ad doesn’t mean they’re going to buy insurance tomorrow. And if you’re only tracking the easy stuff, you’re missing out on insights that can actually improve your ROI.

So, I started digging a bit deeper into the metrics that really matter. Honestly, it’s a bit of trial and error. I tried tracking engagement metrics like time on page, bounce rate, and even scroll depth. At first, I wasn’t sure if any of it would help, but slowly I started noticing patterns. For example, some ads had high click-through rates but low form submissions. That told me people were interested enough to click, but the landing page or the offer wasn’t convincing enough.

Another thing I found helpful was looking at audience behavior. Not all clicks are equal, and not all traffic is equally likely to convert. Segmenting my traffic by source—social, search, referral—gave me a better idea of where my money was actually working. I could then reallocate budget to the channels that gave me better leads rather than just more clicks.

One weird but eye-opening insight came from tracking repeat visitors. I realized that a lot of people didn’t convert the first time, but they came back a few days later. Without tracking repeat visits or returning leads, I would have thought some campaigns were failures when they were just slower to convert.

And yes, I admit I got sucked into vanity metrics at first—CTR, impressions, things that look good on a dashboard. But eventually, I started focusing on metrics that directly tied to results: form fills, calls generated, cost per acquisition. This shift alone helped me rethink how I measure success for online insurance ads.

If you’re curious about a more structured approach, I came across this handy guide that breaks down exactly which metrics to track and why: 7 Metrics to Track for Better Online Insurance Ad ROI. I found it pretty useful to see all the key numbers in one place, especially for someone like me who isn’t a data scientist but still wants actionable insights.

Overall, the biggest lesson I learned is that tracking the right metrics changes everything. It’s not just about getting clicks or impressions—it’s about understanding how people interact with your ads and what actually drives them to convert. Even small tweaks, like adjusting your audience or improving your landing page, can make a noticeable difference once you know which numbers actually matter.

I’d love to hear if anyone else has experimented with measuring online insurance ads. Which metrics gave you the clearest picture of ROI? Sometimes it’s just reassuring to know you’re not the only one figuring this out the hard way.