// ad performance metrics

Source: Search Engine Journal

Automated bidding systems and AI optimization are decoupling clicks from conversions, making CTR a misleading vanity metric that masks poor campaign performance. Advertisers chasing elevated CTRs risk budget waste on traffic that looks qualified but never converts, forcing a shift toward attention-based metrics or full-funnel measurement that ties engagement to business outcomes. Ad platforms and agencies still reporting success through click velocity face pressure to change.