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Mobile Advertising Glossary: Metrics and KPIs

50+ Mobile Advertising KPIs and Metrics — essential terms to measure performance, optimize campaigns, and understand the digital advertising ecosystem.

Ad Fill Rate

The percentage of ad requests that are successfully filled with an ad impression: Fill Rate = (Filled Requests / Total Requests) * 100. Low fill rates may suggest weak demand or misconfiguration.

Metrics

Ad Frequency

The average number of times an ad is served to the same user. Helps assess saturation and avoid ad fatigue.

Metrics

App Crashes

The rate at which an app unexpectedly closes during user sessions. Expressed as (Crashes ÷ Sessions) × 100%. High crash rates degrade UX and negatively impact app ratings.

Metrics

App Launch Time

Time from tapping the app icon until users see and interact with the app. Includes Time to Initial Display (TTID) and Time to Fully Drawn (TTFD). Typical targets: < 5 s cold start, < 1.5–2 s warm/hot start

Metrics

Attention Metrics

Metrics that assess how much attention users give to an ad, using data signals like eye tracking, time in-view, or interaction depth.

Metrics

Attribution Window

The attribution window defines the time period within which a user’s action is credited to an earlier ad interaction.

Measurement Frameworks

Audible On/Off

Indicates whether video/audio ads were played with sound on. This can impact engagement and brand recall.

Metrics

Audio Duration

Captures how long a user listens to an audio ad (e.g., complete plays, average duration, listen-through rate).

Metrics

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)

Average revenue generated per active user over a specific period, calculated as Total Revenue ÷ Active Users

KPIs

Bid Rate

In programmatic advertising, this is the proportion of total ad requests for which a DSP submits a bid. A low bid rate might indicate strict targeting or bidding filters.

Metrics

Brand Lift Metrics

Measures the impact of an ad on brand awareness, recall, preference, or intent. Usually done via surveys or panel data.

Measurement Frameworks

Churn Rate

The churn rate is the inverse of retention—it tracks the percentage of users who stop using the app over a specific time period. High churn indicates poor engagement or satisfaction.

KPIs

Click

A click occurs when a user taps or interacts with an ad, typically leading to a destination such as an app store page, website, or landing page. Clicks are crucial for measuring engagement.

Metrics

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR is the ratio of clicks to impressions, expressed as a percentage. It shows how effective an ad is at encouraging users to engage: CTR = (Clicks / Impressions) * 100. High CTR often indicates strong ad relevance and appeal.

Metrics

Conversion

A conversion is any predefined action completed by a user after interacting with an ad, such as installing an app, signing up, making a purchase, or subscribing to a service. It's a primary measure of campaign success.

KPIs

Conversion Rate (CVR)

CVR reflects the percentage of users who completed a desired action after clicking an ad: CVR = (Conversions / Clicks) * 100. It's a key performance indicator for measuring the effectiveness of the user journey.

KPIs

Cost Per Action (CPA)

CPA is the amount spent to drive a specific user action (e.g., a subscription, sign-up, or in-app purchase). It’s commonly used in performance-based advertising models.

Metrics

Cost Per Click (CPC)

CPC is the average amount paid by the advertiser for each user click on their ad. It's a common pricing model in paid search and social media advertising.

Metrics

Cost Per Install (CPI)

CPI measures the cost to acquire a single app install: CPI = Total Spend / Number of Installs. It’s a standard KPI for user acquisition campaigns in the mobile app ecosystem.

Metrics

Cost Per Mille (CPM)

CPM, or cost per thousand impressions, is a metric used to price ad inventory based on 1,000 ad impressions. It’s often used for awareness campaigns focused on visibility rather than clicks or conversions.

Metrics

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

Average cost to acquire a new user via marketing and advertising, calculated as Total Acquisition Spend ÷ New Users Acquired.

KPIs

Daily Active Users (DAU)

DAU measures the number of unique users who engage with the app on a daily basis. It's essential for tracking regular usage.

Metrics

DAU/MAU Ratio

This metric indicates user stickiness or loyalty. A DAU/MAU ratio closer to 1 means users return frequently throughout the month.

Metrics

Effective CPM (eCPM)

eCPM is a normalized metric that calculates the revenue earned per 1,000 impressions across various pricing models (e.g., CPI, CPC): eCPM = (Total Revenue / Impressions) * 1000. It's useful for comparing performance across campaigns.

Fraud Rate

The percentage of ad interactions (clicks, installs, impressions) that are determined to be fraudulent, such as bot activity, fake installs, or click spamming. High fraud rates can skew performance data and waste budget.

Metrics

Funnel Analysis

A method for tracking user progression through steps in a conversion path to identify drop-offs.

Measurement Frameworks

Impression

An impression is counted each time an ad is served and appears on a user’s device screen, regardless of whether the user interacts with it. It is one of the most basic and foundational ad delivery metrics used to measure reach and exposure.

Metrics

Incremental Reach

The additional audience reached by a campaign that wouldn’t have been reached through other media or tactics.

KPIs

Incremental Sales Uplift

Measures additional sales driven by the campaign beyond baseline sales, typically via A/B testing or modeled attribution.

KPIs

Install

In mobile advertising, an install refers specifically to when a user downloads and successfully installs an app on their device, often following an ad interaction.

Metrics

Install Rate (IR)

The percentage of users who clicked on an ad and went on to install the app. It helps advertisers evaluate how compelling their app offering is post-click.

Metrics

Last Click Attribution

This model gives 100% credit to the last ad clicked before a conversion.

Measurement Frameworks

Lifetime Value (LTV)

LTV is the projected revenue a user is expected to generate during their entire relationship with the app. It's a key metric for assessing user quality and long-term campaign impact.

KPIs

Lookback Window

Defines how far back a click or impression can be tied to a conversion for attribution purposes.

Measurement Frameworks

Monthly Active Users (MAU)

MAU is the number of unique users interacting with the app over a 30-day period. It's a standard metric for user base size and growth.

Metrics

Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA)

A model that assigns value across multiple user touchpoints before conversion to assess each channel's impact.

Measurement Frameworks

Post-Install Event (PIE)

An action taken by a user after installing an app, such as registration, subscription, or purchase.

Measurement Frameworks

Retention Rate

Retention rate measures the percentage of users who return to the app after a certain time (e.g., Day 1, Day 7, Day 30). It’s a key metric for user engagement and product stickiness.

KPIs

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

ROAS measures the revenue earned for every dollar spent on advertising: ROAS = Revenue / Ad Spend. A ROAS > 1.0 indicates a positive return. It’s crucial for understanding campaign profitability.

KPIs

Session Duration

Time spent within an in-app branded experience. Complements session length and reflects depth of engagement.

Metrics

Session Frequency

How often a user returns to the app in a given time frame. High frequency suggests strong engagement and app stickiness.

Metrics

Session Length

This measures how much time a user spends in the app during a single session. Longer session lengths often indicate deeper engagement.

Metrics

Skips / Skip Rate

For skippable ads, this indicates how often users skip. High skip rates can reflect low ad relevance.

Metrics

Social Media Metrics

Includes shares, comments, mentions, and sentiment around a campaign. Particularly relevant for cross-channel or influencer campaigns.

Metrics

Unique Reach

The number of unique users (or devices/households) exposed to an ad at least once. Useful for understanding total unduplicated audience.

Metrics

Video Duration Metrics

Measures how much of a video ad was watched (e.g., quartile completion, full views, duration rate). Key for video campaign evaluation.

Metrics

Win Rate

The percentage of submitted bids that result in an ad impression: Win Rate = (Won Bids / Submitted Bids) * 100. Low win rates might suggest competitive markets or underbidding.

Metrics