Published on 2025-06-22T09:24:24Z

What is ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)? Examples and Calculation

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is a key performance metric in digital marketing that measures the revenue earned for every dollar spent on advertising campaigns. By comparing ad-driven revenue against ad costs, ROAS helps marketers evaluate the effectiveness and profitability of their investments across channels like search, social, and display ads. A higher ROAS indicates more efficient use of ad budget, guiding decisions on budget allocation and campaign optimization. Unlike ROI, which considers overall business cost and profit, ROAS focuses specifically on advertising performance. Understanding and tracking ROAS is crucial for data-driven marketers aiming to maximize returns and refine their ad strategies over time. Marketers often segment ROAS by campaign, keyword, or audience to pinpoint high-value tactics and underperformers.

Illustration of Roas (return on ad spend)
Illustration of Roas (return on ad spend)

Roas (return on ad spend)

ROAS measures revenue earned per dollar spent on advertising, guiding marketers to optimize ad spend.

Understanding ROAS

ROAS is a metric that quantifies how much revenue is generated for each unit of currency invested in advertising. It provides a clear measure of the effectiveness and efficiency of ad campaigns, allowing marketers to compare performance across platforms and channels.

  • Definition

    ROAS stands for Return on Ad Spend and is calculated as total ad-attributed revenue divided by total ad spend.

  • Why it matters

    ROAS helps determine which campaigns deliver the best returns, enabling budget reallocation to the most profitable channels.

Calculating ROAS

The ROAS calculation is straightforward, but accuracy depends on correctly attributing revenue to your advertising efforts and capturing all related costs.

  • Roas formula

    ROAS = Revenue from Ads / Cost of Ads

    • Revenue from ads

      Total sales or value generated directly from ad clicks or impressions.

    • Cost of ads

      Includes all expenses related to running ad campaigns, such as bids, creatives, and placement fees.

  • Example calculation

    If you spend \(200 on ads and generate \)1,000 in attributed revenue, your ROAS is 5 (or 500%).

Implementing ROAS Tracking in GA4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offers built-in e-commerce tracking and flexible data-import options to capture revenue and cost data necessary for ROAS reporting.

  • Enable e-commerce reporting

    Set up enhanced e-commerce in GA4 to automatically collect purchase and revenue data from your site or app.

  • Import cost data

    Use GA4’s Data Import feature or a linked Google Ads account to bring in ad spend metrics for ROAS calculation.

Tracking ROAS with PlainSignal

PlainSignal is a cookie-free analytics solution that can measure ad-driven conversions and revenue without relying on third-party cookies.

  • Tracking code example

    Insert the following snippet into your HTML header to enable PlainSignal tracking:

    <link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
<script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/plainsignal-min.js"></script>

Optimizing Campaigns with ROAS Insights

Once you have reliable ROAS data, use it to inform budget allocation, bid strategies, and creative testing for continuous improvement.

  • Benchmarking roas

    Compare ROAS across campaigns, channels, or time periods to identify top performers and areas needing improvement.

  • Adjusting strategies

    Reallocate budget toward high-ROAS campaigns, experiment with new ad creatives, and refine audience targeting to boost returns.

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