Measurement, Reporting, and Attribution
What this domain tests
Know the metrics definitions cold: impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, spend, sales, orders, units, conversion rate, ACoS, ROAS, TACoS. Understand attribution windows (e.g., 14-day for Sponsored Products sales; view-through windows for display/video), new-to-brand metrics, and report types (search term, placement, advertised product, campaign). Distinguish attributed vs. incremental and understand halo effects (ads on one ASIN driving sales of others).
Traps
- ACoS vs. ROAS: ROAS = sales ÷ spend; ACoS = spend ÷ sales. They are inverses.
- TACoS = total ad spend ÷ total sales (including organic) - always lower than ACoS when organic exists.
- Attribution windows differ by product; comparing across windows is invalid.
- View-through conversions are not clicks.
- Search term reports show actual queries; targeting reports show your targets. Confusing them leads to wrong negatives.
Worked example
Spend $1,000, ad sales $5,000, total sales $10,000. ACoS = 20%, ROAS = 5.0, TACoS = 10%. If organic sales grow while ad sales hold, TACoS falls - a sign of ad-driven halo. Rule of thumb: ROAS = 1 ÷ ACoS (e.g., ACoS 25% → ROAS 4.0).
Key concepts checklist
ACoS, ROAS, TACoS, CTR, CVR, attribution windows, NTB, halo, search term vs. targeting reports.