Video ads are having their moment. And there’s no denying it.
93% of marketers have already reported a good ROI from video advertising in 2025, up from 87% in 2022, according to Wyzowl. This steady growth speaks volumes about the power of data-driven strategies to maximize video performance.
But while the numbers are promising, the real question is: How do you know if your video ads are actually working?
We know every dollar counts, and it’s not enough to simply “run a video ad” and hope for the best. You need to understand how your videos are performing and, more importantly, whether they’re driving the desired outcomes. Without the right data, you’re flying blind—and it’s far too easy to miss the mark, waste your budget, or fall short of your campaign goals.
Whether you’re optimizing for engagement, clicks, or conversions, the metrics you choose to track will determine the success of your programmatic video campaigns.
If you’re an SMB and all of this already sounds too complex, head over to this blog where we take a step back and explain the key metrics to help optimize programmatic campaigns to get started.
Now, let’s break down the essential metrics that can make or break your video’s performance.
1. Viewability Rate: The ‘Are They Watching?’ Metric
Viewability, or viewable impressions, measures whether your video ad was actually seen by the audience. A high viewability rate means your ad is being displayed in a prime position on the screen for enough time to make an impression. This is different from served impressions, which refer to how many times an ad is delivered by the ad server.
2. Completion Rate: Did They Watch All the Way Through?
Not all views are created equal. The completion rate tells you how many people watched your video from start to finish. If you’re hooked from the first few seconds, you’re likely to stick around and watch the entire thing. Viewers are selective about their time, so choosing to watch an entire ad is a strong sign that they find it valuable.
If you’re noticing that many viewers are dropping off early, it might be time to rethink the pacing or storytelling of your video content to keep them watching.
3. Click-Through Rate (CTR): The Next Step in Engagement
Once your viewers have watched your video, the next step is to get them to take action. The CTR measures how many people clicked on your ad after viewing it. This metric is essential for determining if your video is compelling enough to drive conversions.
If your CTR is lower than expected, it could be a sign that your CTA isn’t clear or aligning with the message in your video.
4. Engagement Rate: Are They Interacting with Your Video?
Beyond just watching, what’s the level of interaction with your video content? Engagement rate measures likes, shares, comments, or other interactions with the video. Higher engagement usually means your message is resonating with your audience.
The more people interact with your video, the more likely it is to generate deeper brand affinity and ultimately, conversions. If engagement is low, it may be worth experimenting with different video formats or refining your targeting.
5. Skip Rate: When They Decide It’s Not for Them
This one’s simple: the skip rate shows how many people opted out of watching the video after the first few seconds. A high skip rate is a red flag that your video might not be grabbing attention quickly enough or that it’s irrelevant to your audience.
If you notice a high skip rate, it’s worth revisiting the opening moments of your video to ensure it hooks the viewer from the start. Targeting the right audience can also reduce skip rates.
6. Bounce Rate: Are They Leaving Immediately?
The bounce rate is similar to the skip rate but applies to landing pages that follow the video ad. If users are bouncing right after clicking on your video ad, your landing page experience may not be aligned with the promise of the ad. If you’re running a sale on stylish sneakers in your video but the landing page is showing a generic homepage without a clear offer, viewers will leave, and your bounce rate will spike.
Always take a closer look at your landing page experience to ensure it matches the expectations set by the video.
7. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Measuring the Real Impact
ROAS is the ultimate metric for measuring the effectiveness of your video ads. It calculates how much revenue you generate for every dollar spent on advertising. Let’s say you’re running an ad campaign for a new product, and for every $1 you spend on video ads, you’re seeing a $5 return in sales. That’s a solid ROAS.
If ROAS isn’t where you want it to be, take a deeper look at your targeting, creative, and bidding strategies to make sure they’re aligned with your overall business objectives.
8. Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM): Budget vs. Reach
CPM is a critical metric when it comes to the efficiency of your ad spend. It calculates how much you’re paying for every thousand impressions your video ad receives. This is an important metric for determining whether your budget is being allocated effectively.
Fine-tuning your targeting can help reduce unnecessary ad spend and improve your CPM, allowing you to reach more of your desired audience with a more efficient budget.
9. Cost Per Completed View (CPCV): Paying for Real Attention
Cost Per Completed View (CPCV) ensures you’re only paying when your video ad is watched from start to finish. This metric is ideal for targeting high-quality users genuinely engaging with your content. For example, if you’re running a campaign for a new skincare brand, with CPCV, you’re only charged when someone watches the entire video of your product demo and hears your brand’s story.
This means you’re investing in users who are interested enough to watch the full ad, rather than paying for every person who just scrolls past or clicks skip after a few seconds
10. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): Paying for Real-World Results
CPA in the video world is similar in nature to the CPA we encountered when reviewing banner advertising. When it comes to Connected TV, however, given that the ad is shown on the TV screen and a user takes action on a different device (mobile/tablet/laptop), it becomes difficult to attribute the action to the ad seen.
Pro-tip: Proprietary technology and algorithms (such as those built by Vizibl) are required to measure results against CTV ads. Once the link between ad and action is achieved, CTV can be leveraged to drive incredible performance-oriented results.
We’ve been mindful of this exact issue while building Vizibl, our programmatic ads platform. All these metrics are readily available in our reporting for easy extraction and consumption. Vizibl also gives you options to auto optimize for some of the key video ad metrics via its backend optimization engine.
You’re Now Ready to Optimize
It’s easy to think that once your video ad is live, the work is done. But the truth is, without tracking the right metrics, you’re missing out on insights that can optimize your campaign. So, the next time you hit “publish,” make sure you’re not just crossing your fingers but you’re also making informed decisions that will drive real success.