Metrics · Channel · Finance · Acquisition · Weekly · ratio · Updated 2026-07-21

What is Return on Ad Spend?

Short answer: The revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising.

Definition

The revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising.

Formula

Revenue attributed to ads / Ad spend

How to measure

Attribute revenue from customers who converted through a specific ad channel and divide it by that channel's total spend.

Why track it

ROAS is the bottom-line judgment call for whether to keep scaling, hold, or cut a paid channel.

Example

A campaign spending $5,000 and generating $20,000 in attributed revenue reports a 4x ROAS.

FAQ

What is Return on Ad Spend?
The revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising.
How do you calculate Return on Ad Spend?
Revenue attributed to ads / Ad spend
Why track Return on Ad Spend?
ROAS is the bottom-line judgment call for whether to keep scaling, hold, or cut a paid channel.