Which online marketing KPIs count – and how you scale them

Online marketing, also known as digital marketing, includes all marketing activities that take place online via the Internet. It is the counterpart to classic offline marketing and has developed massively in recent years due to technological innovations and changing consumer habits. The goal is to make brands more visible, generate leads, increase sales and build long-term customer loyalty.

Online marketing is a huge field and includes, among other things:

• Search engine marketing (SEO & SEA)
• Social Media Marketing (Paid & Organic)
• Influencer Marketing
• Email marketing
• Affiliate marketing
• Content marketing
• Banner Advertising / Display Advertising
• Native advertising
• Video marketing (e.g. YouTube, TikTok)
• Mobile marketing
• Social Commerce
• Marketing automation

Which channels are suitable for which brands?

Choosing the right online marketing channels depends heavily on the business model, the target group and the product itself. D2C brands with highly visual products - such as fashion, beauty or interior - particularly benefit from platforms such as Instagram, Twitch and YouTube. Products can be presented there in an inspiring environment and with a high visual impact, which directly influences the purchasing decision.

B2B companies, on the other hand, should rely on channels that build trust and professionally convey products or services that require explanation. LinkedIn is the most important social media channel here, supplemented by Google Ads for targeted demand and email marketing for building and maintaining customer relationships.

For local providers - such as restaurants, craftsmen or local service providers - Google Maps, Local Ads and Facebook play a central role. Customers often search directly for offers in their area, and visibility in these channels determines the first contact.

Publishers and affiliate models, on the other hand, rely on scalable content and reach. Here, SEO, Display Ads and Native Advertising are particularly effective for placing content organically or monetizing it via networks.

In e-commerce in general there is hardly any way around Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram), Google Shopping and Infuencer Marketing. This combination makes it possible to both generate demand and trigger impulsive purchasing decisions – across the entire funnel.

In recent years, online marketing has not only supplemented classic advertising channels - in many cases it has completely replaced them. The decisive advantage: Digital campaigns are measurable in real time, dynamically scalable and can be controlled in an extremely targeted manner. This means: Instead of relying on wastage as in classic marketing - e.g. B. through posters, print advertisements or TV spots – you can see exactly what really works in online marketing.

You see how many users saw your ad (impressions), who clicked on it (CTR) and how many ultimately converted (conversion rate). This complete transparency across the customer journey opens up completely new possibilities for data-driven decisions - and allows you to optimize campaigns in real time.

Another advantage: Scalability. You can start with a small test budget and - once a funnel or creative works - scale up almost unlimitedly. Whether it's paid ads, social media or influencer marketing: online channels enable you to react quickly to trends, test different target groups and continuously increase your marketing performance.

In addition: Access to online marketing is possible for every budget. Small startups can start with a few hundred euros - large companies invest millions efficiently via programmatic platforms or full-funnel strategies. Whether awareness, leads or sales: there is the right channel for every goal.

In short: Online marketing is no longer a nice-to-have, but rather the most important sales driver for many companies - and a real power tool for asserting oneself in the competition.

KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator. These KPIs help you measure the success of campaigns, identify weak points and use budgets efficiently. The most important online marketing KPIs at a glance:

1. Impressions: How often was your ad shown?
2. Click-through rate (CTR): How many users clicked? Formula: Clicks / Impressions
3. Conversion Rate (CVR): How many of the visitors completed a desired action? (e.g. purchase, registration)
4. Cost per Click (CPC): How much does a click cost you?
5. Cost per Mille (CPM / CPM): What do you pay per 1,000 impressions?
6. Cost per Lead (CPL): How much does a generated lead cost you?
7. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): How many euros do you get back for each euro of advertising budget?
8. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): How much does it cost to acquire a new customer?
9. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): How much revenue does a customer bring over the entire customer relationship?
10. Engagement Rate (ER): Reactions such as likes, comments or shares in relation to reach

Which KPIs are particularly important?

This depends on the goal of your campaign:

• Branding: Impressions, TKP, reach, engagement rate
• Performance: CTR, CPC, ROAS, CVR
• Lead generation: CPL, CAC, conversion rate
• Customer retention: CLV, engagement rate, email KPIs

Important: Never look at KPIs in isolation! Only in combination do they give a realistic picture of the performance.

We show how you track these key figures specifically on social channels in the guide to the Social Media KPIs - and which key figures count in creator scouting in the deep dive on the Influencer KPIs.

When we talk about scaling in online marketing, it's not just about doing "more" - but about achieving more output at the same or only slightly increasing costs. In short: You want to increase the performance of your KPIs without breaking your budget.

A central lever for this is target group testing. By testing different segments – e.g. E.g. demographically, regionally or based on interests – you can find out which target groups respond particularly well to your campaign. At the same time, Creative optimization plays a big role: Which ad performs better? Which image, call-to-action or video leads to more clicks and conversions?

Another key is funnel optimization. Analyze exactly where potential customers drop off - and specifically improve user navigation, loading times or trust on landing pages. There is also Retargeting: You can specifically target users who have already shown interest but have not yet converted and bring them to a conclusion.

Don't forget the right platform mix. Instead of just relying on one channel, you should strategically combine Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn & Co. - depending on the funnel level and target group. This way you can reach your users multiple times, reinforce your message and get the most out of every contact point. So scaling is not a coincidence, but the result of a well-thought-out, data-driven strategy.

The costs vary depending on the channel and objective:

• Google Ads: CPCs between 0.10 and 5 euros depending on the industry
• Meta Ads (Instagram/Facebook): CPMs from 5 to 15 euros
• TikTok: Even cheaper, but creative production necessary
• Influencers: from barter deals to 5-figure budgets
• Email marketing: tool costs + personnel costs

In addition, there are costs for agencies, tools, design, content creation and analysis. What is important is the relationship to performance (ROAS, CAC, CLV).

The digital marketing world is developing rapidly - and 2025 promises a real turning point. AI-based ads are becoming increasingly common: artificial intelligence automatically creates creatives, tests variations and optimizes campaigns in real time - without any manual intervention. Performance not only becomes more efficient, but also more creative.

Another game changer is the TikTok Shop: The platform merges entertainment and e-commerce in the form of Live Shopping. Products are presented in the live stream and can be purchased directly - a trend that particularly excites Gen Z and promotes impulse-driven shopping.

Predictive Analytics is the next logical step: data analyzes are no longer just used for evaluation, but for prediction. This means you can see today which campaigns will perform tomorrow - a clear advantage for budget allocation.

There are also changes in tracking. Zero and first-party data are becoming increasingly important as third-party cookies are increasingly restricted. The focus shifts to our own, data protection-compliant data sources – for example from CRM systems or email opt-ins.

At the same time, search is changing: Voice Search and Visual Search are becoming an integral part of the customer journey. Users speak or photograph products instead of typing them - search engines like Google are adapting to this development with new formats and features.

And finally, the Creator Economy continues to grow. Influencers have long been more than just advertising faces - they build their own brand, sell their own products and thus become real media companies with a direct connection to the community. Brands that cooperate here at an early stage not only secure reach, but also trust.

Without KPIs, there is no growth. Anyone who knows, understands and continuously optimizes their online marketing KPIs is able to not only run campaigns successfully, but also scale them profitably. Regardless of whether you are a start-up, a medium-sized company or a corporation: those who work in a data-driven way will win the digital competition in the long term.

Do you want to analyze, understand and improve your KPIs? We are happy to help you – as an agency, sparring partner or performance turbo.

Get in touch here easily and without obligation, and we will develop a strategy that fits your brand and your goals perfectly. Ready for more? Let's make it happen!