Metrics & KPIs
Key performance indicators (KPIs) in gaming marketing provide measurable values that demonstrate how effectively user acquisition, engagement, and monetisation strategies achieve business objectives. Understanding which metrics matter for each game lifecycle stage and how they interconnect enables data-driven decision-making and continuous optimisation.
Marketing KPIs vs Gaming Business KPIs
It's critical to distinguish between marketing performance metrics (which measure campaign effectiveness) and gaming business metrics (which measure player behavior and revenue). Both are essential, but they serve different purposes and inform different decisions.
Marketing KPIs
Measure the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing campaigns and channels
- •ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) - Revenue generated per dollar spent on advertising
- •CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) - Cost to acquire one paying customer
- •CPD (Cost Per Deposit) - Cost to acquire one first-time depositor
- •CTR (Click-Through Rate) - Percentage of ad viewers who click
- •CPM (Cost Per Mille) - Cost per 1,000 ad impressions
- •FTD Rate - First-time deposit conversion rate from registrations
- •CVR (Conversion Rate) - Percentage of clicks that convert to registrations
Used by: UA managers, performance marketers, media buyers
Gaming Business KPIs
Measure player behavior, engagement, and revenue generation for online gambling operations (betting, casino, poker, slots)
- •FTD (First Time Deposit) - Player's first deposit after registration; the critical conversion metric in Gaming
- •GGR (Gross Gaming Revenue) - Total amount wagered minus total winnings paid out to players
- •NGR (Net Gaming Revenue) - GGR minus bonuses, promotions, and other player incentives
- •ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) - Total revenue divided by all users
- •ARPPU (Average Revenue Per Paying User) - Revenue from paying users only
- •LTV (Lifetime Value) - Total revenue a player generates over their lifetime
- •DAU/MAU (Daily/Monthly Active Users) - Player engagement metrics
- •Retention Rate (D1/D7/D30) - Percentage of players returning after first deposit
Used by: Product managers, game designers, monetisation teams, executives
How They Work Together
Marketing KPIs tell you how efficiently you're acquiring players, while gaming business KPIs tell you how valuable those players are. For example: if your CPD is $120 (marketing KPI) and your D30 LTV is $250 (business KPI), you have a healthy $130 margin per player. Both metrics are needed to make informed decisions about scaling player acquisition.
User Acquisition Metrics
| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost Per Deposit (CPD) | Total Ad Spend / Number of First-Time Depositors | $60-$250 (varies by vertical/region) | Cost to acquire one first-time depositor |
| FTD Conversion Rate | (First-Time Depositors / Registrations) × 100% | 25-45% (varies by vertical) | Percentage of registrations that convert to FTD |
| Effective Cost Per Mille (eCPM) | (Total Ad Revenue / Impressions) × 1000 | Varies by ad format | Revenue generated per 1,000 impressions |
| K-Factor (Virality) | Invites Sent per User / Conversion Rate per Invite | >1.0 = viral growth | Measures organic user growth from referrals |
| Registration Conversion Rate | Registrations / Site Visits × 100% | 15-35% (varies by source) | Percentage of visitors who register |
| Click-Through Rate (CTR) | (Clicks / Impressions) × 100% | 2-5% (varies by creative) | Percentage who click after seeing ad |
| Cost Per Click (CPC) | Total Ad Spend / Total Clicks | $0.10-$2.00 | Average cost for each ad click |
| Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) | Revenue / Ad Spend | 100%+ at D30, 200%+ at D180 | Revenue generated per dollar spent on ads |
Player Engagement & Retention Metrics
| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Active Users (DAU) | Count of unique users per day | Varies by game size | Number of unique players engaging daily |
| Monthly Active Users (MAU) | Count of unique users per 30 days | Varies by game size | Number of unique players engaging monthly |
| Sticky Factor | (DAU / MAU) × 100% | 20%+ (good) | Measures habitual usage and engagement regularity |
| Day 1 Retention (D1) | (Players returning D1 / New FTDs) × 100% | 35%+ (good) | Percentage of players returning day after first deposit |
| Day 7 Retention (D7) | (Players returning D7 / New FTDs) × 100% | 25%+ (good) | Percentage of players still active after 7 days |
| Day 30 Retention (D30) | (Players returning D30 / New FTDs) × 100% | 15%+ (good) | Percentage of players still active after 30 days |
| Churn Rate | (Users Lost / Users at Start) × 100% | Lower is better | Rate at which players stop engaging |
| Session Length | Average time per gaming session | Varies by genre | Average duration of single play session |
| Sessions Per User | Total sessions / Unique users | Higher is better | How often users return to play |
Monetisation Metrics
| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) | Total Revenue / Total Active Users | Varies by genre | Average revenue generated per active user |
| Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU) | Total Revenue / Paying Users Only | Higher than ARPU | Average revenue from monetised players |
| Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU) | Daily Revenue / DAU | $0.10-$1.00+ | Daily monetisation snapshot |
| Lifetime Value (LTV) | Predicted total revenue per user | 3x CPI minimum | Total expected revenue over player lifetime |
| IAP Conversion Rate | (Paying Users / Total Users) × 100% | 2-5% (varies) | Percentage of players making purchases |
| IAP Revenue | Total in-app purchase revenue | Varies by game | Revenue from in-game purchases |
| ILRD (IAP Lifetime Revenue per Download) | Lifetime IAP Revenue / Total Downloads | Varies by genre | Revenue potential per acquired user |
Ad Monetisation Metrics
| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ad Revenue | Total revenue from in-game ads | Varies by game | Total earnings from advertising |
| Ad eCPM | (Ad Revenue / Impressions) × 1000 | $2-$20+ (varies by format) | Revenue per 1,000 ad impressions |
| Fill Rate | (Ad Impressions / Ad Requests) × 100% | 90%+ (good) | Percentage of ad requests filled |
| Ad Impressions | Total number of ads shown | Varies by DAU | Volume of ad displays |
| Ad CTR | (Ad Clicks / Ad Impressions) × 100% | 1-5% (varies by format) | Percentage of users clicking ads |
| Ad ARPDAU | Daily Ad Revenue / DAU | $0.05-$0.50 | Daily ad revenue per active user |
| Fraud Share | Fraudulent Activity / Total Activity × 100% | <5% | Portion of invalid/fraudulent ad activity |
SEO Metrics
| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Traffic | Sessions from organic search | Growing trend | Visitors from unpaid search results |
| Keyword Rankings | Position in SERPs | Top 10 (page 1) | Search engine ranking for target keywords |
| Domain Authority (DA) | Moz score (1-100) | 40+ (good) | Predictive ranking strength of domain |
| Page Authority (PA) | Moz score (1-100) | 30+ (good) | Predictive ranking strength of page |
| Backlinks | Count of inbound links | Quality > quantity | Number of external sites linking to you |
| Pages Indexed | Pages in search index | All important pages | Number of pages search engines have indexed |
| Organic CTR | (Clicks / Impressions) × 100% | 3-5% (varies) | Click rate from organic search results |
| Core Web Vitals | LCP, FID, CLS scores | Good ratings | Page experience metrics affecting rankings |
Affiliate Marketing Metrics
| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affiliate Clicks | Total clicks on affiliate links | Varies | Traffic volume driven by affiliates |
| Affiliate Conversion Rate | (Conversions / Clicks) × 100% | 0.5-5% | Percentage of affiliate clicks that convert |
| Earnings Per Click (EPC) | Total Commissions / Total Clicks | $0.10-$5.00 | Average affiliate earnings per click |
| Average Order Value (AOV) | Total Revenue / Number of Orders | Varies | Average purchase amount from affiliate traffic |
| Commission Rate | (Total Commissions / Revenue) × 100% | 5-30% | Percentage of revenue paid to affiliates |
| Affiliate ROAS | Revenue / Total Affiliate Costs | 3:1 to 10:1 | Return on affiliate program investment |
| Active Affiliates | Affiliates generating sales | 20-30% of total | Number of affiliates actively promoting |
| Reversal Rate | (Reversed Sales / Total Sales) × 100% | <5% | Percentage of sales that are refunded/cancelled |
Display & Programmatic Metrics
| Metric | Formula | Benchmark | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewability Rate | (Viewable Impressions / Measured) × 100% | 70%+ | Percentage of ads actually seen by users |
| View-Through Conversions | Conversions after ad view (no click) | Varies | Conversions attributed to ad impressions |
| Frequency | Impressions / Reach | 3-10 | Average times a user sees your ad |
| Video Completion Rate | (Completions / Starts) × 100% | 50-70% | Percentage who watched entire video ad |
| Win Rate | (Impressions Won / Bids) × 100% | 5-20% | Percentage of programmatic auctions won |
| Brand Lift | Survey-based measurement | 5-10% lift | Increase in brand awareness from campaign |
Metric Selection Framework
Choose Metrics Based on Campaign Goals:
- Brand Awareness: Impressions, Reach, Brand Lift, Share of Voice
- Consideration: Engagement Rate, CTR, Time on Site, Pages per Session
- Conversion: Conversion Rate, CPA, ROAS, Revenue
- Retention: Repeat Purchase Rate, Churn Rate, CLV
- Advocacy: Referral Rate, Net Promoter Score (NPS), Social Shares
Leading vs Lagging Indicators:
Leading indicators predict future performance (CTR, engagement, traffic growth)
Lagging indicators measure past results (revenue, ROI, customer count)
Balance both types to understand current performance and forecast future outcomes.
Metric Hierarchy:
- North Star Metric: Single metric that best captures core value (e.g., Monthly Recurring Revenue)
- Primary KPIs: 3-5 metrics directly tied to business objectives
- Secondary Metrics: Supporting indicators that provide context
- Operational Metrics: Day-to-day tracking for optimisation