Marketing KPIs to track, explained in plain language

Pricing

Marketing Data Platform Pricing Compared

What seven marketing data platforms actually charge, read off their own pricing pages in August 2026. Coupler.io, Windsor.ai and Supermetrics publish full tier lists; Funnel.io publishes entry points but no checkout; Adverity and Domo publish nothing at all. Plus the five meters that decide which tier you really land on, and why the advertised entry price almost never matches the stack you run.

August 2026 // 9 min read

Benchmarks

Average Customer Acquisition Cost by Industry

Average customer acquisition cost runs from about $64 in consumer ecommerce to over $1,100 in education. The published First Page Sage benchmarks by industry for both B2C and B2B, split into organic and paid, why the same industry gets quoted at $64, $86 and $274, and how to compare your own CAC without fooling yourself.

August 2026 // 9 min read

Comparisons

Best GA4 Reporting Tools for Ecommerce Teams

GA4 reporting covers three different jobs, and most tools only do one well. Looker Studio, Coupler.io, Supermetrics, Databox, Funnel.io, Triple Whale and MixedMetrics compared on verified list pricing, what each meters you on, and why GA4 and Shopify revenue never match.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Guides

Best Ad Bidding Model: CPM, CPC or CPA

CPM, vCPM, CPC, CPA and ROAS targets compared on what they bill for and who carries the risk of an ad nobody engages with. Why neither CPM nor CPC is cheaper by nature, the identity linking them, the conversion volume automated bidding actually needs on Meta and Google, and why attribution windows make a cross-network CPA comparison unfair no matter which model you buy on.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Metrics

Retention Rate Formula: How to Calculate CRR

The retention rate formula is ((customers at end minus new customers) / customers at start) x 100. Worked examples for customer retention rate, net and gross revenue retention, repeat purchase rate, the three ways the number gets inflated, and why retention sets the ceiling on what you can spend to acquire anyone.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Guides

Client Reporting for Agencies: What Goes In

Client reporting is the recurring deliverable an agency sends showing what a client's marketing produced and what happens next. The six sections a monthly report needs, in order, with a worked example for a $40,000 a month DTC account, reporting cadence, and the revenue double-counting mistake that surfaces at renewal.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Guides

Why Ad Platform Revenue Numbers Don't Match

Google Ads, Meta, GA4, and Shopify will never report the same revenue, and they are not supposed to. The six real causes, what changed when Meta dropped its 7-day and 28-day view windows in January 2026, how big a gap is normal, and which number to actually run your budget on.

July 2026 // 11 min read

Pricing

Whatagraph Pricing: Both Plans and Real Cost

Whatagraph publishes two plans. Max starts from EUR 699 a month billed annually with unlimited users, unlimited reports and white-label branding, and Prime is quoted rather than published. There is no free plan, no cheaper self-serve tier and no self-serve checkout at all. The detail that decides your bill is credits: one credit is one connected data account, and Max starts from 50. Verified on whatagraph.com in August 2026, including three Prime features that turn out to be paid add-ons on top of Prime.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Pricing

Swydo Pricing: One Plan and Real Cost

Swydo has a single plan at $69 a month, or $62 billed annually, which includes every feature, unlimited clients and users, and your first 10 data sources. After that you pay $4.50 per connected account. The detail that decides your bill is that one data source means one account on one integration, so ten clients on Google Ads and Meta is 20 sources rather than 2. Full cost-per-client math at five agency sizes, verified on swydo.com in August 2026.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Pricing

Windsor AI Pricing 2026: $19-$499/mo Real Cost Breakdown

Windsor.ai costs $19, $99, $249 or $499 a month billed annually, plus a free plan and a quoted Enterprise tier. Every paid plan includes unlimited users, because the meter runs on data sources rather than seats. The catch is that the $19 Basic plan allows only three sources, so a normal cross-channel stack needs the $99 Standard plan. Every tier verified on windsor.ai in August 2026.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Pricing

Funnel.io Pricing: 3 Plans and Real Cost

Funnel.io Starter starts from EUR 280 a month and Business from EUR 560, both billed annually, with Enterprise quoted privately. Every tier is a starting price, the prices are published in euros rather than dollars, and the Measurement module is quote-only on top. Full plan-by-plan breakdown verified on funnel.io in August 2026, what actually drives the bill, and how it compares to Supermetrics and the cheaper dashboard tools.

August 2026 // 9 min read

Attribution

Reconciling Meta, Google and Amazon Ad Data

Meta and Google drive sales on your site. Amazon Ads drive sales on Amazon, on a closed loop your store never sees. That is why the three conversion numbers never reconcile, and no dashboard can merge them without inventing data. The attribution windows for all three, the three-layer reporting structure that works at $150k a month in spend, and how agencies present one clear number to a client.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Pricing

Klipfolio Pricing: 4 Plans and Add-On Costs

Klipfolio Klips costs $120, $190, $310, and $600 a month on annual billing for 3, 10, 20, and 40 dashboards, with unlimited users on every tier. The figure that reprices the decision is the add-on stack: white labeling is $299 a month, SSO $63, custom domain $90. Full breakdown, verified August 2026, plus cost per client against AgencyAnalytics, DashThis, and Swydo.

August 2026 // 8 min read

Pricing

DashThis Pricing 2026: $44-$429/mo, 4 Plans Compared

DashThis costs $44, $139, $279, and $429 a month on annual billing, for 3, 10, 25, and 50 dashboards. The 2026 repricing also caps connected sources at 15, 40, and 100, and that cap, not the dashboard count, is what usually decides your tier. Full breakdown plus the AgencyAnalytics cost comparison.

July 2026 // 8 min read

Pricing

Domo Pricing, Cost, and the Credit Model

Domo publishes no price. It sells credit pools that platform activity spends, at one credit per table updated and one to three per ETL output table, with free unlimited seats. Every published consumption rate, what drives the bill, and how to estimate your cost before the sales call.

July 2026 // 8 min read

Pricing

Windsor.ai vs Supermetrics: Pricing Compared

Windsor.ai vs Supermetrics on verified July 2026 pricing, connector caps, and seat limits. Windsor meters on data sources alone from $19 a month; Supermetrics charges by sources, destinations, and users from EUR 39. Plus what neither one calculates.

July 2026 // 9 min read

Pricing

Hyros vs Triple Whale: Pricing and Fit

Hyros vs Triple Whale on verified July 2026 pricing, funnel fit, and why their numbers never match. Hyros publishes one price and requires a call; Triple Whale has a free tier. Plus when neither is the right purchase.

July 2026 // 10 min read

Pricing

Supermetrics vs Funnel.io: Pricing Compared

Supermetrics vs Funnel.io on price, connectors, caps, and fit. Verified July 2026 pricing for every tier, who each one suits, and when you do not need a data pipeline at all.

July 2026 // 9 min read

Guides

Incrementality Testing: A Practical Guide

Incrementality testing explained for marketers: what it measures, how a holdout test differs from attribution and A/B testing, how to run one on Meta and Google, the tools that do it, and when a blended dashboard answers the question for far less.

July 2026 // 11 min read

Pricing

AgencyAnalytics Pricing 2026: Cost Per Client

AgencyAnalytics costs $20 per client per month on annual billing, $25 monthly. Full 2026 breakdown at 5, 10, and 25 clients, plus add-ons, free trial, and alternatives.

July 2026 // 8 min read

Guides

Facebook Ads vs Google Ads

Facebook Ads vs Google Ads compared on intent, cost, targeting, and measurement, plus the honest answer most guides skip: the only way to know which channel actually made you money is to judge them on the same blended ROAS, not the numbers each platform reports about itself.

July 2026 // 11 min read

Guides

Marketing Reporting Software for Agencies

The marketing reporting software agencies actually buy in 2026, compared on real published pricing: AgencyAnalytics, DashThis, Swydo, Whatagraph, Databox, Klipfolio, and Looker Studio, plus how to tell which pricing model will bite you at scale.

July 2026 // 13 min read

Guides

How to Build a PPC Dashboard

How to build a PPC dashboard that answers whether paid search and social are profitable: the metrics to include, the layout that works, the traps in platform-reported numbers, and how to blend Google Ads and Meta into one view.

July 2026 // 12 min read

Guides

How to Track Ad Spend Across Platforms

How to track ad spend across Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and the rest in one place: why spreadsheets drift, what a real ad spend tracker needs, and how to reconcile platform numbers against what your bank actually paid.

July 2026 // 11 min read

Metrics

Ecommerce Marketing Metrics: The DTC KPIs

The ecommerce marketing metrics that matter for a DTC brand: blended ROAS, MER, CAC, AOV, LTV:CAC, contribution margin, and CAC payback, each with the formula and a typical 2026 benchmark range.

July 2026 // 12 min read

Guides

Marketing Attribution vs Marketing Mix Modeling

Marketing attribution vs marketing mix modeling explained: how multi-touch attribution, MMM, and incrementality differ, why privacy changes broke tracking, and when blended metrics are the practical middle ground.

July 2026 // 12 min read

Guides

Reduce Customer Acquisition Cost: 9 Ways

How to reduce customer acquisition cost: nine practical ways to lower CAC, from fixing attribution and cutting wasted ad spend to lifting conversion rate, AOV, and retention, with the formula and benchmarks.

July 2026 // 11 min read

Metrics

Blended ROAS vs ROAS: Which Number Should You Trust?

Blended ROAS vs ROAS explained: what each measures, worked USD examples, why platform ROAS double-counts across channels, and which number to plan your budget on.

July 2026 // 10 min read

Metrics

ROAS vs ROI: The Difference and Which One to Track

ROAS vs ROI, explained clearly: the two formulas, a worked USD example where a strong ROAS still loses money, and when to use each so you scale profit, not just revenue.

July 2026 // 9 min read

Guides

How to Build a Marketing Dashboard (Step by Step)

How to build a marketing dashboard step by step: the one question it must answer, the metrics that tie spend to revenue, connecting and reconciling your data sources, and the honest build vs buy comparison.

July 2026 // 12 min read

Guides

Marketing Attribution Models Explained (And Which to Use)

Marketing attribution models explained: first-touch, last-touch, linear, time-decay, position-based, and data-driven, compared honestly. Why attribution broke, and why blended metrics are the sanity check finance trusts.

July 2026 // 13 min read

Metrics

CAC Payback Period: Formula, Benchmarks, and How to Shorten It

The CAC payback period explained: the formula, a worked example in USD, gross-margin-adjusted payback, what a good benchmark looks like, and how to shorten the months it takes to earn back acquisition cost.

July 2026 // 11 min read

Metrics

What Is ROAS? Return on Ad Spend Explained (Plus Blended ROAS)

What is ROAS? A clear explanation of return on ad spend, the formula, worked examples in USD, and why blended ROAS gives a truer read on whether your marketing is actually paying off.

June 2026 // 9 min read

Metrics

What Is MER? The Marketing Efficiency Ratio, Explained

What is MER? The marketing efficiency ratio explained: the formula, how it differs from ROAS, worked examples in USD, and why MER ties total spend to total revenue.

June 2026 // 8 min read

Guides

How to Calculate Blended CAC (Formula and Examples)

How to calculate blended CAC: the formula, what to include in acquisition spend, worked examples in USD, and how blended CAC differs from paid CAC across channels.

June 2026 // 10 min read

Metrics

LTV:CAC Ratio: What It Is and What Good Looks Like

The LTV:CAC ratio explained: the formula, what a healthy ratio looks like, worked examples in USD, and how to use it alongside payback period to judge acquisition efficiency.

June 2026 // 10 min read

Benchmarks

Good ROAS Benchmark: What ROAS Should You Aim For?

What is a good ROAS benchmark? How to find your break-even ROAS, realistic targets by channel and margin, and why a blended view beats chasing platform-reported numbers.

June 2026 // 11 min read

Benchmarks

Marketing Efficiency Ratio Benchmark: MER by Channel & Stage

A marketing efficiency ratio benchmark guide: typical MER ranges by stage and margin, how to set your own target, and why MER benchmarks beat channel-level ROAS targets.

June 2026 // 10 min read

Guides

How to Track Marketing ROI Across Every Channel

How to track marketing ROI across every channel: the formula, the data you need to connect, common pitfalls, and how a blended dashboard ties spend to revenue in one place.

June 2026 // 11 min read

Guides

How to Automate Marketing Reporting

A practical guide to automating marketing reporting: what to automate in what order, how to structure client dashboards that scale past twenty accounts, what the tools cost at published August 2026 prices, and the one problem automation makes worse rather than better.

August 2026 // 9 min read

Guides

Marketing KPIs to Track: The 14 That Actually Matter

The marketing KPIs to track that actually matter: ROAS, MER, CAC, LTV, and ten more, with formulas, worked examples in USD, and how to see them all on one dashboard.

June 2026 // 12 min read