That is the second in a collection of articles by common PPC Hero contributor – and Hero Conf speaker, Lisa Raehsler – during which we put among the most anticipated talks from October’s Hero Conf San Diego within the highlight.
Learn Part 1: What’s Working in AI and PPC Right Now (and What to Watch Next)
What does significant efficiency appear to be in 2025?
As entrepreneurs, we’re underneath extra strain than ever to justify outcomes and but a lot of our metrics and attribution fashions are outdated.
This 12 months’s Hero Conf San Diego audio system are taking a contemporary have a look at new requirements when measuring paid media efficiency. From incrementality and media combine modeling to inventive AI reporting and visitors high quality, these periods spotlight the right way to monitor what’s right here and now, show worth, and act on insights.
This text explores how high minds in paid media are redefining efficiency measurement within the new AI-powered PPC world, and how one can apply the identical pondering to your campaigns. These insights are drawn from the Hero Conf 2025 agenda, however their worth goes properly past the convention.
1. Prep Your Measurement for Life After Cookies
As third-party cookies part out, many PPC professionals are being pressured to rethink how they monitor, and attribute efficiency. Conventional measurement strategies that depend on pixel-based monitoring have gotten much less dependable, particularly throughout a number of units and platforms.
“Advertising and marketing attribution is a zero-sum sport, and utilizing third-party cookie knowledge to measure efficiency is generally incorrect. Some channels can be overvalued, some channels can be undervalued. So the secret is to determine which channels are being undervalued or overvalued. And that’s what Media Mix Modeling is all about.”
– Speaker: Ben Vigneron, VP of Analytics at Blackbird PPC
– Session: Prep your measurement for all times after cookies
However as Ben factors out, the cookie dialog may be lacking the larger concern. Attribution itself has been flawed for years utilizing cookies.
Ben’s session presents a path ahead. He breaks down how media combine modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing can provide entrepreneurs a extra correct view of channel worth and the right way to implement these methods in real-world campaigns, even with out excellent monitoring.
2. Demystifying Incrementality for Paid Media Execs

In 2025, incrementality is lastly getting the eye it deserves, however there may be nonetheless a variety of confusion round what it really means. At its core, incrementality is the apply of measuring what wouldn’t have occurred with out your adverts as a strategy to isolate true influence from noise.
Whereas many entrepreneurs deal with it as a check or a retroactive evaluation, the actual energy of incrementality lies in the way it reshapes your total media strategy.
Liam Wade defines and reframes incrementality. His strategy challenges the previous habits of chasing surface-level attribution and presents a brand new lens for understanding what really drives enterprise development.
“Incrementality isn’t nearly measurement. It’s a radically totally different paid media strategy that challenges your finest apply. On this session, I’ll present you the right way to flip proof into motion—making use of incrementality to your paid media to unlock substantial top-line income development and profitability.”
– Speaker: Liam Wade, Director of Performance at Impression
– Session: Demystifying incrementality for paid media and past
Liam’s session will make it easier to reduce by means of the noise and really apply incrementality in your campaigns so that you’re optimizing primarily based on actual raise, not simply what the platform advised you occurred.
3. Past ROAS: Superior E-Commerce KPIs for Profitability

One of many largest measurement traps in ecommerce promoting is over-relying on platform-reported ROAS. It’s a tempting metric that’s simple to entry, easy to clarify, however it hardly ever tells the total story. In actuality, excessive ROAS can cover skinny revenue margins or low buyer lifetime worth.
Paolo Vidali challenges advertisers to go deeper. His strategy reframes efficiency round true enterprise influence, particularly in ecommerce environments the place logistics, pricing, and success straight have an effect on outcomes.
“It’s simple to get caught up in ecommerce PPC by optimizing purely on the numbers. Look past primary stats that the advert platforms offer you and calculate a real ROAS that features profitability (tariffs and all), product availability, and buyer lifetime worth.”
– Speaker: Paolo Vidali, CEO at Hidden Gears
– Session: Past ROAS: superior e-commerce KPIs for profitability
In his session, Paolo will stroll by means of sensible frameworks to maneuver past surface-level ROAS. You’ll learn to construct a measurement technique that displays operational realities and the right way to use that perception to drive smarter, extra worthwhile development.
4. Making Google Advertisements and Looker Studio Work for You

As marketing campaign knowledge turns into extra complicated, entrepreneurs want extra than simply dashboards. They want programs that may flip disconnected knowledge into clear insights. But many nonetheless depend on cobbled-together studies or default templates that aren’t personalised.
Joshua Slodki sees AI and automation as reporting instruments. His session focuses on how entrepreneurs can use Looker Studio (enhanced with AI) to construct studies which might be smarter, cleaner, and constructed for motion.
“The accessibility of AI to information entrepreneurs within the strategy of writing code opens a world of prospects to broaden their advertising analytics alternatives utilizing Looker Studio. I hope of us come away desirous about the methods they will automate the reporting they’re presently cobbling collectively—and loopy new methods they will use the platform now that they’re not answerable for studying the code to make it occur.”
– Speaker: Joshua Slodki, President at Buoy Digital Group
– Session: Making Google adverts & looker studio be just right for you
Josh will present attendees the right way to break away from guide reporting and unlock the total potential of Looker Studio Blends to save lots of time and floor helpful insights that drive efficiency.
5. Not All Site visitors Is Good Site visitors

Extra visitors doesn’t imply higher outcomes. In truth, probably the most neglected efficiency killers in paid media is poor-quality visitors and clicks that by no means convert and warp your knowledge. In 2025, entrepreneurs must shift focus from quantity to relevance.
Aashna Makin takes this problem head-on. Her session reframes how we outline “success” in PPC by specializing in viewers high quality and intent and never simply uncooked numbers.
“My session dives into why dangerous visitors can damage your paid advert campaigns, what good visitors actually appears to be like like, and the right way to appeal to it. It’s not nearly scale—it’s about relevance.”
– Speaker: Aashna Makin, Founder at SuperAds
– Session: Not all visitors is nice visitors
Attendees will learn to determine crimson flags of their campaigns, filter out wasteful visitors, and construct methods that prioritize customers who’re prone to convert whereas enhancing each efficiency and profitability.
Ultimate Takeaway
Efficiency measurement in 2025 is about understanding what drives outcomes after which enhancing them. It’s time to rethink attribution, embrace incrementality, filter out low-value visitors, or construct the reporting system you’ve at all times needed. It’s clear that the previous metrics aren’t sufficient.
The periods above spotlight how entrepreneurs are evolving their strategy to ROI and paid media efficiency. For those who’re prepared to maneuver past the fundamentals and construct a technique for the longer term, these talks gives you the frameworks to get there.
Need to lead the subsequent period of promoting? Be part of the dialog at HeroConf.
Hero Conf San Diego will happen September 23-24 on the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Tickets are on sale now