How to work out if a website sponsorship paid off
A sponsorship worked if what it brought in is worth more than it cost. Here's how to see that.
Facts checked 1 Oct 2026 · by the AdSworn team
A sponsorship paid off if what it brought in is worth more than it cost. Tag your link with UTM parameters, then compare the price with the clicks, sign-ups and sales from that link: cost per click is price ÷ clicks, and cost per sign-up is price ÷ sign-ups. AdSworn's delivery report counts ad views and clicks; your own analytics shows what those visitors did next.
The three numbers
| Number | Formula | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per click | Price ÷ clicks | What a visitor cost, to compare with your other channels |
| Cost per sign-up | Price ÷ sign-ups (or trials, or leads) | What a real prospect cost |
| Return | Value of sales ÷ price | Whether it made money: above 1 means it did |
A worked example
Example, made-up numbers: a $75 bundle of three banners for 4 weeks sends 60 clicks. That's $1.25 a click. Eight visitors start a trial ($9.38 a trial) and two become customers worth $40 a month each. After three months that's $240 from a $75 spend, a return of 3.2. Keep the page that sent most of the trials and rebook it.
| Format on “The 12 Best Online Video Editors of 2026 (Free and Paid)” | Advertiser pays | AdSworn (8%) | Publisher gets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banner ad / 4 weeks | $25 | $2 | $23 |
| Featured post / year | $2,000 | $160 | $1,840 |
Where each number comes from
| Number | Source |
|---|---|
| Ad views and clicks | AdSworn's delivery report, counted by its own code on the page and its click redirect |
| Page views on the page | The publisher's Google Analytics, shown in the report when connected |
| Sign-ups and sales | Your own analytics, using the UTM tags on your link |
Use all three. The report proves the ad ran and was seen; your analytics proves what it was worth.
Rebook, change or drop?
- Cost per sign-up below your targetRebook the same page, ideally for longer.
- Plenty of clicks, few sign-upsKeep the page, change the landing page or the offer.
- Few clicksTry a new headline that borrows the page's top search, or move to a page with buying searches.
The 12 Best Online Video Editors of 2026 (Free and Paid)
- Banner ad$25 / 4 weeks
- Featured post$2,000 / year
Straight answers
How do I measure a website sponsorship?
Tag the link with UTM parameters, then compare the price with the clicks, sign-ups and sales your analytics records for that campaign.
What is a good cost per click for a sponsorship?
There's no universal number. Compare it with what clicks cost you on other channels, and with what a customer is worth to you.
Does AdSworn report sales?
No. AdSworn's report counts ad views and clicks; sign-ups and sales come from your own analytics, which sees what visitors do after the click.