Clicks & Mid-Funnel Metrics: When Curiosity Costs Money

Obsessing over CTR while conversions tank.

The Mid-Funnel Mirage

Your Slack lights up: “CTR just jumped to 3.8%!” Confetti everywhere, but Stripe is still a ghost town. Cheap curiosity can get very expensive.

1. CTR Inflation Tricks: Pixel-Perfect Lies

Why the spike?

• Click-bait creative: A “You won’t believe…” hook lifts clicks, then drops users off a cliff
• Accidental taps: Tiny mobile buttons plus big thumbs pump up CTR
• Algorithmic spillover: Platforms quietly broaden targeting to bored scrollers

Red flags:

• High CTR with high bounce rate or sub-10-second sessions
• Sudden CTR jump the same day you loosen targeting or swap creative style

Fix it:

• Pair CTR with post-click quality (scroll depth, session duration)
• Set a sanity check: if bounce >70%, investigate before celebrating the CTR

2. The CPC Paradox: Cheapest Click ≠ Cheapest Customer

• The illusion: A $0.30 click looks heroic next to a $3.00 click—until the bargain traffic converts 10× worse
• Math that sobers you up:

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) = CPC / Conversion Rate

$0.30 / 0.3% = $100 CAC

$3.00 / 5% = $60 CAC

How to beat the paradox:

• Bid up for quality audiences that resemble your best buyers
• Blend CPC with LTV. A $12 click is fine if the customer nets $1,200 over 18 months
• Check CPV for video: three-second views rarely fuel purchase intent; optimize for 15-second views or longer. That $0.02 CPV means nothing if viewers bail before your logo appears

Attribution insight: Watch multi-touch paths—that “converting” click might just be stealing credit from organic brand searches or email nurtures

3. Engagement vs Bounce: Landing-Page Truth Serum

Your ad promises caviar, the landing page serves cheese puffs, users bounce.

Diagnostic checklist:

• Bounce rate >60% = headline mismatch or slow page speed
• Scroll depth <25% = above-the-fold content fails the “first five seconds” test
• Form starts but no submits = too many fields or weak value promise

Action steps:

• Put the ad promise front and center above the fold
• Compress or remove heavy hero images; aim for <2s load time
• Split-test one-field versus multi-field forms—speed wins

4. Stickiness Ratio: The Retention Reality Check

Stickiness = DAU ÷ MAU

The closer the fraction is to 1, the more habit-forming your product.

• 5-10%: Once-in-a-while tool; users drop in when forced
• 15-25%: Healthy habit; typical SaaS sweet spot
• 30%+: Social-media territory; prepare for server upgrades

Use it:

• After traffic spikes: Did new users return next week? Stickiness tells all
• For feature launches: If DAU rises without MAU growth, existing users love the update

Boost it:

• In-product nudges: email, push, or SMS reminding users of unfinished tasks
• Community hooks: leaderboards, streaks, shared workspaces

TL;DR: Curiosity Is Expensive If It Doesn’t Convert

• CTR without post-click engagement is pure sugar
• Cheap CPC often hides a bloated CAC
• Landing-page alignment turns clicks into cash
• Stickiness shows whether the relationship lasts past the first date

Run the math, blend your metrics, and stop paying for empty intrigue.