Campaign Cost and Budget Reference
Campaigns are the economics layer for groups of links.Campaign lifecycle states
Common status flow:- active
- paused
- archived
Campaign setup checklist
- Confirm campaign objective and owner.
- Confirm cost model matches commercial agreement.
- Confirm reporting currency before launch.
- Confirm budget guardrails are configured.
- Confirm linked assets (links/rules) inherit expected defaults.
Cost model options
Supported campaign models:- none
- CPC
- CPM
- CPA
- revshare
Formula behaviors
- CPC: cost scales by click volume (
clicks * rate). - CPM: cost scales by thousand-impression equivalent (
(clicks / 1000) * rate). - CPA: cost scales by conversion outcomes (
conversions * rate). - Revshare: cost scales as revenue percentage (
revenue * percentage).
Model selection quick guide
| Use case | Best model | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paid media billed per click | CPC | Stable for click-driven channels |
| Display or impression inventory | CPM | Works when traffic buy is impression based |
| Qualified outcome buying | CPA | Better when conversion quality is primary |
| Revenue-sharing partnerships | revshare | Aligns cost to realized sales value |
| No cost accounting required | none | Use for routing-only campaigns |
Currency controls
Campaign-level currency affects display and financial interpretation in analytics. When mixed currencies exist:- normalization and conversion context matter
- always reconcile with explicit date range and scope
Budget controls and behavior
Campaign budget controls typically include:- daily budget cap.
- total budget cap.
- utilization progress indicators.
- threshold warning states.
- nearing threshold should trigger alert workflows.
- reaching cap can alter campaign pacing and operator actions.
- overspend investigations should include timezone and range alignment.
Link-level override interaction
Links can override campaign cost assumptions in selected cases. Best practice:- keep overrides explicit and documented
- review overrides before monthly finance reconciliation
- avoid silent per-link drift from campaign economics
Conversion tracking on campaign
Campaign-level tracking toggle controls whether campaign participates in conversion collection/reporting behaviors. When conversion tracking is disabled, sales/leads reporting can appear sparse even if clicks are high.Finance reconciliation checklist
- Lock date range and timezone.
- Confirm campaign status and active window.
- Confirm cost model and rates during analyzed period.
- Confirm campaign currency and conversion currency normalization.
- Confirm override usage on high-volume links.
Troubleshooting patterns
| Symptom | Likely cause | First check |
|---|---|---|
| High clicks but low modeled cost | Model set to none or rate missing | Campaign cost model and rate fields |
| Cost spikes after config update | Mid-period model/rate change | Config history and selected date range |
| Campaign numbers differ from workspace view | Scope/filter mismatch | Scope, status filter, and date preset |
| Revenue appears without corresponding campaign cost | Conversion tracking active but cost model not configured | Campaign economics settings |
Operational best practices
- define cost model before sending real traffic
- avoid frequent cost-model changes mid-reporting period
- validate budget alerts and utilization dashboards
- align link-level overrides with campaign objective
- use fixed reporting windows when comparing before/after model changes
/user-guides/manual/growth/links-and-settings-reference/user-guides/manual/data/analytics-and-reporting/user-guides/manual/monetization/plans-pricing-and-limits-reference