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A few years ago, CTR was the main star of performance analytics. The click-through rate decided everything: whether the link was good or not, whether to scale or to the trash. But in 2025, it doesn’t work anymore. Because ads that collect clicks but don’t hold attention will no longer win the auction.
TikTok, Meta, YouTube – all major platforms have started counting not only clicks, but also how long your ad actually lives in the user’s head. The algorithm sees whether the user lingered or just “clicked past.” And if you don’t stay, you are eaten by the one who knows how to keep you.
What are attention metrics, why are they replacing classic CTR/CPC, how has the approach to performance marketing changed, and what is really important to measure now. Without water, with diagrams, examples, and a clear answer to the main question: what to count now, so as not to waste it.
Once upon a time, it was enough for a user to click. CTR OF 5%? Yay, the link is flying. But in 2025, this is no longer a performance metric – it’s just the first, often false step.
These indicators do not answer the question “did they click?”, but “did they stay and read/watch?”. And this has become critical for algorithms.
Imagine a banner: “This service gives out $300 every day. Click – and see for yourself!”
There will be a lot of clicks. But after the click:
CTR is high, CPC is acceptable, but contact quality is zero. The algorithm sees this and cuts the impressions because the ad does not “catch”, although it collects clicks.
Time = attention.And in the era of attention economy, attention is the main currency.
A promotional video that keeps the user engaged for at least 6-10 seconds has a higher chance of being successful
Compare:
Meta and TikTok will take the second option. Because the first is just a click, and the second is attention that leads to action.
CTR is no longer the main character. If your ad doesn’t hold the eye, it loses even with a high CTR. That’s why we look not only at how many people clicked, but how long they watched. And this is where the right analytics starts.
Advertising algorithms no longer look at clicks. They measure attention. And each platform has its own triggers that really affect how much you pay and whether you will be shown at all.
What does this mean? If the creative is “held” for at least 3-5 seconds, it gets a higher Relevance Score and better delivery conditions. Even if the CTR is not top.
Example: Two videos have the same CTR of 1.2%, but one is played for 6 seconds, the other for 1.5 seconds. The first one gets twice as many impressions.
Weak hook = minus 90% of coverage. TikTok wants the user to “stick” and view the maximum – then you will be pushed further.
Example: Even if CTR = 0.7%, but watch time = 10+ seconds – creo lives long. TikTok gives it “life after death” even on a zero account.
YouTube ranks better those videos that don’t just start, but leave the viewer inside. Advertising that is “skipped” at the 5th second is ineffective.
Example: A video with a VTR of 50% gets a lower CPA than a video with a 70% CTR, but with a VTR of 10%. Because there is no point in clicking if the viewer has not listened to the message.
It doesn’t matter how many times you were clicked on if the user went to get coffee afterwards. The platforms measure your quality by dwell time, not by shouting “Click now!”. And if you’re in arbitrage or media, you need to know these new metrics better than CTR.
In 2025, we no longer ask “did they click?”. We ask “did they actually watch?”. Because attention is not a number in statistics, but behavior: whether the user stayed on the page, read it, listened to it, or reached the CTA.
In textual content, classic metrics (such as Time on Page) no longer give an accurate signal. Because someone could just open a tab and go make tea.
Instead, scroll depth. It shows how deep the user scrolled the page.
This is the same “attention map” that is now used not only by SEOs, but also by arbitrageurs working with longreads, landing pages, and neutrals.
On Meta, TikTok, and YouTube, it is important not only to show the video but to keep it for at least a few seconds. Because:
CTR can be high if you have a clickbait or a big “click” button. But if the viewer immediately returned back, the platform sees it.
On TikTok, for example, a video with 10+ seconds of viewing gets organic even if the CTR was average.
And in Meta Engagement Time per View directly affects CPM – longer hold = lower cost per impression.
That’s why today’s “true view” is not a click, but how long people actually held their attention. And if your ad only shouted, but did not hold, it simply will not be shown again.
Old dashboards are no longer working. If you are still measuring the success of your creo only by CTR, it is time to upgrade your analytics. Because modern arbitration is not about “clicked?” but about “sat through?”, “listened?”, “completed?”. And these metrics can really be connected.
Scroll Depth is your first answer to the question “did you read it at all?”. It takes 5-10 minutes to set up via GTM.
How to do it:
Tip: track depth on prelends, natives, and blog separately – there is the most attention loss.
TikTok already has an Events API that can be customized for your own analytical purposes:
How it is implemented:
The updated 2025 dashboard is not just “CTR + budget”. This is an X-ray of user attention, which shows not only whetherthey clicked, but what happened after. And it is these numbers that help to distinguish between the creo that really works and the one that just “flashes” in the feed.
Here’s what you should have in your report if you want to really evaluate your effectiveness:</span
Tip from arbitrager to arbitrager: Collect these indicators in Google Looker Studio or Data Studio. One glance and you can see which creo is really alive, and which one just pumps up the CTR but kills the profit.
Because today advertising is not about clicks. It’s about retained attention. And it can already be counted
TikTok and Meta no longer just look at clicks. If a user doesn’t watch even 3 seconds or immediately opens the video, the algorithm considers it “not interesting”. And it starts to strangle the creo.
Creo A is short, with a bright hook, subtitles, and a clear CTA.
Creo B – long intro, slow pace, soft message. As a result, A is shown more often, cheaper, and retains ROI. And B gets into the “gray list” due to low engagement, although the CTR is fine.
It can be like this:
This is the case when the creo seems to attract attention, but does not hold it. The user clicked… and forgot. So the headline won, but the content lost.
Tip: In such situations, don’t change the audience or bid immediately. Look at the time spent. Because sometimes you don’t need a new creo, you need a new one in the first 3 seconds.
Attention metrics are not about “beauty will save the world,” but about “leave the user for a couple more seconds.” They show whether your video has really hooked them or just promised to hook them. And the sooner you start tracking them, the less you’ll waste.
CTR no longer cuts the truth in the heart. In 2025, it’s more likely to embellish a report than actually explain what happened to creo.
Now, conversions are not won by the first to click, but by the one who holds the attention: makes you watch, read, listen. Platforms see this and give out reach, optimization, and cheaper CPM to such connections.
If you are still evaluating creo only by CPC or CTR, then you are not seeing half the picture. And this half is the one where the budget is drained or the profit soars.
A final tip: Add at least one attention metric to your analytics – average view time, scroll depth, engagement time. These are simple changes that can change everything.