How to Create and Manage Ad Goals in Hubspot

Using Hubspot to create clear, data-driven ad goals helps you connect campaign performance directly to pipeline and revenue. This guide walks you through every step of configuring, editing, and tracking ad goals in your ads tool so your team knows exactly what success looks like.

What Are Ad Goals in Hubspot?

Ad goals in the Hubspot ads tool let you define what you want each ad campaign to achieve and how that success is measured. Instead of looking only at vanity metrics like clicks, you can tie goals to meaningful outcomes such as new contacts, deals, or revenue.

When you create an ad goal, you can:

• Align each campaign with a specific business objective.
• Choose how performance is measured (contacts, deals, revenue, lifecycle stage, or website events).
• Set a clear time frame for achieving the goal.
• Monitor goal progress directly in the Hubspot ads dashboard.

Pre-requisites for Using Hubspot Ad Goals

Before you configure ad goals, confirm that the following are set up in your Hubspot account:

• Your ad accounts (Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn) are connected.
• You have permission to create and edit goals in the ads tool.
• Your CRM objects (contacts, companies, deals) and lifecycle stages are correctly configured.
• Any custom events or website interactions you want to track are already defined.

Once these are in place, you can start creating goals for one or more campaigns at a time.

How to Create Ad Goals in the Hubspot Ads Tool

Follow these steps to define new ad goals in Hubspot:

Step 1: Open the Hubspot Ads Dashboard

1. From your main navigation, go to Marketing > Ads.
2. Make sure you are viewing the correct ad accounts and campaigns you want to configure.

The main ads dashboard shows performance metrics by campaign, ad set, and creative. This is also where you can create and manage your goals.

Step 2: Start Creating a New Ad Goal

1. In the ads dashboard, locate the campaigns where you want to add a goal.
2. Look for the goal configuration panel or settings area associated with campaign performance.
3. Select the option to create or add a goal for the selected campaigns.

You can usually select one campaign or multiple campaigns at a time, depending on how you want to structure your Hubspot reporting.

Step 3: Choose a Goal Type in Hubspot

Hubspot ad goals can typically be based on different CRM or engagement outcomes. Depending on your subscription and setup, you may see options similar to:

• Contacts created – number of new contacts generated by the campaign.
• Deals created or influenced – deals that are associated with contacts from the campaign.
• Revenue – closed-won deal amounts tied back to the ads.
• Lifecycle stage progress – contacts that move to a later stage (for example, Lead to Marketing Qualified Lead).
• Website events – specific tracked actions such as sign-ups or key page views.

Select the goal type that best matches your marketing objective for that campaign.

Step 4: Define the Target and Time Frame

After choosing a goal type, you need to set the target and the duration. In the Hubspot ads interface, you will typically:

1. Enter a numeric target (for example, 50 contacts, 10 deals, or a revenue amount).
2. Define the start date and end date for tracking the goal.
3. Confirm the ad campaigns that should count toward the goal.

Make sure the time frame matches both your budgeting cycle and your reporting cadence so stakeholders can easily understand progress.

Step 5: Save Your Hubspot Ad Goal

Review your configuration, then save the goal. Once saved, Hubspot will begin tracking performance against this target. You will see progress indicators, such as percentage to goal, on the ads dashboard or in dedicated reporting views.

How to View and Track Hubspot Ad Goal Performance

Monitoring the results of your ad goals is as important as setting them. Hubspot provides clear views into goal performance directly in the ads tool.

Dashboard-Level Goal Tracking

On the main ads dashboard, you can:

• See which campaigns have active goals and how close they are to completion.
• Compare campaigns based on goal attainment instead of only clicks or impressions.
• Identify underperforming campaigns that may need optimization.

Campaign-Level Performance Details

Drill into an individual campaign to see how that campaign is contributing to your Hubspot goals:

• Review contact creation, deal creation, and revenue data associated with the ads.
• Filter by date range that matches your goal period.
• Use this information to refine targeting, creative, or bidding.

This campaign-level view helps you tie real business outcomes to each strategy you test.

How to Edit or Update Existing Ad Goals in Hubspot

Business priorities change, and so might your ad targets. You can edit your ad goals in the Hubspot interface while they are active.

1. Navigate to Marketing > Ads.
2. Locate the goal associated with the campaign you want to adjust.
3. Open the goal settings or edit screen.
4. Update fields such as target amount, date range, or associated campaigns.
5. Save changes to apply the updated configuration.

Keep in mind that editing major parameters mid-flight can affect how you interpret performance trends over time.

Best Practices for Using Hubspot Ad Goals

To get the most value from ad goals in Hubspot, follow these practical recommendations:

• Align goals to lifecycle stages instead of only top-of-funnel metrics.
• Use realistic targets based on historical data from your ads and CRM.
• Limit the number of concurrent goals per campaign so reporting stays clear.
• Combine goals with attribution reporting to understand multi-touch impact.
• Review goal performance regularly and optimize creative, targeting, or budgets as needed.

Because ad goals are integrated with CRM records, Hubspot enables a more holistic view of how your campaigns support sales and revenue.

Troubleshooting Common Hubspot Ad Goal Issues

If your goals are not behaving as expected in Hubspot, review the following areas:

• No data appearing: Confirm your ad accounts are connected and tracking is enabled.
• Incorrect numbers: Check that date ranges and filters in reports match your goal period.
• Deals or revenue missing: Verify that deals are associated with contacts influenced by the ads.
• Lifecycle goals not updating: Make sure workflows or manual updates are correctly adjusting lifecycle stages.

When in doubt, compare raw CRM data with ads reporting to confirm where inconsistencies may originate.

Learn More About Hubspot Ad Goals

For the most detailed and up-to-date instructions, always reference the official Hubspot documentation. You can review the original knowledge base resource used for this guide here: Hubspot ad goals article.

If you want expert help building a broader strategy around your ads, CRM data, and automation, consider working with a specialist agency such as Consultevo, which focuses on data-driven marketing systems and optimization.

By thoughtfully setting, monitoring, and refining ad goals in the Hubspot ads tool, your marketing team can connect every campaign to measurable outcomes and make smarter investment decisions over time.

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