The Content ROI formula (with two modes)

“Content ROI” sounds fuzzy because content touches many steps: discovery, consideration, and conversion. But the math is straightforward once you choose a model and a time window. This calculator uses monthly inputs so you can compare content to other growth channels (ads, affiliates, partnerships, outbound, and product-led growth).

In Ecommerce mode, we start with organic sessions and convert them into orders:

• Orders per month = Sessions × Conversion Rate
• Revenue per month = Orders × Average Order Value (AOV)

In B2B / Lead Gen mode, we start with leads and convert them into customers:

• Customers per month = Leads × Lead-to-Customer Rate
• Revenue per month = Customers × Average Contract Value (ACV)

Most analytics setups undercount content. A buyer might read a guide today, return via direct next week, then convert through an email or sales call. If your tracking is strict “last click,” content looks smaller than it is. That’s why we include an Assisted Impact Factor:

• Adjusted revenue = Revenue × Assisted Factor

Use 1.0× if you trust your attribution, 1.1–1.4× for typical “assisted” content, and only use 2×+ if you have strong evidence (multi-touch attribution, CRM influence reporting).

ROI is more honest when you use gross profit instead of revenue. If you sell physical products, margin could be 20–50%. For software, margin is often 70–95%. The calculator uses:

• Gross profit = Adjusted Revenue × Gross Margin

• Monthly ROI% = (Gross Profit − Content Cost) ÷ Content Cost × 100
• Payback period (months) = Content Cost ÷ Monthly Gross Profit (if profit > 0)
• Cost per lead = Content Cost ÷ Leads (B2B mode)
• Cost per customer = Content Cost ÷ Customers
• Revenue per piece = Adjusted Revenue ÷ Pieces

Content compounds. A post you publish this month may keep producing results for months. The slider “Attribution window” estimates that effect by multiplying monthly impact by the number of months you want to count:

• Horizon revenue = Adjusted Monthly Revenue × Horizon Months
• Horizon profit = Monthly Gross Profit × Horizon Months
• Horizon ROI% = (Horizon Profit − Horizon Content Cost) ÷ Horizon Content Cost × 100

This does not assume results grow forever; it simply helps you evaluate a content bet in a window that matches your business cycle (e.g., 3 months for ecommerce promos, 6–12 months for B2B pipelines).

How to read your results

You’ll see both a monthly view and a horizon view. If you’re deciding whether to hire, cut, or scale content, the horizon view is usually the decision-maker.

• 0–39: content is losing money (cost > profit). Fix conversion or distribution first.
• 40–59: around break-even. Small improvements can flip ROI positive.
• 60–79: solid. You’ve found a repeatable content engine.
• 80–100: excellent. Consider scaling volume and distribution.

• < 1 month: unusually strong (or assumptions too optimistic).
• 1–3 months: great for many teams.
• 3–6 months: common for B2B content engines.
• 6+ months: long payback — may still be worth it if LTV is high.

• If sessions/leads per piece is low: distribution & SEO fundamentals.
• If conversion/close rate is low: offers, CTAs, landing pages, sales follow-up.
• If AOV/ACV is low: packaging, upsells, pricing, segmentation.
• If cost is high: simplify production, repurpose, tighten briefs.

Example 1: Ecommerce content (blog + product guides)

Imagine an ecommerce brand spends $6,000/month creating 8 pieces (blog posts, gift guides, product comparisons). Those pieces drive about 40,000 organic sessions/month. Their conversion rate is 1.6% and AOV is $65. Gross margin is 60% and the team uses an assisted factor of 1.2×.

• Orders = 40,000 × 1.6% = 640 orders
• Revenue = 640 × $65 = $41,600/month
• Adjusted revenue = $41,600 × 1.2 = $49,920/month
• Gross profit = $49,920 × 60% = $29,952/month
• Monthly ROI% = ($29,952 − $6,000) ÷ $6,000 = 399% ROI

That’s a very strong engine (and a reason many ecommerce brands aggressively invest in SEO + guides). The correct next question becomes: how stable is that traffic and conversion? If it’s stable, scaling content volume and distribution can be justified.

A B2B SaaS company spends $12,000/month producing 6 pieces (reports, webinars, case studies). Content generates 220 leads/month. Lead-to-customer conversion is 2.5% and ACV is $8,000. Gross margin is 85%. Assisted factor is 1.3× (content influences deals).

• Customers = 220 × 2.5% = 5.5 customers/month
• Revenue = 5.5 × $8,000 = $44,000/month
• Adjusted revenue = $44,000 × 1.3 = $57,200/month
• Gross profit = $57,200 × 85% = $48,620/month
• Monthly ROI% = ($48,620 − $12,000) ÷ $12,000 = 305% ROI
• Cost per lead = $12,000 ÷ 220 ≈ $54.55
• Cost per customer = $12,000 ÷ 5.5 ≈ $2,182

Even with a longer payback window, content can be extremely profitable in B2B because the unit economics are high. This example also shows why B2B teams should track influenced pipeline, not just last-click conversions.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What counts as “content cost”?

  Include writer/editor time, design, video production, tools (SEO software), freelancer fees, and any distribution costs you consider part of the program. If you want a conservative ROI, include overhead (management time) too.

• Should I use revenue or profit?

  ROI is best with gross profit. Revenue can make low-margin businesses look healthier than they are. If you don’t know margin, start with a rough estimate and refine later.

• What’s a reasonable assisted factor?

  Many teams start at 1.1–1.3×. If you have multi-touch attribution or CRM influence reporting, you can set it based on real data (for example, influenced revenue ÷ last-click revenue).

• Content is compounding — why not model growth?

  You can, but it’s easy to overestimate. This calculator keeps it simple: you choose a window (3–24 months) and evaluate whether the program returns more profit than it costs in that timeframe.

• How do I increase content ROI the fastest?

  Usually by improving conversion: clearer CTAs, better landing pages, higher-intent topics, stronger internal linking, and a more compelling offer. Second is distribution (SEO + repurposing).

• Does this replace analytics?

  No — it complements it. Use this to sanity-check strategy decisions, then validate the assumptions in GA4, Search Console, attribution tools, and CRM reports.

Common pitfalls (so your ROI is real)

• Double counting: don’t count the same revenue in content and paid unless you intentionally use multi-touch.
• Wrong time window: B2B deals often need a longer horizon (6–12 months).
• Optimism bias: if unsure, lower conversion rate or assisted factor and rerun the scenario.
• Ignoring margin: gross profit is what pays salaries and re-investment, not revenue.
• Not comparing channels: calculate ROI for content, paid search, paid social, affiliates, and outbound using the same profit logic.

MaximCalculator builds fast, human-friendly tools. Always sanity-check inputs and compare scenarios.