Where the handoff breaks
An MQL is a marketing judgment; an SQL is a sales judgment. When paid media is measured on MQLs alone, it is rewarded for volume that sales then rejects. The MQL-to-SQL conversion rate is the single most revealing number for whether your ad targeting matches your real buyer.
What we measure to
We tie ad spend to SQLs and pipeline, not MQLs. That closes the loop between what the campaign optimizes for and what the business actually needs, and it relies on multi-touch attribution to credit the touches that created the opportunity. For the reporting side of that loop, see Google, Meta, and your CRM disagree on conversions. On LinkedIn, the quality of those leads starts with the targeting facets you stack, since over-narrowing shrinks the audience without improving fit.
Common questions
What is the difference between an MQL and an SQL?
An MQL is a lead marketing considers interested enough to pass on; an SQL is a lead sales has accepted as a real opportunity. The MQL-to-SQL conversion rate shows how well ad targeting matches the actual buyer.
Why measure ads on SQLs instead of MQLs?
MQL counts reward volume that sales may reject. Measuring to SQLs and pipeline aligns campaign optimization with revenue, so you stop paying for leads that never close.