YouTube and Display Ads Now Included in Google Ads Attribution Reports

ByJessica D. Add Comment
Google Ads Attribution report and modeling

Google recently announced a change to Google Ads attribution reports that will give advertisers a more comprehensive understanding of the paths customers take to complete a conversion.

If you use Google Ads, have conversions set up, and have run YouTube or Google Display Ads in the recent past, Google will notify you of this change to attribution models. This is a positive change for advertisers as it will increase visibility into your customers’ journeys. With this insight, you can make better decisions on how to allocate your budgets across YouTube, Display, Search, and Shopping campaigns.

Conversion Credit Shift

One thing to look out for is a shift in conversion credit. This will happen between and within your Search, YouTube, and Google Display Ads campaigns for non-last click attribution model conversions. If you’re using automated bidding strategies, such as Target CPA or Target ROAS, you will need to monitor these fluctuations and update your bids and targets accordingly. If you do not monitor these changes and update your bids and targets, you may end up over- or under-bidding.

Here’s an example:

  • You use Target CPA bidding on two campaigns; the lower-funnel campaign has a tCPA set at $5 and the upper-funnel campaign has a tCPA set at $20.
  • Google upgrades your account to the new attribution model that includes YouTube and Display ad interactions.
  • After two weeks you notice the lower-funnel campaign now has a $6.75 CPA and the upper-funnel has a $12 CPA.
  • You need to update your tCPA targets on both of those campaigns.
  • Otherwise you will be underbidding on the lower-funnel campaign and over-bidding on the upper-funnel campaign.

How To See The Most Common Paths Your Customers Take

The Top Paths attribution report is your key to understanding how all your campaign types work together to drive conversions. It shows you the most common paths your customers take to complete a conversion. For example, it may show you that your customers often first see a YouTube ad, then a search ad before converting. The Top Paths report will look like this:

How to Access Google Ads Attribution Reports

Attribution reports can be found in Google Ads by clicking the tools icon in the upper right. Then, under Measurement, select Attribution.

If you have any questions about these changes to attribution reports, or are struggling with any part of your digital marketing strategy, contact us today and let us know what’s going on.

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