Tag Archives: conversion

Upcoming changes to conversion action management

Starting August 22, 2022, the include_in_conversions_metric field of the ConversionAction resource will become read-only. Requests that attempt to set this value will result in a FieldError.IMMUTABLE_FIELD error.

Why is this change happening?
As part of the addition of conversion goals in Google Ads, the new primary_for_goal field replaced the include_in_conversions_metric field. To ease the transition to the new field while we enabled goals on all accounts, the Google Ads API allowed you to continue to set the deprecated include_in_conversions_metric field, and the API would automatically update primary_for_goal accordingly. However, now that conversion goals are enabled in all Google Ads accounts, we're preventing setting include_in_conversions_metric to avoid conflicts with primary_for_goal.

What should you do?
Modify any code that sets include_in_conversions_metrics to instead set primary_for_goal. In addition, review and modify any of your application logic that uses the conversion_action.include_in_conversions_metric field in reports. Check out the conversion goals guide for more information on how the primary_for_goal setting impacts bidding and reporting.

If you have any questions or need help, please contact us via the forum.
- Josh Radcliff, Google Ads API Team

Upcoming changes to conversion action management

Starting August 22, 2022, the include_in_conversions_metric field of the ConversionAction resource will become read-only. Requests that attempt to set this value will result in a FieldError.IMMUTABLE_FIELD error.

Why is this change happening?
As part of the addition of conversion goals in Google Ads, the new primary_for_goal field replaced the include_in_conversions_metric field. To ease the transition to the new field while we enabled goals on all accounts, the Google Ads API allowed you to continue to set the deprecated include_in_conversions_metric field, and the API would automatically update primary_for_goal accordingly. However, now that conversion goals are enabled in all Google Ads accounts, we're preventing setting include_in_conversions_metric to avoid conflicts with primary_for_goal.

What should you do?
Modify any code that sets include_in_conversions_metrics to instead set primary_for_goal. In addition, review and modify any of your application logic that uses the conversion_action.include_in_conversions_metric field in reports. Check out the conversion goals guide for more information on how the primary_for_goal setting impacts bidding and reporting.

If you have any questions or need help, please contact us via the forum.
- Josh Radcliff, Google Ads API Team

Upcoming changes to conversion action management

Starting August 22, 2022, the include_in_conversions_metric field of the ConversionAction resource will become read-only. Requests that attempt to set this value will result in a FieldError.IMMUTABLE_FIELD error.

Why is this change happening?
As part of the addition of conversion goals in Google Ads, the new primary_for_goal field replaced the include_in_conversions_metric field. To ease the transition to the new field while we enabled goals on all accounts, the Google Ads API allowed you to continue to set the deprecated include_in_conversions_metric field, and the API would automatically update primary_for_goal accordingly. However, now that conversion goals are enabled in all Google Ads accounts, we're preventing setting include_in_conversions_metric to avoid conflicts with primary_for_goal.

What should you do?
Modify any code that sets include_in_conversions_metrics to instead set primary_for_goal. In addition, review and modify any of your application logic that uses the conversion_action.include_in_conversions_metric field in reports. Check out the conversion goals guide for more information on how the primary_for_goal setting impacts bidding and reporting.

If you have any questions or need help, please contact us via the forum.
- Josh Radcliff, Google Ads API Team

Upcoming changes to conversion action management

Starting August 22, 2022, the include_in_conversions_metric field of the ConversionAction resource will become read-only. Requests that attempt to set this value will result in a FieldError.IMMUTABLE_FIELD error.

Why is this change happening?
As part of the addition of conversion goals in Google Ads, the new primary_for_goal field replaced the include_in_conversions_metric field. To ease the transition to the new field while we enabled goals on all accounts, the Google Ads API allowed you to continue to set the deprecated include_in_conversions_metric field, and the API would automatically update primary_for_goal accordingly. However, now that conversion goals are enabled in all Google Ads accounts, we're preventing setting include_in_conversions_metric to avoid conflicts with primary_for_goal.

What should you do?
Modify any code that sets include_in_conversions_metrics to instead set primary_for_goal. In addition, review and modify any of your application logic that uses the conversion_action.include_in_conversions_metric field in reports. Check out the conversion goals guide for more information on how the primary_for_goal setting impacts bidding and reporting.

If you have any questions or need help, please contact us via the forum.
- Josh Radcliff, Google Ads API Team

Live Webinar: Website Conversions & Audience Remarketing

The Google Ads API Developer Relations team will be hosting a live webinar, Website Conversions & Audience Remarketing with the Google Ads API, on December 11 at 10 AM EST (3 PM GMT).

Mark your calendar


Prerequisites
In order to get the most out of this webinar, we suggest you develop a basic understanding of the Google Ads API. In order to learn more, please visit our API Overview documentation or check out this Google Ads API Overview workshop from 2019. In addition, you may find this post useful to learn how conversion tracking works in Google Ads.

Agenda
The webinar will cover the topics below and include code walkthroughs to demonstrate how to perform different actions with the Google Ads API client libraries. We will also be hosting a live Q&A at the end.
  • What conversion actions are
  • How to create and utilize conversion actions
  • How remarketing works in the Google Ads API
  • How to define different audience types
  • How to measure audience performance
Reminders
Feel free to add the event to your calendar. In addition, you can set a reminder for the event on YouTube by clicking the “Set reminder” button on the YouTube event page.

We look forward to sharing our knowledge of the Google Ads API with you and answering your questions. If you have any questions or need additional help, contact us via the forum or at [email protected].
- Devin Chasanoff, on behalf of the Google Ads API Team

New ways to measure your users in Google Analytics

Almost 90% of marketing executives say that understanding user journeys across channels and devices is critical to marketing success.1

Today's customers have incredibly high expectations for personalized and relevant experiences from brands. That's why Google Analytics keeps working to better measure the full customer journey in all its complexity.

Let's look at four new Analytics features that are all about helping businesses understand users so they can deliver more personalized site experiences.

Focus on your users in reporting 


Analytics standard reports have been updated to focus on your users. User metrics are an essential way to understand engagement with your customers, especially those who may have multiple sessions across multiple days.

With our updated standard reporting, you can see immediately, for instance, how many users are coming to your site from paid search ― in addition to seeing the number of sessions.


Users are now included in Analytics standard reports.


To enable this update, sign in to your account and go to Admin > Property Settings and then choose the toggle switch labeled Enable Users In Reporting.

For other ways to analyze by user, try existing reports like Active Users, Cohort Analysis, and Lifetime Value. In case you're wondering, session metrics will continue to be available in standard reporting ― that's not changing. Learn more about audience reports.

Measure lifetime metrics and dimensions for every user 


Another tool that marketers can use to analyze visitors on an individual level is User Explorer. And now we've added something new: lifetime metrics and dimensions for individual users (based on the lifetime of their cookie). These new metrics and dimensions will give Analytics users a much more detailed way to measure visitors and customers.


New lifetime metrics and dimensions for individual users in User Explorer.

For example, you can look back and see the total amount of time an individual user has spent or the total number of transactions an individual user has made on your website. You'll also see new dimensions that show data such as when a user made their first visit to your site and which channel acquired them.

The new lifetime metrics and dimensions are already available in your Analytics account. Learn more about User Explorer.

Audiences in reporting 


For marketers who live and breathe audiences ― which is most of us ― the breathing just got easier. We've added the option to publish any audience to a new report in Analytics that should help make every audience easier to understand.


Publish your audiences into Analytics and then view reporting in the Audiences report.


You can now go to the new Audiences report and see a cross-channel view of the audiences you’ve created in Analytics. This is a change from the past, where you could create audiences in Analytics and export those audiences to other products like AdWords, but you weren’t able to publish audiences to Analytics for reporting.

For instance, you might decide to publish an audience to Analytics so that you can see all users who have purchased within the last 12 months but not during the last 2.

You can find the new Audience report in your Analytics account. Learn more about Audiences in reporting.

Reach users most likely to convert 


Meet our newest metric: Conversion Probability. It takes user-based metrics one step further to show you just what the name suggests: the probability that a given user will convert in the future. The calculation is based on a machine learning model that learns from users who have made transactions in the past.

The advantages are clear: Marketers can create remarketing lists that target users who have a high likelihood to purchase and then reach those users through either advertising campaigns in AdWords and DoubleClick or site experiments in Optimize.

We are also adding a new Conversion Probability report. This report will show you the Conversion Probability for all your users, including across important dimensions such as channel.


The new conversion probability report.

This new feature from Analytics Intelligence is the first forward-looking estimate of how likely a conversion is for individual users. It's rolling out in beta to all Analytics accounts over the next few months. Learn more about Conversion Probability. 

These four new enhancements will help you better understand your users and what they are doing on your site, so that you can create better experiences for them. If you — like those 90% of marketing executives — are working hard to understand your users' journeys, we hope you'll find these features useful.

Happy analyzing!



1"The Customer Experience is Written in Data." Econsultancy and Google, May 2017. 

Posted by Gene Chan, Product Manager, Google Analytics

Changes to validation for AdWords API iTunes AppConversions

What’s new?

The validation for AppConversions will become stricter starting on November 9, 2015. If you’re using AppConversions in v201509 or v201506 with AppPlatform: ITUNES, you’ll need to make sure that you’re using the correct AppConversionType.

What was the old behavior?

When v201509 was first released, the API would not throw an error if the incorrect value was sent in a request for an iTunes AppConversion. The API automatically converted to the correct AppConversionType. For example, if the value DOWNLOAD was passed into v201509 for an iTunes AppConversion, then that value would automatically be converted to FIRST_OPEN.

What is the new behavior?

In v201509, AppConversionType DOWNLOAD changed to FIRST_OPEN for iTunes apps. Here’s what you will need to do:
  • For v201506 or earlier, you must pass in AppConversionType DOWNLOAD rather than FIRST_OPEN.
  • For v201509 or later, you must pass in FIRST_OPEN instead of DOWNLOAD.
Passing in the incorrect value will result in the error DOMAIN_EXCEPTION from the API starting on November 9.

Note: This only impacts iTunes conversions. There will be no changes to the validation for AppConversions with an AppPlatform of ANDROID.

Where can I learn more?

For more information on mobile apps and conversions, check out these guides: Questions? Visit us on the AdWords API Forum or our Google+ page.

Nadine Sundquist, AdWords API Team

Cross-device conversion metrics come to DoubleClick

Last week during the DoubleClick Leadership Summit (DLS), we introduced cross-device measurement across all of our DoubleClick advertiser products. Today, as the first post of our week-long DLS series, we're excited to announce that these cross-device metrics will be rolling out to all DoubleClick advertisers in the next week.

Mobile continues to reshape how consumers engage on digital: they are increasingly turning to the nearest device to act on an immediate need in the moment and then seamlessly shifting their attention from screen to screen to complete their journey. With the path to purchase becoming increasingly fragmented, it’s essential marketers understand how consumers interact with their brand across all devices. When marketers have access to cross-device insights, they will also make the best decisions about how to invest their marketing dollars.

With this launch, advertisers can access cross-device metrics in all buying tools within our platform -- DoubleClick Campaign Manager, DoubleClick Bid Manager, and DoubleClick Search. 
What advertisers can measure
Cross-device measurement in DoubleClick allows advertisers to gain insight on the true performance of their campaigns across the web, even when users switch devices in their path to conversion. This means advertisers can measure conversions that begin on one device, and continue or end on another, answering questions like:

How many additional conversions is my digital investment delivering that I haven’t been able to measure?
Which sites/campaigns/ads are driving the most conversions across devices? 

Let’s say a user is reading bicycle reviews on her phone, and clicks on a display ad that takes her to a bike shop’s website. Later, when she gets home, she pulls up the shop’s site on her computer to continue her research, and ultimately buys the red cruiser she’s been eyeing. This is an example of a cross-device path to conversion that you will now be able to measure with our tools. In fact, cross-device measurement enhances the most powerful use cases for our customers:
  • If a user clicks on a search ad on desktop, then completes a purchase on mobile, we can measure that.
  • If a user clicks on a display ad for a smartphone app on their desktop, and then later downloads that same game on their smartphone, we can measure that. 

Principles of cross-device conversion measurement 
We built cross-device measurement for DoubleClick with the following principles at the core:

User-first. We’re investing in these capabilities while prioritizing user privacy. We measure mobile behavior using industry-standard device identifiers that users can see, reset and configure to opt out from interest-based advertising. Additionally, advertisers can only access anonymous and aggregated performance reporting on their campaigns.

Accurate. The cross-device metrics are calculated using fully deterministic data sources. Performance measurements are only displayed to advertisers when there is a sufficient sample size and a strict 95% confidence interval is reached. 

Comprehensive. Built to work across any type of buy (programmatic or reservations), screen, channel (search and display), and format, these tools are consistent with DoubleClick’s core value of giving advertisers a unified view of their audience. 

To learn more about cross-device measurement, register for the webinar on July 9th at 12 PM ET and subscribe to our newsletter. If you have a DoubleClick login you can also read more in our Help Center.

Join us tomorrow for our second post in our DLS series, focused on the Programmatic Guaranteed and DoubleClick Marketplace announcements. 

Posted by Luke Hedrick, Product Manager, DoubleClick

Refreshing “The Customer Journey to Online Purchase” – New Insights into Marketing Channels

Last year we introduced “The Customer Journey to Online Purchase” -- a tool that helped marketers visualize the roles played by marketing channels like paid search, email and display ads in their customers' journeys.

The goal was to help marketers learn more about the customer journeys for their industries. If social makes your customers aware, and email makes them convert -- or vice versa -- you can make sure you're in both places with the right kind of message.

Today we're happy to introduce a new improved version of the Customer Journey to Online Purchase, with a few key enhancements.  We’ve refreshed the data based on millions of consumer interactions, updated the industry classifications, and we’ve split out paid search so you can see the influence of brand and generic search terms on the purchase decision.

In each industry you can now see journeys for small, medium and large companies, which can often be quite different.
Click to enlarge image
For instance, the above image shows the journey for customers of small businesses in the shopping industry. Note that organic search is very often an "assist" interaction for these customers.
Click to enlarge image
Now here's the same journey for large shopping businesses. Note that display clicks and social are strongly assisting interactions -- while display didn’t even appear for the small businesses above. For both small and large businesses, a direct website visit is most likely to be the last interaction. Across industries, the differences from small to large businesses illustrate how different marketing strategies and customer profiles may lead to different buying behavior.

And there's more! Now you can drill down into each marketing channel for a closer look at the role it plays based on its position in the purchase path. Channels that occur more frequently in the beginning of the path are more likely to help generate awareness for your product, while the end of the path is closer to the customer’s purchase decision.
Click to enlarge image
In these charts, for example, we see the different roles that different channels play in the Shopping industry. One interesting insight is that all channels -- even those traditionally thought of as “upper funnel” or “lower funnel” -- occur throughout the purchase path, but a given channel may be more common at particular stages depending on its role (and depending on the industry).

Each marketing campaign and channel may have a different impact on customers depending on when they interact with it. Using what you learn from this tool, you can help adapt your marketing messaging to be more relevant and useful for your customers.

Try the Customer Journey to Online Purchase today. And for more helpful marketing insights, check out Measure What Matters Most: our new guide chock-full of suggestions on how to measure the impact of your marketing -- across channels -- to complement what you learn from the Customer Journey tool and take action to improve your marketing.

Happy analyzing!


Posted by Sara Jablon Moked, Product Marketing Manager, Google Analytics