Tag Archives: conversion

Change to the default conversion optimizer mode for new AdWords Accounts

As announced in February, flexible conversion counting in AdWords now lets you decide how you want to count conversions for each of your accounts. As a follow up to this new feature, when new AdWords accounts are created through the UI or the API after October 1st, 2014, the default conversionOptimizerMode will be MANY_PER_CLICK instead of ONE_PER_CLICK. In addition, we'll change the conversionOptimizerMode to MANY_PER_CLICK on any existing account that is not using bidding strategies impacted by conversions.

Action required
Since the new default of MANY_PER_CLICK lets your conversion-based bidding strategies take full advantage of flexible conversion counting, we recommend keeping the default setting on new accounts. However, if you still want to use ONE_PER_CLICK for new accounts created via ManagedCustomerService, then add a second step in your account creation process that issues a CustomerService.mutate call that sets the conversionOptimizerMode on the Customer.

In addition, if you decide to utilize one of the conversion-based bidding strategies, you'll want to make sure that the conversionOptimizerMode is set to the value you'd prefer. The conversion-based bidding strategies affected by conversionOptimizerMode are: Additional information
If you'd like to learn more about conversion tracking in AdWords, check out the Help Center article on counting conversions. In addition, the remarketing examples folder in each client library contains an AddConversionTracker example that shows how to create an AdWordsConversionTracker via the API.

Still have questions? Feel free to visit us on the AdWords API Forum or our Google+ page.

- Josh Radcliff, AdWords API Team

AdWords API – Using CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD feed placeholder will throw errors

The CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD placeholder was deprecated on April 28th, 2014. Starting July 21st, 2014, using this placeholder with the FeedMappingService will result in a FeedMappingError.INVALID_PLACEHOLDER_FIELD error for all AdWords API versions.

See this post for details on how to set your conversion duration going forward with the CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder instead.

If you have any questions about this upcoming change or anything else related to the AdWords API, please contact us on the AdWords API forum or via the Google Ads Developers Google+ page.

- Ray Tsang, AdWords API Team

Reminder: AdWords API is sunsetting CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD feed placeholder

This is a reminder that the CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD placeholder is sunsetting starting on April 28th, 2014.

Starting on the sunset date, AdWords accounts will be migrated to use the new CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder for a four-week time period. During this period, some AdWords accounts that you access via the AdWords API may be migrated, and some may not. Read on to find out how to determine if a feed has been migrated or not. Migration of all AdWords accounts is scheduled to complete by end of May, 2014.

How will an existing conversion duration threshold be migrated?

If you used CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD in a Feed Mapping prior to the sunset date, then we will automatically migrate those values after the sunset date - and they will be accessible via the AdWords API v201402 as follows:
  • New AdCallMetricsConversion will be automatically created for you with the existing conversion duration threshold.

    Note: If you have 3 feed items with call duration threshold, where two of them are set to 120 seconds, and one of them are set to 30 seconds, then only two AdCallMetricsConversion will be created - one with AdCallMetricsConversion.phoneCallDuration set to 120 seconds, and another one set to 30 seconds.

  • Feed attributes using CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD will remain, setting and reading those values will not produce errors. However, any associated feed attribute values will not be honored.

  • A new feed attribute will be automatically created in your existing feed, and it will be automatically be mapped to the new CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder type.

  • The new conversion type ID feed attribute will be associated to the newly created AdCallMetricsConversion.

Note that in order to get the name and field attribute ID of the newly created conversion type ID field attribute, you should use the FeedMappingService to determine the feed attribute ID that is associated with the CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder type.

How do I know if a Feed has been migrated?

If a feed has been migrated, you will be able to see that the Feed has an attribute associated to the CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder type. You can use the FeedMappingService to determine this.

How do I set conversion duration threshold on a migrated Feed?

If you’d like to continue using conversion duration threshold, then you must upgrade to the AdWords API v201402.

In a migrated feed, the CONVERSION TYPE ID feed item attribute value refers to an AdCallMetricsConversion object by ID. To set the conversion duration threshold, you must update the associated AdCallMetricsConversion object’s phoneCallDuration field. Please note that doing this will impact other feed items that are associated to the same AdCallMetricsConversion object.

Alternatively, you can also associate the CONVERSION TYPE ID feed item attribute value to a different AdCallMetricsConversion:
  • Re-use an existing AdCallMetricsConversion that has the right phone call duration
  • Use the ConversionTrackerService to create new AdCallMetricsConversion with the phoneCallDuration field set
In a migrated feed, if you continue to set the attribute value associated with the CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD placeholder, then those values will be ignored.

Can I start using the new placeholder before the Feed gets migrated?

Yes. Starting from the sunset date, you will be able to use the new CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder in your feed. If you are using the placeholder in your feed and set the attribute value to a valid AdCallMetricsConversion ID, then the CONVERSION TYPE ID value will be used, and the CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD value will be ignored.

If you choose to do this prior to the automatic migration - don’t worry. The automatic migration process will not overwrite your existing CONVERSION TYPE ID values with CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD values.

We are here to help

If you have any questions about this upcoming change or anything else related to the AdWords API, please contact us on the AdWords API forum or via the Google Ads Developers Google+ page.

- Ray Tsang, AdWords API Team

Sharing is Caring – Unleash your productivity with asset sharing in Google Analytics


Innovation happens on every level

Within your organization there are multiple people working on different sides of the same problem. Making it easy for people to quickly and effectively share innovative solutions is a key enabler for more productivity, and better decisions. 

We are proud to announce a series of asset sharing tools within Google Analytics. To spread all your innovative solutions and assets even easier. Our permalink solution is a simple to use and privacy friendly way to share Google Analytics configurations across your organization, and beyond.

Narrow the focus for precise insights

Our popular segments feature helps you to narrow the focus of your analysis. Are you trying to answer a hypotheses for new, or recurring customers? Is this report more meaningful if you focus on a particular region? By sharing a segment, you share a certain point of view on a problem. Invite others to your view by sharing a segment you built, or a custom report.

Define success, and spread the love

Goals in Google Analytics help advertisers to map real business value into a conversion signal. Track users site engagement, media interactions, or sales events through Goal tracking. Now it is easier than ever to share your success definition across other views, or with other people in your organization.

Capture everything with Custom Channels Groupings

It all starts with traffic to your website. You spend a tremendous amount of effort and resources on getting people to visit. Custom Channel Grouping within Multi-Channel Funnels enables you to identify everything, especially traffic that is custom to your business model. Sharing this important view is now easier than ever. Create a Custom Channel Grouping, and share this among your organization.

Assign partial value to your marketing efforts

Custom Attribution Models allow Google Analytics users to assign partial value to the channel interactions which drive business value. You invest time and effort to build a customized attribution model, which reflects the nuances of your business. Now it is easier than ever to ensure all stakeholders are working off the same consistent definition of attribution.

“Amazing feature! I tried it … and like it.”
Sebastian Pospischil Director Digital Analytics, United Digital Group

How it works

Permalink is a simple to use, and privacy friendly way to share configuration assets. When you ‘share’ an asset, we are creating a copy of that asset or configuration, and create a unique URL which points to that copy. The asset copy will remain private and can only be accessed by someone with the URL. If you want to share your asset, just share the URL. The recipient clicks on the URL, and will be brought to a simple dialog to import the assets into his or her Google Analytics views. This feature also supports Dashboard, and Custom Reports.

Check out our Solutions Gallery within your Google Analytics account via the “Import from Gallery” button or directly at the standalone site for inspiration, and consider sharing your own permalinks via the “Share in Solutions Gallery” link. 

Happy Analyzing.

Posted by Stefan Schnabl, on behalf of the Google Analytics team

Sunsetting CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD feed placeholder in AdWords API

If you use AdWords call extensions, you know that you can count phone calls as conversions based on the duration of the call (e.g., 60 seconds). When using AdWords API feeds, this duration threshold is specified as the CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD placeholder. This placeholder is sunsetting on April 7th, 2014. You will not receive errors if you continue to read and set values associated with this placeholder. However, these values will not be honored past the sunset date.

How do I set conversion duration threshold in the future?
After the sunset date, if you’d like to continue using conversion duration threshold, then you must upgrade to the AdWords API v201402:
  • Use the ConversionTrackerService to create an AdCallMetricsConversion
  • Set the call duration threshold in the AdCallMetricsConversion.phoneCallDuration field
  • Use the new CONVERSION TYPE feed placeholder and setting the feed attribute value to the value of the newly created AdCallMetricsConversion.Id
Note: CONVERSION TYPE placeholder is not available for use at the time of this post. We will make a separate announcement when it’s ready.

What will happen to my existing conversion duration threshold values?
If you used CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD in a Feed Mapping prior to the sunset date, then we will automatically migrate those values after the sunset date - and they will be accessible via the AdWords API v201402 as follows:
  • New AdCallMetricsConversion will be automatically created for you with the existing conversion duration threshold.

    Note: If you have 3 feed items with call duration threshold, where two of them are set to 120 seconds, and one of them are set to 30 seconds, then only two AdCallMetricsConversion will be created - one with AdCallMetricsConversion.phoneCallDuration set to 120 seconds, and another one set to 30 seconds.
  • Feed attributes using CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD will remain, setting and reading those values will not throw errors. However, any associated feed attribute values will not be honored.
  • A new feed attribute will be automatically created in your existing feed, and it will be automatically be mapped to the new CONVERSION TYPE placeholder type
  • The new conversion type feed attribute will be associated to the newly created AdCallMetricsConversion
Note that in order to get the name and field attribute ID of the newly created conversion type field attribute, you should use the FeedMappingService to determine the feed attribute ID that is associated with the CONVERSION TYPE placeholder type.

If you have any questions about this upcoming change or anything else related to the AdWords API, please contact us on the AdWords API forum or via the Google Ads Developers Google+ page.

- , AdWords API Team

Important updates for flexible conversion counting options in v201402 of AdWords API

We recently announced a new flexible conversion counting option feature in AdWords that may affect AdWords API v201309 users. There are a couple of additional changes in the AdWords API v201402 that we want to bring to your attention so you can take full advantage of this offering:
  • Record conversion values in conversion report columns based on the flexible conversion counting option
  • Retrieve and set flexible conversion counting options in the ConversionTracker
  • Adopt new conversion-related column names in the reports

Flexible conversion counting option

Since February 25th, 2014, AdWords users have been able to change the conversion counting option between All Conversions and Unique Conversions. The conversion counting option is defaulted to All Conversions - when left as the default option, your conversion related values in the reports will not change.

If the conversion counting option is changed from All Conversions to Unique Conversions, then the following conversion-related report columns will reflect the counting option selected across all reports:
  • ConversionsManyPerClick
  • ConversionRateManyPerClick
  • CostPerConversionManyPerClick
  • ValuePerConvManyPerClick
  • ValuePerConversionManyPerClick
  • ConversionManyPerClickSignificance
  • ConversionRateManyPerClickSignificance
  • CostPerConversionManyPerClickSignificance
Please see the help center article for specific examples of how counting Unique Conversions differs from counting All Conversions.

Retrieve and set flexible conversion counting options

In the AdWords API v201402, you will be able to retrieve and set the flexible conversion counting option. Please review the ConversionTracker API documentation to see the new flexible conversion counting options field named countingType.

New conversion-related column names

Conversion-related columns will have new names in reports. In AdWords API v201402:
  • The selector field names will remain the same
  • The display names and XML attribute names will be renamed
If you are downloading XML reports, you will need to update your client application to read the new column names.

Please see the migration guide for a mapping between old and new display names and XML attribute names.

If you have any questions about this upcoming change or anything else related to the AdWords API, please contact us on the AdWords API forum or via the Google Ads Developers Google+ page.

- , AdWords API Team

Flexible conversion counting option in AdWords may affect AdWords API users

AdWords API users take note - an upcoming AdWords feature may affect your conversion-related AdWords API reports.

Starting February 25th, 2014, AdWords users will be able to change the conversion counting option between All Conversions and Unique Conversions. The conversion counting option is defaulted to All Conversions - when left as the default option, your conversion related values in the reports will not change.

How will this affect your reports?

If an AdWords user manually changes the conversion counting option in the AdWords UI from All Conversions to Unique Conversions, then the following conversion-related report columns will reflect the counting option selected by the user across all reports:

  • ConversionManyPerClick
  • ConversionRateManyPerClick
  • CostPerConversionManyPerClick
  • ValuePerConvManyPerClick
  • ValuePerConversionManyPerClick
  • ConversionManyPerClickSignificance
  • ConversionRateManyPerClickSignificance
  • CostPerConversionManyPerClickSignificance

When the conversion counting option is changed, the values in these columns will no longer be many-per-click, but it will reflect the counting option selected by the user. Please see the help center article for specific examples of how counting Unique Conversions differs from counting All Conversions.

AdWords API currently doesn't allow you to retrieve counting option associated with the conversion tracker. It will be available in the next release of the API.

- Ray Tsang, AdWords API Team