The conversions (platform comparable) column in Google Ads helps you measure Demand Gen campaigns differently than typical Google campaigns. This is accomplished by factoring in the impact of view-through conversions (VTC) while also isolating Demand Gen campaigns from the rest of the Google ecosystem. This aligns with the default attribution used in other advertising platforms and provides an additional view into Demand Gen performance, even when other Google campaigns are running. The conversions (platform comparable) column and its related columns seamlessly integrate with existing reporting views, enabling you to make better decisions on how to allocate your budget. This column provides an alternative reporting view and doesn't impact optimisation and bidding.
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Conversion metric methodology
The new Demand Gen conversions (platform comparable) column addresses 2 attribution changes that affect the overall conversion count for Demand Gen. Advertisers can easily include this column in their video assets reporting and core reporting views, such as at the campaign, ad group and ad level. Let's go over the methodology behind these 2 attribution differences:
A. Demand gen campaign in isolation
Conversion attribution is shared across your Google portfolio. When a conversion path includes other Google campaigns such as Display or Search, demand gen shares the conversion credit, whereas the other advertising platforms would claim full credit. With the new attribution methodology, the scope of attribution is limited to demand gen touchpoints only, in isolation from other Google campaigns, and full credit is assigned to the last interaction.
Google’s credit assignment: If you use Google’s data-driven attribution (DDA) model and a user converts, credit is spread across different Google touchpoints. In this example, credit is divided among Google touchpoints, giving weight based on a variety of features including the actual contribution of each ad interaction across the conversion path.
*These are fake credit numbers for example purposes
Other advertising platforms’ credit assignment: Other advertising platforms get full credit for an ad even if there are other touchpoints in the conversion path. In this example, Search is the campaign that was the last touch and gets a full credit, but the other advertising platforms also count a full credit for themselves for appearing one time in the conversion path.
Demand Gen’s new credit assignment: The last Demand Gen campaign in the conversion path gets the full credit. In this example, despite demand gen not appearing last, it'll get the full credit.
B. Inclusion of view-through conversions
When calculating conversions, conversion rates, cost-per-acquisition (CPA) and return on ad spend (ROAS), Google excludes view-through conversion (VTC)s and their associated values. VTCs are also default off in reporting. In comparison with the industry standard, other advertising platforms highlight VTCs in their reporting and factor them into the performance models. With this new methodology, VTCs are now included in conversion metrics.
In this example, assume a campaign spend of $1000, and each conversion is valued at $100. Because Google typically doesn't factor in VTCs, the advertiser loses out on 20 additional conversions and the conversion values associated with it versus other advertising platforms that do count VTCs. This creates a large percentage difference between conversions and ROAS.
How to use
Compare Demand Gen performance to other advertising platforms
Advertisers who spend on other advertising platforms may use the conversions (platform comparable) column to compare Demand Gen performance to campaigns on other advertising platforms. For a fair comparison, follow these steps:
- Use a similar structure between the campaigns that you're comparing
- Conversion settings:
- Conversion events: Use the same event on all advertising platforms
- Attribution windows: Select conversions with the same window. This means using the same lookback window for the conversion and using the same window in your reporting view.
- Budgets: Follow advertising platform’s best practices.
- Demand Gen: $100–500 per ad group or 15X per goal
- Example advertising platform: $1 minimum or 5X per goal if using cost per result bid strategy
- Bid strategies: Pick similar goals between the demand gen and the other advertising platform’s campaign that you're comparing to.
- Max conversions is an automated way for getting you the most conversions.
- Max conversion value attempts to find the highest perceived value conversion.
- tCPA sets a cap to the conversions, allowing you to operate within your target.
- tROAS sets a cap to your ROAS goal, allowing you to operate within your minimum target.
- Audiences: Ensure that you have the same first-party data, demographic, geo and language between demand gen and non-Google campaigns. Enable optimised targeting if an automated targeting option is enabled. Try to match the rest of the interests, affinity and custom segments as best as you can.
- Creatives: Aim for a certain consistency in all areas such as quantity, format and assets. For example, creative elements like CTA and landing page should be the same.
- Conversion settings:
- With a similar structure in place, you can start comparing the numbers between those campaigns.
- Use Demand Gen’s conversions (platform comparable) column and other variations, like the 'Cost/conv. (platform comparable)' column and 'Cost/conv.', 'Conv. rate (platform comparable)', 'Conv. value (platform comparable and by conv. time)' and others, to compare data with the columns in other advertising platforms that show conversions, cost/conv., conv. rate and conv. value. Ensure that the reporting window is the same, as well.
- It's important to note that the steps we take setting up a similar campaign structure and using the Demand Gen conversions (platform comparable) column get us much closer to parity. But there may still be differences with the other advertising platforms. Keep these changes in mind as you compare numbers. Perhaps the reason is in audience, creative or even other attribution differences not addressed by the Demand Gen conversions (platform comparable) column.
Best practices to use the new column
Here’s how you can get the most out of your Demand Gen campaigns through conversions column.
- The new conversions (platform comparable) column can be used to highlight the attribution differences between Demand Gen and other advertising platforms.
- Don’t use the conversions (platform comparable) column to compare Demand Gen with other Google Ads products like Display, Search and Performance Max.
- To frame the impact of benchmark numbers, check if the delta across core KPIs is positive or negative for directional impact of the conversions (platform comparable) column. Compare the absolute impact of the Demand Gen conversions (platform comparable) column versus other advertising platform conversions.
Related columns
Besides the main conversions (platform comparable) column, there are several related columns that help you calculate your ROI metrics (conversions, CPA, ROAS):
- Cost / conv. (platform comparable): 'Cost / conv. (platform comparable)' shows the average cost of a conversion for a specific campaign type. It’s your cost divided by conversions (platform comparable).
- Conv. rate (platform comparable): Shows how often, on average, an ad interaction leads to a conversion for a specific campaign type. It’s conversions (platform comparable) divided by the interactions with your ad.
- Conv. value (platform comparable): Is the sum of conversion values for your conversions (platform comparable). This metric is useful only if you entered a value for your conversion actions.
- Conv. value/cost (platform comparable): Measures your return on investment on your conversions scoped to a specific campaign type. It’s the conversion value (platform comparable) divided by the total cost of all ad interactions. This column is available for Demand Gen campaigns only. The cost in this metric excludes interactions that can’t lead to conversions, such as those that happen when you aren’t using conversion tracking.
- Conv. value/click (platform comparable): Is the average conversion value scoped to a specific campaign type for your ad interactions. It’s your conversion value (platform comparable) divided by the number of ad interactions. Ad interactions include clicks and engaged views of video ads. This metric doesn’t include interactions that couldn’t lead to conversions, such as those that happen when you aren’t using conversion tracking.
- Value / conv. (platform comparable): 'Value / conv. (platform comparable)' is approximately how much, on average, each of your conversions scoped to a specific campaign type is worth. It’s the conversion value (platform comparable) divided by conversions (platform comparable). If your conversions have different values, this metric shows their average value.
- Conv. (platform comparable and by conv. time): 'Conv. (platform comparable and by conv. time)' shows your conversion count scoped to a specific campaign type and based on the day a conversion occurred. Note that your conversions (platform comparable) column data is based on the time when clicks occurred.
- Conv. value (platform comparable and by conv. time): Shows your conversion value scoped to a specific campaign type and based on the day each conversion occurred. Note that your 'Conv. value (platform comparable)' column data is based on the time when clicks occurred.
- Value / conv. (platform comparable and by conv. time): 'Value / conv. (platform comparable and by conv. time)' shows your value for each conversion scoped to a specific campaign type and based on the day a conversion occurred. Note that your 'Value / conv. (platform comparable)' column data is based on the time when clicks occurred.
