AdWords Introduces Changes to Definitions of Conversion Reporting and Columns

Change is upon us once again. In September, Google announced that AdWords will modify the definition of their “conversions” columns and report editor.

Before we dive into the update, let’s have a little background review. In the conversion tracking platform, the “Conversions” column shows the number of conversions you’ve received, across all conversion actions. You can use this column to monitor how often your ads lead clients to carry out actions you’ve defined as commercially beneficial.

Starting mid-October, you can expect a significant drop in the “conversions” columns. This is the result brought about by the modification of conversion columns, and shouldn’t be a cause of worry.

Here’s why:

What will change?

Currently, all conversion actions would appear in the “conversions” column and report. Once the new definition goes into effect, this column will only show the conversions used when optimizing for conversion. In other words, the new “conversions” column will only count actions you’ve opted into the algorithmic optimization.

As you know, not all conversion actions you set up in the platform are figured in optimization. Some actions are simply for reporting and tracking purposes. With the new change in conversion definition, any activities not figured in optimization will not be included in the “conversions” column.

According to the update, the New Conversions Optimization or “Conv. (opt.)” column will be removed, as its data will show in the updated “Conversions” column. This builds a foundation for marketers to bid to new conversion types and attribution models, which are two main priority areas.

For instance, a handbag online purchase or “add to cart” conversion may be optimized for conversion, while the contact form fill is not.

The traditional reporting would include all conversions and be able to display the conversion category through segmentation. If you wish to only see the conversions set into optimization (in the case, the handbag purchase), you’d use the “Conv. (opt.)” column or segment the main Conversions view. With the changes, “conversions” will replace “conv. (opt.)”.

Moreover, they’re introducing an “All conversions” column, where you’ll see all your conversions previously found in “estimated total conversions.” This would include “cross-device conversions”, phone calls, store visits or any action you’ve set up, regardless of their Optimization setting.

With the new columns, you can still choose whether to count only one conversion or every conversion following an ad click for each action. They will also support segmentation by category or action, as well as the creation of custom columns.

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“These controls and new conversion types are not offered for the ‘Converted clicks’ column,” Google says, “If you use “Converted clicks” for bidding or reporting, we recommend you use ‘Conversions’ instead.”

Why is it important?

The overall goal of the changes is to make AdWords more intuitive and to give marketers more control over the data showing the columns. Thanks to the new “optimization” setting, you can determine if the data from each of your conversion action should be included in “conversions”.

This additional customization allows marketers to prioritize the conversion actions that bring the most benefits to their business.

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