Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Measuring more value with estimated cross-device conversions, now available for display

It’s been a year since we launched Estimated Total Conversions, which included cross-device conversions for search ads. Advertisers from around the world, both large and small, have used these insights to see a more complete and accurate picture of how their online advertising drives conversions.

Jeremy Hull, director of bought media at search agency iProspect, noted that his search team uncovered 22% more conversions that began with a mobile click when using Estimated Total Conversions on Adwords. “We use these insights to help our customers make more informed bidding and budget decisions -- mainly in the area of investing more in online mobile ads.”

Starting today, estimated cross-device conversions for display ads will start to roll out to all advertisers to help you measure the full value of your ads on the Google Display Network. Here’s how it works: say someone’s browsing bicycle reviews on her phone, and clicks on a Display Network 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 buy the red cruiser she’s been eyeing. This is an example of a cross-device conversion from a display ad that advertisers can now measure.

You’ll find estimated cross-device conversions and estimated total conversions in the Campaigns tab of AdWords:
Measuring your customers’ mobile paths to conversion

Your customers’ paths to purchase are increasingly complex. In fact, 9 in 10 consumers start an activity on one device and finish it on another.1 With the rise of mobile phones, customers may interact with your ad to learn more about a product and then call your business, download your app, or finish their purchase on a different device.

Estimated cross-device conversions now help advertisers measure more activities from mobile, leading to better return on investment. These insights are more important than ever as consumers are increasingly researching products on-the-go, and typically click on display ads early in their purchase journey.2

Customers finding success with Estimated Total Conversions

Advertisers are making important business decisions based on the insights that they’ve gained from these new measurement tools.

LendingTree has used the estimated cross-device conversion metric to measure 6% more conversions from their mobile display campaigns on AdWords. Mike Doll, head of programmatic marketing at LendingTree, says that this new metric “can provide valuable new insights into how users interact with our ads and where they ultimately convert.”  The online loan marketplace is currently exploring ways to use these new insights to guide decisions on mobile budgets and bids.

The national furniture company, La-Z-Boy is working alongside their agency, RPA, to better attribute mobile clicks with the conversions they drove by using cross-device conversions data. Matt Targett, Director of Interactive and Product Marketing at La-Z-Boy, noted that "now that we know that our mobile display campaigns are driving 15% more conversions than we've previously measured, we're excited to dive deeper into our mobile ads, bids and budgets to ensure mobile clicks drive even more conversions in the future.”

Join us for a Hangout on Air

Learn more about how businesses are using insights from Estimated Total Conversions to make important marketing decisions about budget allocation and bid management. Join us for a live Hangout on Air with industry leaders on Wednesday, November 12th at 11:30am PT. RSVP here.

Posted by Levent Besik, Product Manager, Google Display Network

1 Industry Multi-Screen Study, Google/Ipsos, 2013
2 The Customer Journey to Online Purchase, Google, April 2013