Google Ads attribution models now support YouTube and Display

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The inclusion of YouTube and Display lets advertisers better understand each channel’s contributions to the buyer journey.

  “As of this week, we’ve upgraded all Google Ads non-last click models, including data-driven attribution, to support YouTube and Display ads. In addition to clicks, the data-driven attribution model also measures engaged views from YouTube,” wrote Charles Huyi, product manager for Google Ads in an announcement on Monday.

Understand the buyer journey. Along with knowing which channels are contributing along the buyer journey toward a final conversion (whatever that looks like for your business), the new inclusions mean that “when used along with automated bidding strategies or updates to your manual bidding, data-driven attribution helps to drive additional conversions at the same CPA compared to last click.”

You can find the new models under the tools icon. From there, select Attribution which is under the Measurement option. Changing your attribution model “helps you compare your cost per conversion and return on ad spend” for each, said Huyi. The idea is that having Display and YouTube under the different attribution models allows you to better understand the customer journey and these two channels’ impact on your CVR.

Changes to “Campaigns.” When you change your set attribution model, you may see changes in the “Campaigns” tab, according to the announcement:

  • Credit shifts: With any changes to your attribution model, you could see conversion credit shifts across the various campaigns, networks, ad groups, and keywords associated with that conversion action.
  • Fractional credit: Credit for a given conversion is distributed between contributing ad interactions according to your selected attribution model. You’ll see decimals in your “Conversions” and “All Conversions” columns when using a non-last click model.
  • Time lag: Since a non-last click attribution model shares conversion credit between multiple interactions, each of which happened at a different point in time, your “Campaigns” report (which counts conversions based on the time frame during which the relevant ad interactions took place) may temporarily show fewer conversions for very recent days following a change of attribution model.

Why we care. Attribution is a common issue for search marketers and continues to be muddied as more of the web focuses on privacy. The ability to model your attribution journeys through YouTube and Display will help marketers determine which channels to invest in and which channels could use a different strategy. Note the changes that will happen in your Campaigns if you make these changes, though.