Advertisers Gain Greater Insight with New Estimated Cross-device Conversions for Display Ads

We live in a multi-screen world, and use multiple devices throughout the day to communicate, access information, and entertain ourselves. For advertisers, however, understanding how online advertising drives conversions can be challenging, as users switch to different devices in their path to purchase.

Google has taken steps to address these challenges, and on September 30, 2014, via the Inside AdWords blog, announced the rollout of estimated cross-device conversions for display ads to all advertisers. Levent Besik, Product Manager for the Google Display Network, states that estimated cross-device conversions for display ads will help advertisers measure the full value of their ads on the Google Display Network.

Estimated Total Conversions was originally launched in October 2013, and focused on multi-screen conversions for search ads. Considering how consumers move from one device to another to complete a single purchase transaction, Google introduced this “exciting first step” to provide advertisers with accurate insights on conversions happening across multiple devices.

Google has been “working hard to add new features” to Estimated Total Conversions, and has extended conversion measurement to display ads. All advertisers are now allowed to “measure the full value of [their] ads on the Google Display Network” with the new estimated cross-device conversions for display ads. “You’ll find estimated cross-device conversions and estimated total conversions in the Campaigns tab of AdWords”. [See Figure 1]

Google recognizes that a large segment of society is now multi-platform. Besik expounds the cross-device conversion process:

…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.

Through these enhanced insights on cross-device conversions, AdWords can help its advertisers make more effective business decisions and gain better return on investment.

On September 29, 2014, Google launched new ad formats and tools with the aim of enhancing mobile advertising. Among its advantages are resizing ads into mobile-specific sizes and creating HTML5 backups for all Flash ads.

Do you think measuring cross-device conversions will boost advertisers’ ROI in the long run? Let us know what you think in the Comments below.

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