We all know that Converted clicks have been used by marketers to track important actions that occur after an ad is clicked by a user. It?s been a few years since AdWords added a second option for conversion tracking, called Conversions. This newer metric is more flexible in how you can count clicks, and includes more valuable data in the form of cross-device conversions.
So, it may come as little surprise that Google are now discontinuing Converted clicks, and want users to start using Conversion by 21st September 2016. If you?re currently a Converted clicks user and have just dropped your lunch all over yourself in shock, then calm down. We?re here to tell you exactly how to handle this and how it?s going to affect you.
Why Is It Changing?
The world of marketing is forever changing, and the migration from Converted clicks to Conversions is a change focused on making your life easier. The main difference between the two settings is that while Converted clicks show you the number of ad clicks resulting in a conversion, Conversions further refine that with the ability to count multiple conversions from one ad click as well.
To put it simply, Converted clicks feels like an ageing footballer that is no longer flexible or versatile enough to do the job effectively. Conversions offers much greater customisation offers, and the removal of Converted clicks means that the unnecessary complexities have been removed from AdWords.
Why This Change Is Good
Converted clicks offer fewer effective segmentation options. Conversions allows you to segment by source, conversion name or category so that you can see which ad clicks result in more than one conversion. In comparison, Converted clicks lacks the ability to get into the heart of your ads at a granular level.
As I?ve previously mentioned, the flexibility of Conversions is the real benefit with this transition, and you should be embracing this change, rather than being afraid of it. While it allows you to see multiple conversions from a single customer, it still gives you the option to track only one conversion per ad click, similar to how Converted clicks worked.
With more consumers now using mobile platforms to visit web pages, another huge benefit of Conversions is the cross-device conversion metric. From September, this metric will be included as a default, without the option to exclude them. This is a huge signal to marketers that cross-device conversions should no longer be viewed as a secondary consideration, and should be a primary conversion in AdWords from now on.
The other impact of this is that if you use enhanced CPC or target CPA in AdWords, with these changes the system will start considering cross-device conversions in its algorithm to adjust bids in real-time. This is great because it means that AdWords will have better data to tweak bids in real-time to generate more conversions for you.
How To Prepare
As I said earlier, there?s no need to panic. Google are offering a free migration tool to help your transition from Converted clicks to Conversions. It?s important to note that this change will not affect the vast majority of AdWords users. If your conversion bid metric is already ?Conversions?, or if you?re not using the automatic bid strategies, Target CPA or enhanced CPC, then this migration won?t affect your account.
However, if you use a conversion-based automated bid strategy and ?Converted clicks? is your conversion bid metric, then you should prepare your account to minimise any sudden changes to your bidding.
To use the migration tool, follow these instructions, as provided by Google:
- Sign in to your AdWords Account.
- Click the?Tools?menu, then select?Conversions.
- In the upper right-hand corner, click the box that says?Converted clicks is being phased out. If you can?t see this box, then you don?t need to make any changes to your account.
- You?ll now see a screen that explains the changes that the tool will make to your account and how it will affect your data. To make these changes, click?Approve changes.
The changes will only affect your reporting going forward, and won?t change any of your historical reporting statistics.
