Google Debuts AdWords Cross-Device Conversion Estimates, Phone and In-Store Conversions Coming

In its first step in capturing the complete conversion impact of AdWords campaigns, Google launched a new conversion type today called estimated cross-device conversion.

Cross-device conversion estimates are calculated by using Google account holders who are logged in to multiple devices as a proxy for the greater population. The company says phone calls and in-store activity will soon be included in the new Estimated Total Conversions column that is rolling out to AdWords accounts over the next few weeks.

Because the proxy activities relies on logged-in users, estimated cross-device conversions account only for those ad clicks on Google.com. Google’s Sridhar Ramaswamy, SVP, ads and commerce says they are still working on how to track the greater impact of display ads.

Ramaswamy says the new measurement features are a “natural progression given that users are searching everywhere.”

In-store visits will be triggered by advertiser location extensions when a user is signed into Google and opted-in to sharing location history. Google takes the anonymized aggregated data of those who clicked on search ads and went to a store.

In discussing the coming phone and in-store conversion estimates, Ramaswamy says, “there is important linkage between online and offline spend, but there is more work to be done with tracking offline activity for scale.” The company says in-store conversion estimates will be coming in a matter of months.

To read more about estimated cross-device conversions, see our more complete coverage on Search Engine Land: Google Launches ‘Estimated Cross-Device Conversions’ In AdWords, First Stage Of New ‘Estimated Total Conversions’.