GA4 gives marketers choice in Google Ads conversion credit eligibility

Advertisers can now identify which channel contributes to a conversion, helping them to better measure the impact of their campaigns.

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Google is rolling out changes that will give advertisers better insights into conversion performance.

For the first time, marketers working with GA4 will be able to choose which of their channels should be eligible to get conversion credit for web conversions shared with Google Ads. This applies to Google paid channels (formerly, Ads-preferred) and Paid and organic channels (formerly, Cross-channel).

Why we care. This new capability will tell you which channels contribute to a conversion, helping you better understand and measure the impact of your campaigns. This data will prove incredibly useful to advertisers as they’ll be able to create new strategies to increase conversions and revenue with more confidence and certainty.

How it works. Advertisers can view which of their channels are eligible for credit for each conversion in Google Ads, under the Conversions summary, Conversions detail, and Campaigns tabs. In Google Analytics, this information can be found in the Attribution settings page.

Which channels are eligible. There are two channels to be considered in this insatnce:

  • Google paid channels: Only Google Ads paid channels are eligible to receive conversion credit.
  • Paid and organic channels: Paid and organic channels are eligible to receive conversion credit, but only credit assigned to Google Ads channels will appear in your Google Ads accounts.

Advertisers should note the default channel is Google paid channels, however, marketers do have the option to choose PPC and organic channels instead.

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How to change the setting. In Google Analytics, this set-up can be edited at any time by going to the Admin > Attribution settings page. Once you have updated your preferences, changes will take effect on conversions moving forward.

What Google has said. The search engine explained in a statement:

  • “You can now select which channels are eligible for conversion credit for web conversions shared with Google Ads: Google paid channels (formerly, Ads-preferred) or Paid and organic channels (formerly, Cross-channel).”

Deep dive: Click here for more information about what channels are eligible to receive credit for conversions and how to import conversion into Google Ads.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Nicola Agius
Contributor
Nicola Agius was Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land from 2023-2024. She covered paid media, retail media and more. Prior to this, she was SEO Director at Jungle Creations (2020-2023), overseeing the company's editorial strategy for multiple websites. She has over 15 years of experience in journalism and has previously worked at OK! Magazine (2010-2014), Mail Online (2014-2015), Mirror (2015-2017), Digital Spy (2017-2018) and The Sun (2018-2020). She also previously teamed up with SEO agency Blue Array to co-author Amazon bestselling book Mastering In-House SEO.

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