Google may have made more headlines and riled up marketers in April by announcing the demise of some popular attribution options, but they did throw performance marketers an attribution bone that should speed up migration to GA4 for brands that have dragged their feet.
Specifically, Google announced that marketers can now import fractional, cross-channel web-conversion credits from GA4 properties.
Previously, GA4 used a cross-channel last-click basis for web conversions and then attributed them to Google Ads based on the attribution model configured in your Google Ads account. With this update, fractional cross-channel conversion credit is imported into Google Ads regardless of the last touchpoint. This is good news that gives marketers still clinging to last-click attribution (we know you’re out there despite our best efforts) an assist into adopting a more nuanced model.
If you select data-driven attribution for an imported conversion action, then all fractional, attributed Google credits as seen in Google Analytics 4 reporting will be imported into Google Ads, regardless of the last touchpoint.
Before, if the last click was not from Google advertising, then no conversion was imported into Google Ads.
This is of course a good move for Google because it allows search ads to claim more attributed revenue and could eventually draw more budget, but it’s a genuine win-win. The update will improve conversion measurements and lead to better optimization. Advertisers will now be able to make better-informed decisions when making changes to campaigns to enhance results.
In a marketing landscape with more options for cross-channel engagement than ever, a move to pull advertisers away from last-click attribution is a positive one. The more you understand which engagements contribute to eventual conversions, the more precise you can be with budget allocations.
If you have any questions about this or other recent Google attribution updates, we’re always available to chat.