Paid Media News & Opinion #111

LinkedIn shares its improved ad attribution methodology

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> What’s happening

LinkedIn have shared details on an improved attribution system for reporting conversions on ad activity. LinkedIn Ads will now use a “hybrid approach of leveraging modelling approaches to build accurate data-driven attribution”.

Compared with the standard last-click conversions method, they observed a 150x increase in credit to upper and mid-funnel campaigns, better demonstrating the impact of video, display and social campaigns on conversions.

LinkedIn has rolled out this change, so we can expect to see improvements as of today. You can read the full insights and detailed algorithmic changes here.

> Why we care

This lengthy Engineering Blog post is a nerd’s gold mine for insights into multi-touch attribution models, but it provides great insight into an anticipated improvement in conversion tracking. Something even a typical marketer can appreciate.

This is particularly welcome, as B2B campaigns often have very high cost per lead (CPL) and cost per acquisition (CPA).

We expect this to result in improved conversion tracking accuracy across both awareness and conversion campaigns on the platform, helping ad managers to make those crucial data-driven decisions and avoid unfairly ignoring upper funnel activity’s impact.

Google introduces Source and Private Search Terms for increased Performance Max insights

Source 1; Source 2

> What’s happening

Google has introduced a couple of added features to Performance Max as it continues to develop and enhance its AI driven campaign type. Google Ads has introduced a new PMax “Source” column, giving additional transparency into why ads are triggered, and advertisers are now able to view ‘private’ search terms, offering insights into low-volume queries. 

The introduction of a new “Source” column in the Search Terms Insights aims to provide advertisers with greater transparency about why their ads are triggered, whether that was by Search Themes, URLs, Creative Assets etc, offering insights into ad performance and targeting logic.

Queries with less than 50 unique searches over the past 90 days will be categorised into the new label “Private search term”. Having insight into low volume search terms within PMax could affect how advertisers can view and analyse search query data.

> Why we care

The additional “Source” column can help advertisers better understand the logic behind what triggers ads, and offers insights into which targeting methods are driving volume and engagement within the search space, enabling better optimization of campaign targeting and budget allocation.

With the introduction of “private” search terms being available in the search term report advertisers can better understand the make-up of search traffic and identify which terms fall into the long-tail category. For advertisers operating within niche markets this information could be particularly useful.

Both changes aim to increase transparency within the PMax campaign type, welcome changes as Performance Max insights historically have been a relative black box. These give additional tools for advertisers to better understand and optimise campaign performance. Clearer insights into ad triggering and search terms will help campaign precision, and additional transparency will help advertiser confidence.

Google adds new “Used Since” column to see asset history

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> What’s happening

Google Ads has introduced a new "Asset History" feature, offering advertisers a detailed timeline of changes made to their ad assets, such as headlines and descriptions. This update will allow advertisers to track edits, review performance data, and monitor the lifecycle of assets.

> Why we care

Previously there was no quick or easy way to determine how long an asset had been in existence for. Having that visibility is useful for measuring the impact that new assets have had on overall performance historically, but also for keeping on top of how long certain assets have been live for, in order to keep things fresh and updated.

What else we've been talking about:

• Google Ads Search Max – new match type spotted

• Google sunsets Maximum CPV strategy for Video View campaigns

• Digital Ads Benchmark Report Q4 2024

• Pinterest highlights its improving ad options

• Instagram says it will recommend longer Reels in Explore