Use Floodlight optimization for YouTube and Demand Gen

This article describes configuring YouTube line items to report and optimize based on Floodlight data. 
You also have the option to use YouTube-enabled Floodlight activities for conversion reporting and optimization for YouTube line items. Learn more

Overview

YouTube and Demand Gen line items can be set to report and optimize toward conversions as measured by your Floodlight configuration. This allows more consistent optimization and measurement of conversions across YouTube and non-YouTube campaigns within the enabled advertiser. 

Using Floodlight optimization for YouTube and Demand Gen eliminates the need to enable conversion tracking at the Floodlight activity level. This unlocks the ability to report and optimize toward in-app and offline conversions on YouTube and Demand Gen line items, and web conversions that are using the image tag format. 

If it is not already, your Floodlight group will use Engaged View conversions and a default Engaged View attribution model will be created. This is to ensure that conversions that occur after users engage with your video ads on YouTube are accounted for in both reporting and optimization. This default model does not contribute to attribution model caps, and existing attribution models will not automatically opt into Engaged Views. YouTube auto-tagging will be enabled for this advertiser and can only be disabled when Floodlight optimization is disabled. This improves the accuracy of conversion attribution and is required for line item optimization.

 

When Floodlight optimization is enabled, the option to use line item-specific conversion goals for YouTube video action line items is not presented during campaign creation, as this is on by default. The Floodlight activities included for measurement and optimization are selected at the line item level.

Enable Floodlight optimization

Floodlight optimization is an advertiser-level setting that applies to all new and existing YouTube line items within the advertiser. 

  1. Open your advertiser in Display & Video 360.
  2. In the left menu, click Advertiser Settings > Basic details
  3. In the YouTube section, check Use Floodlight data for conversion optimization on YouTube and Demand Gen line items

After enabling Floodlight optimization, check the Conversion tracking section of your existing YouTube video action campaigns to confirm that Floodlight activities are selected for optimization and conversion counting. If no Floodlight activities are selected, the line item will not optimize toward any conversions.

YouTube auto-tagging will be automatically enabled when Floodlight optimization is enabled. Check Partner Settings > Advertiser Configuration > YouTube auto-tagging to confirm that auto-tagging is enabled. 

Create a Demand Gen line item with Floodlight optimization

Floodlight optimization and YouTube auto-tagging are required for Demand Gen line items. Start by enabling Floodlight optimization for YouTube and ensure YouTube auto-tagging is enabled for your advertiser in Display & Video 360 Partner Settings to improve attribution signals for conversion measurement. Next, follow instructions to Create a Demand Gen line item.

Create a YouTube video action line item with Floodlight optimization

YouTube video action line items are a simple and cost-effective way to drive conversions across YouTube. To use YouTube video action line items optimized using Floodlight data, start by enabling Floodlight optimization for YouTube.

Reporting when Floodlight optimization is enabled

Floodlight activities selected at the line item level are used to drive the YouTube video action and Demand Gen line item’s performance and tracked as conversions in reporting.

When Floodlight optimization for YouTube is enabled, YouTube video action and Demand Gen line items are optimized based on conversions that take place after a user clicks or engages your ad. The conversion window for post-click and post-Engaged View conversions is set in your Floodlight configuration, or your line item (if shorter). The Engaged View window is based on the Post-View conversion conversion window. Engaged Views have a default minimum time threshold of 10 seconds of your video ad, set in your Floodlight configuration. 

When Floodlight optimization is enabled, conversion reporting for all YouTube and Demand Gen line items will default to being based on the Engaged View attribution model:

  • Standard report & Conversions metric
  • YouTube conversion report & YouTube Conversions metric

Conversion reporting based on alternative attribution models can be achieved by selecting another model in standard reports.

We recommend using Standard reports for most reporting needs and to compare performance against other line items. If you need to analyze dimensions (e.g. audiences) that are only available in YouTube reports, the YouTube Conversions report can be used to achieve these detailed data cuts. When using target CPA bidding and deciding what CPA to set, we recommend basing it off the CPA reported in the YouTube Conversions report.

Overview of standard and YouTube reports when Floodlight optimization is enabled:

 

Standard report

YouTube report

Default attribution model

Engaged View model

Report based on Floodlight activities selected at the line item level. Same if Biddable Conversions model selected.

Engaged View model

Report based on Floodlight activities selected at the line item level.

Possible to report on alternative attribution models, including those not used for bidding

Yes

If alternative attribution models selected, report will be based on all Floodlight activities, not only those selected at the line item level

No

Possible to break out reporting by specific Floodlight activities

Yes

Use Floodlight Activity & Floodlight Activity ID dimensions

Yes

Use Conversion Type dimension (note: not compatible with revenue metrics)

Conversions reporting metric

Total Conversions metric

Includes: Post-click conversions and

Post-view conversions, which, depending on the attribution model selected either includes all Post-view conversions, or only the Post-view conversions that met the Engaged View criteria set in your Floodlight configuration.

Conversions metric

Includes: Post-click conversions and Post-view conversions that met YouTube’s minimum Engaged View time threshold of 10 seconds. Possible to break out Post-click and Post-Engaged View conversions using the Conversion Ad Event Type dimension. Possible to use the Inventory Source dimension to break out Google video partners and YouTube inventory.

Recommended to evaluate overall performance and compare with non-YouTube line items

Yes

Choose your primary or “source-of-truth” attribution model

No

Recommended to set target CPA for YouTube video action line items

No

Yes

 

The Engagement metric acts differently for YouTube video action line items and other YouTube line item types in the YouTube Standard report:

  • For YouTube video action line items or skippable formats: The number of clicks on the ad or 10 seconds of viewing time. If both happen, only the click is counted.  
  • For all other YouTube non-skippable formats: The number of clicks on interactive video elements, such as teasers or expanding cards, that don't take users to an external site. 

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