How the integration works
- When a consumer clicks an ad and is redirected through Search Ads 360, Search Ads 360 adds a URL parameter that contains a Google click ID.
- In your Adobe Analytics report suite, you create a conversion variable (eVar) that collects the Google click ID and associates the ID with an Adobe Analytics visit.
- In Search Ads 360, you specify which of the report suite's metrics you want to appear in Search Ads 360. It automatically creates an offline Floodlight conversion action for the metrics you specify.
- Periodically, Search Ads 360 automatically downloads reporting data from the Adobe Analytics report suite and stores the data in the Floodlight conversion action it created.
- To generate reports on Adobe Analytics metrics from Search Ads 360, you create custom Floodlight columns that contain data from the Floodlight conversion action that Search Ads 360 created.
- You can use the custom Floodlight columns in formula columns, bid strategies or any other place in Search Ads 360 that supports custom Floodlight columns.
Supported Search Ads 360 features
Because Search Ads 360 stores Adobe Analytics data in a Floodlight conversion action, you can use data from Adobe Analytics wherever you can use Floodlight data.
In addition, you can use the Floodlight conversion action that contains Adobe Analytics data in bid strategies and apply attribution models to the data.
Reporting revenue requires 2 metrics in Adobe Analytics
Revenue reporting differs between Search Ads 360 and Adobe Analytics.
In Search Ads 360, a single Floodlight conversion action tracks both the number of transactions and the amount of revenue from an event on your site. For example, a Floodlight conversion action named 'Shopping basket' tracks both the number of shopping basket purchases and the total amount of revenue from each purchase.
In Adobe Analytics, you need 2 separate metrics to track the number of transactions and the amount of revenue from each type of event.
To reconcile these 2 approaches, you need to create 2 metrics in Adobe Analytics and add them to a single Floodlight transaction activity. Learn about Adobe Analytics data in the new Search Ads 360.
Data discrepancies between Adobe Analytics and Search Ads 360
You may notice slight differences between the data in Adobe Analytics reports and Search Ads 360 reports. These differences are expected and are usually caused by the following situations:
- Search Ads 360 only has information about the date that Adobe Analytics recorded a metric, not the specific time that the event occurred. If the time zones for Adobe Analytics and for the client account that recorded the conversion are different, it’s possible that some metrics will be reported on the following day. Learn more about timestamps for Adobe Analytics metrics.
- If the Google click ID associated with the conversion is older than 60 days at the time of upload, the conversion will not be imported into Search Ads 360.
- Any of the following constraints from a user or a user's environment will prevent Search Ads 360 from importing an Adobe Analytics conversion:
- User has blocked cookies or opted out. This includes all users of the Apple Safari browser, including iOS, who haven't changed the default settings to allow third-party cookies.
- There is a check-permissions cookie/sentinel.
- There is a COPPA-flagged event.
- Conversion paths with multiple interactions may result in Adobe Analytics and Search Ads 360 attributing conversions to different clicks. For example, a customer may click a search ad and land on your site but not convert. Later, a customer may click a different search ad and then convert. If you use last-click attribution in Search Ads 360, the second click will receive credit for the conversion. But depending on how you set up Adobe Analytics to capture Google click IDs, Adobe Analytics may attribute the conversion to the first click.
- If Adobe Analytics and your Search Ads 360 advertiser use different currencies, Search Ads 360 converts the revenue to the currency used by the Search Ads 360 advertiser. Learn more about currency differences.
Ready to get started?
- Link your Search Ads 360 advertiser to Adobe Analytics.
After you link to Adobe Analytics, Search Ads 360 needs time to retrieve the list of report suites and report metrics that you have access to. - Add an Adobe Analytics report suite to Search Ads 360.
Wait a day after adding a report suite and metrics before generating reports on Adobe Analytics data. It may take a full day for Search Ads 360 to start importing reporting data from Adobe Analytics. - Use Adobe Analytics data in reports or bid strategies.