Smart Bidding for Store Sales allows Smart Bidding models to optimize for Store sales conversions and value along with any other conversion actions you have chosen to include in conversions. This article will help you plan, set up, and evaluate Smart Bidding for Store Sales.
Before you begin
Review Conversion window for Store Visits & Store sales
The conversion window is the number of days after an ad interaction during which a conversion will be recorded.
- The default conversion window for click attributed store visits is 30 days. You can also set custom conversion windows from 1-30 days.
- For engaged-view store visit conversions, a visit is counted when a user visits your location within 3 days of watching at least 10 seconds of your ad.
- For view-through conversions, a visit is counted when a user visits your location within 1 day of viewing your ad. Learn more about understanding client account conversion data in Search Ads 360
Best Practices for Smart Bidding
For click attributed store visits, we recommend using a 7-day conversion window if you have included store visits in Conversions and are considering them in your Smart Bidding strategies. Not only can performance be evaluated more quickly, it will also allow the bidding system to be more reactive to changes in user behavior. We don’t recommend setting conversion windows less than 7 days due to differing weekday and weekend shopping patterns.
However, for specific business models that require a longer conversion window due to longer purchase cycles (for example, auto dealerships), it is recommended to keep the default 30-day conversion window. Keep in mind, when using a 30-day window, it will take longer after implementation to optimize the performance of Smart Bidding with store visits.
To understand how long it takes for users to visit your store and purchase after clicking on your ads and how a 7-day conversion window might impact your volume. Add the column for Store sales and use ‘days to conversion’ segment looking at complete data (for example. from 60-30 days ago).
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- Use the page menu to navigate to the table you’d like to segment.
- Click the Segment icon
and select Conversions.
- Click Days to conversion.
Create custom columns to report store sales
Custom columns offer a convenient solution if you’re interested in combining columns together or in seeing only part of your data for a metric. With custom columns, you can build custom metrics based on existing metrics and spend less time preparing reports outside Search Ads 360.
Create at least three custom Google Ads conversion columns to report 'Store sales' conversions or conversion value.
Step 1: Create a Custom Conversion, a custom conversion column allows you to report on specific conversion actions across Floodlight, Google Ads, and Google Analytics with optional filters and a specific attribution model.
Create Custom Column
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- From the page menu on the left, click a page with a reporting table, such as Campaigns, Ad groups, Ads, or Keywords.
- In the upper right corner of the table, click the columns icon
.
- Click + Custom column in the upper right, and select Custom conversion column.
- Provide the following information for your column:
.- Name: Enter a name that will be used as the column header.
- Description: which explains what they are or what they look like (optional).
- Owner: Select a manager or a sub-manager account.
- Conversion actions: Select the conversion actions to include in this column.
- Metric: Select the ‘AW all conv’ or AW all conv value needs to be selected.
- Conversion variable (optional): Select to filter by one of your conversion variables (if you have any set up). For example, if you have set up a conversion variable for brand name, you can filter the column to count only sales of a particular brand.
6. Click Save.
If you select a manager account as the owner, the column is available to anyone who is signed in at the manager account level. The column can include any other columns that are owned by the manager account.
If you select a sub-manager account as the owner, the column is available to anyone who is signed in to the sub-manager account and the manager account above it. The column can include other columns that are owned by the same sub-manager account.
Create 2 new Custom Columns
Customize your data by creating personalized columns, combining attributes, uncovering hidden trends, and enhancing your understanding of your information.
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- From the page menu on the left, click a page with a reporting table, such as Campaigns, Ad groups, Ads, or Keywords.
- In the upper right corner of the table, click the columns icon
- Click Custom columns, then click the blue plus button
.
- Select Custom conversion column.
- Provide the following information for your column:
- Name and description
- Owner
- Conversion actions
- Metric
- Custom variable (optional)
- Attribution model
6. Click Save.
Similarly you can customize your data for ROAS by creating another column .
Create a custom formula column to use for the bid strategy
Custom formula columns allow you to access and leverage a wide variety of metrics computed from Search Ads 360 data to build your own columns. You can layer in references to other column formulas and spreadsheet functions to make your columns more nuanced. Just like standard Search Ads 360 columns, most custom columns can be filtered, sorted, downloaded, and used to customize the performance summary chart above your reporting table.
If the standard bid strategy goals (Clicks, Conversion, Revenue, and so on) don't meet your needs, you can create a custom formula column that defines your own KPIs, and then create a bid strategy that optimizes to the custom formula column. You can include the same custom formula column in your reports to track progress towards your custom goal.
Combine Google Ads conversions in a Search Ads 360 custom column to target the conversions in a Search Ads 360 bid strategy.
You can combine your online conversion column with the Store Sales (GACT) column using a custom formula column.
Here's an overview of the process:
- First, create a custom formula column that:
- Adds the value of two or more conversion or revenue columns.
- Optionally adjusts the values by multiplying a positive number.
For example, (.5 * Column_1 + .1 * Column_2 + Column_3)
Custom formula columns that subtract, divide, or multiply existing columns (Column_1 * Column_2) cannot be used in a bid strategy.
- After you create a custom formula column, follow these steps:
- Create a bid strategy and select “Conversion” or “Revenue” as the goal.
- In the Target section, select one of the targets described below and enter a target amount.
| If you specified this goal... | Select... |
| Conversions | CPA |
| Revenue | A Revenue metric, such as ERS or ROAS |
- In the Conversion source dropdown, select Formula columns.
- In the Formula column dropdown, select the formula column you created.
The dropdown lists all custom formula columns that have been created for your advertiser and that are applicable to the bid strategy goal you selected.
Once you save the bid strategy, you can't edit the formula column as long as it's used by the bid strategy. - Apply constraints, optionally configure advanced options, and click Save Bid Strategy.
Search Ads 360 automatically adds the custom formula column to the following views in bid strategy reports. (You can select one of these views from the View menu, which is available in the toolbar above the performance summary graph.)
- Performance view
- Bid strategy performance view
- Impact analysis view
Can't edit custom columns that are in use
When you add a custom column-such as a custom formula column or a Floodlight activity column-to a bid strategy or conversion goal, you can't edit or remove the column as long as it's being used. Here are some options if you want to make changes to a custom column:
Bid strategy
- Create a new custom column that contains the edits you want. Then use the new column in your reports, or edit the bid strategy to use the new column instead of the old column.
- If want to remove a custom column but the bid strategy is also removed, follow these steps:
- Find the removed bid strategy and click on it.
- After you've opened the bid strategy, click the edit button to navigate to its settings.
- Click on Target.
- Now, either change the conversion source, or the referenced column.
Add campaigns to bid strategy portfolio
Portfolio bid strategies automatically set bids for every auction to help you reach the performance goals you choose. One portfolio bid strategy can apply to many campaigns, so you can save time by managing your settings in a single location.
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- From the page menu on the left, click Campaigns.
- Click the checkbox for one or more campaigns that you want to edit.
- Click Edit and choose Change bid strategy
- Choose a currency for your bid strategy
- Choose one of the following:
- Use existing portfolio strategy: Select a strategy from the list provided.
- Create new portfolio strategy: Enter the settings for your new strategy, and give it a name. Note that this option is not available for all types of bid strategies.
- Click Apply.
After applying a new portfolio bid strategy to your campaigns, give your bid strategy time to learn. It is recommended to wait 2-3 conversion delay cycles before assessing performance.
After the bid strategy has run for a couple of weeks, you'll be able to view Search Ads 360 bid strategy performance and compare it with historical performance before you applied the bid strategy.