About cross-device conversions
Cross-device conversions occur when a user clicks an ad on one device and then completes a conversion (ecommerce transaction, goal completion) on another device, for example, when a user clicks a Google Ads ad on a mobile web browser during the morning commute, and then purchases that item from a desktop browser at home in the evening.
Analytics creates separate custom models for ecommerce transactions and goal completions on your site based on the cross-device conversion data from users who have signed in to their Google accounts and who have turned on Ads Personalization. The models extrapolate from the signed-in data the cross-device conversion metrics for all of your site users. Analytics then exports the modeled cross-device conversions along with the same-device conversions to Google Ads where you can use it for bidding.
The more you understand about cross-device-conversion behavior, the more valuable that data becomes as the basis for ad placements and bids. For example, if the Cross Device > Device Paths report illustrates that the Mobile > Desktop path has the highest conversion rate, then you can place more upper-funnel ads on mobile and place higher bids for those ads.
Benefits
- Insight into cross-device behavior
- Automatic export of cross-device conversion data to linked Google Ads accounts
- Inclusion of cross-device conversion data in your Google Ads bidding
Requirements
- Must have
- You have linked your Analytics and Google Ads accounts
- Your Analytics property has at least 10,000 conversions per month (ecommerce transactions or goal completions)
- You have activated Google signals
- You have included the Google Ads Conversion Action in bidding as outlined here.
- Nice to have
- In Google Ads, you are using the imported Analytics conversions for bidding
Automatic conversion exports
To automatically export cross-device conversions to Google Ads:
- Activate Google Signals.
- Import Analytics ecommerce transactions and/or goal completions in Google Ads.
When you export cross-device conversions to Google Ads, you can include them in bidding. Learn more
Exclude cross-device conversions from export
If you want to exclude cross-device conversions from export, you have two options:
- In Google Ads, change your imported conversion action from "primary" to "secondary." Learn more
- Deactivate Google signals. Keep in mind, if you deactivate Google signals, then you lose all of the associated feature enhancements.
Where the data appears in Google Ads
Analytics cross-device conversions appear in the following columns in Google Ads reports:
- Cross-device conversions
- All conversions
- Conversions (if you have selected the "Include in Conversions" option for the Conversion Action into which you have imported Analytics cross-device conversions)
Limitations
Cross-device conversion export supports mobile-web and desktop-web conversions. In-app conversions are not supported at this time.
