This article will help you with frequently asked questions about store visits.
Store visits eligibility
- Why can’t I find store visits conversion action in my account?
- How long does it take for my account to start reporting store visits after I add location assets or affiliate location assets?
- How many clicks do I need to be eligible for store visits reporting?
- Why can’t I select “Store visits” goals in my Performance Max for store goals campaign?
Store visits reporting at the manager account level
- Should I track store visits at the Google Ads manager account or client account level?
- Why do some accounts not show any store visits report and show the conversion action as “pending”, even though conversion tracking is set up at the manager account level?
Reporting store visits conversions
- Why do I find store visits reported for days when my store was closed?
- Why does my conversion lag report show a majority of conversions happening within less than 3 days, but I don’t find any store visits in the last 5 days?
- Why do I find different store visits numbers for the same timeframe when I check at different times?
- Why do I find store visits performance fluctuations?
Store visits in the ‘Stores’ report
- Why does my ‘Stores’ reporting show the same number of visits for varying local reach impressions numbers?
- Why do I find store visits reported for disapproved location assets?
- Why am I no longer able to view past data in the ‘stores’ report?
Store visits eligibility
1. Why can’t I find store visits conversion action in my account?
When an account meets the requirements, the store visits conversion action will be automatically created in the account.
2. How long does it take for my account to start reporting store visits after I add location assets or affiliate location assets?
We’re unable to provide guidance that will guarantee an account will become eligible for store visit reporting.
When an account meets the requirements, the store visits conversion action will be automatically created in the account.
3. How many clicks do I need to be eligible for store visits reporting?
We’re unable to provide guidance that will guarantee an account will become eligible for store visit reporting. However, below are some steps you can take to increase your chances for eligibility:
- Increase overall click volume within the account by raising bids and/or increasing budgets, or create a Performance Max campaign for store goals that optimizes toward local actions.
- Ensure all of your locations are included in the linked Business Profile account.
- Ensure location assets are enabled for all campaigns. Campaigns that opt out of location assets aren’t eligible for store visits.
- Optimize your campaigns for store visits by:
- increasing mobile bids
- including local keywords like ‘near me’
- Add shopping categories users are more likely to research online and purchase offline.
4. Why can’t I select “Store visits” goals in my Performance Max for store goals campaign?
- To optimize your campaign toward store visits conversion goal, your account must first meet all the store visits requirements, after which the conversion action will be automatically created.
- If your account is not yet eligible for store visits reporting, consider optimizing toward Local Actions in your Performance Max for store goals campaigns. Learn more About Performance Max for store goals.
Store visits reporting at the manager account level
1. Should I track store visits at the Google Ads manager account or client account level?
- The same logic applies here as for online conversions. Where any given user can be exposed to ads from several client accounts, it’s common best practice to use cross-account conversion tracking to avoid double-tracking conversions. Keep in mind that mixed-level conversion tracking isn’t supported.
- If you have a Google Ads manager account, store visits can always be viewed at the manager or client account level. If conversion tracking is set up at the manager account level, store visits will be deduplicated across client accounts.
- If conversion tracking is set up at the manager account level, the count of store visits at the manager account level should always be equal to the sum of store visits for all the client accounts that are tracking store visits conversions under the manager account.
2. Why do some accounts not show any store visits report and show the conversion action as “pending”, even though conversion tracking is set up at the manager account level?
- Although store visits can be reported at the manager account level, eligibility requirements must be met at the sub-account level, not the manager account level. Each-sub account must meet the eligibility requirements on its own to report store visits.
- While store visits are reported at the manager account level, not every sub-account is eligible to report store visits. Even 2 accounts which seem similar may not meet the eligibility requirements at the same time.
Reporting store visits conversions
1. Why do I find store visits reported for days when my store was closed?
Visits are attributed to ad interactions, like clicks or impressions. This means that visits are reported on the date of the interaction, not the date of the actual visit.
2. Why does my conversion lag report show a majority of conversions happening within less than 3 days, but I don’t find any store visits in the last 5 days?
There is a standard reporting delay for store visits, which means that you may find 0 conversions for the past 5 days. Store visits are reported based on the day of the interaction, but it may take some time for the actual visits to occur and for the model to report your visits. Learn more about Troubleshooting store visits reporting.
3. Why do I find different store visits numbers for the same timeframe when I check at different times?
Our model runs often, constantly updating to provide accurate reporting for your store visits. This means that you’ll find store visits' value of recent days change as the model collects updated information. We recommend waiting for the conversion window to be over before checking your store visits reporting. Learn more about Store Visits conversions reporting.
4. Why do I find store visits performance fluctuations?
If the store visits in your account change drastically or stop reporting completely for an extended period of time, there are 2 possible causes.
- Changes in customer behavior: Customer behavior can change throughout the year. Changes like seasonality or current events may affect traffic to your store.
- Changes in account setup: Changes in your Business Profile, location assets, affiliate location assets, conversion settings (for example, conversion window or conversion status), location targeting, and more can directly affect your store visit conversions. If you’re concerned that store visits have fluctuated, make sure the account setup for store visits is correct and hasn’t changed.
You can use the store visit reporting troubleshooter if you still have questions on store visits performance fluctuations.
Store visits in the ‘Stores’ report
1. Why does my ‘Stores’ reporting show the same number of visits for varying local reach impressions numbers?
The Local Reach column shows the number of times a store’s location-based ad was shown. These impressions aren’t necessarily what drive the conversion of the same row. When some stores are too close together, it’s very likely that an end user views an impression of “store A” and ends up converting with “store B”, which may explain varying local reach results with similar store visits conversions. Learn how to View the store report.
2. Why do I find store visits reported for disapproved location assets?
Because store visits measure the offline user action, location asset disapprovals and serving wouldn’t impact our ability to attribute visits to the associated store.
3. Why am I no longer able to view past data in the ‘stores’ report?
Location assets were upgraded throughout 2023 to enable new features and reduce the complexity of asset creation and management. Historical data about stores are available in the Report Editor tab instead. Learn more About assets upgrade.
