ConversionTrackerId cannot be used in combination with ConvertedClicks in v201605?!

[Zweitze]

While migrating from v201603 to v201605, I ran into a truly unpleasant surprise: The combination of those fields is no longer supported. Note that this change was not documented in the release notes of v201605, or the migration guide to v201605.

I know that field convertedclicks will disappear in v201607, but our customers are not ready for that (they are focused on lead collecting, they have no use for multiple conversions from the same user). Anyway, all communication from Google on converted clicks suggests that it will disappear with v201607, not earlier.

So this is a very nasty surprise.

Anyone know a workaround to get converted clicks per conversion type? Apart from not upgrading to v201605?

[Shwetha Vastrad (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

The Conversions field in v201607 version of API reports is equivalent to ConvertedClicks. This field is compatible with the ConversionTrackedId field. You could continue using v201603 version of the API to preserve your historical converted clicks data and migrate to v201607 version of the API and start using fields based on Conversions instead. I apologize that this change wasn't documented in the v201605 migration guide. 

Please note that API version v201603 will be sunset on 25 October, 2016. Please be sure to migrate prior to the sunset to ensure your API access is unaffected.

Regards,

Shwetha, AdWords API Team.

[Zweitze]

Thanks for your answer. I have a question about this sentence:

> The Conversions field in v201607 version of API reports is equivalent to ConvertedClicks.

Can you confirm, that in v201607 the following changes will take effect:

• The v201603 field "Conversions" disappears, such information is no longer be available in v201607;
• The v201603 field "ConvertedClicks" will be available in v201607, but its name will be "Conversions".

Please confirm again - all other documentation about Conversions and ConvertedClicks suggest otherwise, i.e. ConvertedClicks just disappears.

If my interpretation of your sentence is wrong, then what do you mean by "equivalent" in your sentence? When I get a v201607 report with "Conversions", is that the same as a v201603 report with "Conversions"? Or "ConvertedClicks"?


Please understand that we can't just stop reporting such information to our customers, and we need time to get replacement measuring ready. I told them they probably have until the end of the year or early next year, with the sunset of v201605. It would be bad news for everyone if ConvertedClicks -segmented by ConversionTrackers- stops in four weeks.
Note: if ConvertedClicks will be called Conversions in the future and just live on through that name, that would be great news for our customers.

[Shwetha Vastrad (AdWords API Team)]

Hi,

ConvertedClicks field will no longer be available in v201607 version of the API. You need to use the Conversions field to measure conversion related data. The Conversions field is not the same as the ConvertedClicks field. More information about Conversions as compared to ConvertedClicks is available here. 

Converted clicks can't be segmented by conversion name, conversion source, or conversion category, because a single click can lead to multiple conversion actions. You can review the conversion tracking settings of your account to report similar numbers to the ConvertedClicks column. Here are some links which could be helpful:

• Simplifying conversion measurement
  
• About moving from “Converted clicks” to “Conversions”
  
• Compare "Conversions" and "Converted clicks"
  
• Understand your conversion tracking data
  

Regards,

Shwetha, AdWords API Team.

[Zweitze]

I'm afraid this answer is not very helpful either. You say "Converted clicks can't be segmented by conversion name, conversion source, or conversion category, because a single click can lead to multiple conversion actions".
Believe it or not: That was exactly the case in the past 11 years. From v2 to v201603. Both AdWords web interface and AdWords API supported that scenario.

Thanks for the links, unfortunately none answer my question or are useful.

Can I ask a related question? If I change the "Count" setting of a conversiontracker, will that affect conversions from the past? Although I did find documentation on the Count setting, that documentation lacks this information. I hope you can see how I intend to use that setting, so I hope your answer covers all scenarios.

[Nadine Sundquist (AdWords API Team)]

Greetings Zweitze,

It was a pleasure seeing you again at the AdWords API workshops! I hope you're doing well. I'm jumping in since you're getting into the nuances of conversion tracking. Let's see if I can get this sorted out for you. I'll start out with your related question, and if we need to backtrack on the other questions, I'll be happy to clarify.

Changing the Count setting of the conversion tracker will not affect reporting from the past. I was able to find a line in our About Moving from "Converted clicks" to "Conversions" Help Center article that says "The changes to your conversion action settings will only affect your reporting going forward, and won’t change historical reporting statistics." I've found that most people seem to be taking this particular route when migrating.

If you need any further help on this, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Best,

Nadine, AdWords API Team

[Zweitze]

Hi Nadine,

Thanks for your answer! Exactly what I needed to know, now I can go ahead.
It was a pleasure meeting you in Hamburg, see you next time!

Cheers,
Zweitze de Vries
Maxlead