Google AdWords: Why use All Conversion Value by Conversion Time rather than the Adwords Default Attrubition

Attribution models are at the heart of any digital marketing strategy. They determine how conversions are credited, impacting performance insights and ultimately how budget is allocated. While Google AdWords (now Google Ads) offers several attribution models, most advertisers stick with the default setting. However, a more strategic approach is to shift focus towards "All Conversion Value by Conversion Time".

In this article, we’ll explore why "All Conversion Value by Conversion Time" should be the preferred method, particularly for performance reviews over rolling windows like 7 days.

Understanding Google Ads Attribution

Before diving into the details, let's recap how Google Ads handles conversion tracking:

• Default Conversion Value by Conversion Click: The default model in Google Ads attributes the conversion to when the click occurred. 

• All Conversion Value by Conversion Time: This model attributes conversions to when the purchase actually happens, offering a more accurate timeline of when sales are generated.

Benefits of Using All Conversion Value by Conversion Time

Typically when reviewing an account a 7 day view is a fair representation of performance, many of our clients sell items with a high ticket price and this is a considered purchase. As a result it is not unusual for a consumer follow this pattern of searches:-

1. 'Generic search' before deciding what product to buy
2. 'Qualified search' further refined search that is typically product specific 
3. 'Brand search' - used often as a means of navigation to buy the product

Steps 1 and 2 might be repeated a number of times, in the following example step 2 is repeated. 

In the following graph we have shown what is visible in the 7 day lookback window.