The Finch Blog — eCommerce Growth at Scale

The Power of View-through Conversion & Frequency for Display Ads

Written by Alex Kennedy | Jan 30, 2023 9:57:51 PM

What's a View-through Conversion?

View-through conversions are a measure of how many people who viewed an ad later completed a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service. This metric can be used to determine the effectiveness of display advertising campaigns, as well as to identify which ads are most likely to lead to conversions.

Frequency, on the other hand, refers to the number of times an ad is shown to an individual over a certain period of time. This metric is often used to determine the optimal frequency at which to show ads to an audience, in order to achieve the highest conversion rate while avoiding ad fatigue.

View-through Conversions vs. Click-through Conversions

When it comes to display advertising, view-through conversions are often considered more important than click-through conversions, because they provide a more complete picture of how an ad campaign is performing. A user may see an ad multiple times before deciding to take action, so a view-through conversion may indicate that the ad is having an impact even if the user doesn't click on it.

In fact, up to 95% of purchases for Finch clients can be tied to a view-through conversion.

The Importance of Frequency

Frequency is also an important metric to consider when evaluating display advertising campaigns. Showing an ad too many times can lead to ad fatigue and reduce the effectiveness of the campaign, while showing it too few times may not give the ad enough visibility to be effective. Finding the optimal frequency can be challenging, but it is crucial for achieving the best possible results.

In digital marketing, both view-through conversions and frequency are key components in evaluating the performance of a display advertising campaign. It's important to track these metrics and adjust the campaign accordingly to maximize the return on investment (ROI). For example, increasing the frequency of ads that have a high view-through conversion rate and decreasing the frequency of ads that have a low view-through conversion rate can lead to more conversions and a better ROI.

Furthermore, using the data from view-through conversion (a conversion which is not a direct action of a click, but one that is the cause of another action, such as a branded Google search, but is within an attribution lookback window), you can further optimize your targeting strategy. An Ad campaign with a high view-through conversion rate on a specific demographic, it is worth exploring that demographic further to see how you can attract and convert them.

Additionally, it is worth to A/B test your ads, to identify which of them resonates more with your target audience. This data can be used to make informed decisions about which ads to continue running and which to stop, and also can help to improve the overall performance of your campaign.


Key Points for Implementing View-through and Frequency Data

  • Use of view-through conversion and frequency data in retargeting campaigns: Retargeting campaigns are particularly well-suited to using view-through conversion and frequency data, as they allow you to target users who have previously interacted with your website or ads. By using data on view-through conversions and frequency, you can optimize your retargeting campaigns to better reach and convert your audience.
  • Combining view-through conversion and frequency data with other metrics: To get a complete picture of how your advertising campaigns are performing, it's important to consider view-through conversion and frequency data in conjunction with other metrics such as click-through rates, bounce rates, and conversion rates. By combining data from multiple sources, you can make more informed decisions about how to optimize your campaigns.
  • Differences in view-through conversion and frequency for different ad formats: Different ad formats, such as display ads, video ads, and native ads, may have different view-through conversion and frequency rates. Understanding these differences can help you choose the most effective ad formats for your campaigns.
  • The importance of view-through attribution: In Digital Marketing, view-through attribution is used to attribute a conversion to an ad that was seen but not clicked. It is a way to give credit to the ads that have a role in the user's decision even if the user didn't directly interact with the ad. Thus, providing a more accurate picture of how your campaigns are impacting conversions.
    Use of view-through conversion and frequency data in cross-channel campaigns: Many businesses use a variety of channels, such as search, social, and display advertising, to reach their audiences. By analyzing view-through conversion and frequency data across channels, you can gain a better understanding of how your campaigns are performing across different platforms and make adjustments accordingly.
  • The future of view-through conversion and frequency tracking: With the advances in technology and Artificial Intelligence, new ways of tracking and measuring the effectiveness of ad campaigns are emerging. It's worth mentioning the importance of being aware of those new tools and how they can potentially improve the way of using view-through conversions and frequency data.
View-through conversions and frequency are important metrics in digital marketing, they provide valuable insights into how effectively ads are reaching and resonating with audiences. By tracking these metrics and making adjustments to your campaigns accordingly, you can optimize your targeting strategy, increase your conversion rate, and achieve a better ROI.