How do I measure view-through conversions?

What a view-through conversion is (and what it isn’t)

A view-through conversion (often shortened to VTC) is a conversion that happens after someone sees your ad but doesn’t click or otherwise interact with it, then later completes a tracked action on your site (or in your app, depending on setup). It’s designed to capture the reality of upper-funnel and mid-funnel advertising: people often need exposure before they take action, and that action may happen through another channel later.

The most important mindset shift is this: view-through conversions are not trying to replace click-based measurement. They’re an additional lens that helps you understand the contribution of display and video to outcomes that aren’t immediate.

How “a view” is defined for view-through conversions

For display placements, view-through credit is based on the last viewable impression before the conversion. “Viewable” has a specific meaning: at least 50% of the ad’s area on screen for at least 1 second. That’s intentional—if the ad wasn’t actually in view, it shouldn’t earn view-through credit.

For video placements, view-through conversions are tied to an impression (not necessarily a “view”). In many video environments, a “view” is only counted after a user watches a meaningful amount of the ad (for example, 30 seconds, the full ad if shorter, or a click). Conversions that happen after a true “view” are typically treated differently in reporting than conversions that happen after only an impression.

Where view-through conversions show up (and why you may think you “don’t have any”)

In most accounts, view-through conversions do not appear in the main “Conversions” column. They appear in the dedicated “View-through conv.” column and (optionally) in “All conv.” depending on your account-level settings. This is one of the most common reasons advertisers assume view-through “isn’t working”—they’re simply looking in the wrong column.

Another key nuance: view-through conversions are designed to avoid double-counting. If someone later converts after having also interacted with one of your ads, that conversion is generally credited to the interaction-based path rather than being counted as view-through.

Finally, privacy changes matter here. Some browsers and environments restrict cross-site identifiers in a way that can prevent view-through conversions from being reported, even when conversion tracking is otherwise functioning.

How to measure view-through conversions correctly (a practical setup you can trust)

1) Make sure your conversions are truly measuring

View-through measurement is only as good as the conversion foundation underneath it. Before you do any analysis, confirm you have clean, consistent conversion actions (purchase, lead, signup, etc.) and that those actions are firing reliably across key browsers and devices.

From a measurement strategy standpoint, I recommend deciding upfront which conversions are “primary” (used for optimization and bidding) versus “secondary” (useful for insight but not something you want an algorithm to chase). This prevents your account from drifting into optimizing for the wrong behaviors while still letting you see the full picture in reporting.

2) Set your view-through conversion window intentionally

View-through conversions only count if they happen inside your view-through conversion window, which is the number of days after an impression during which a view-through conversion can be recorded. You can set this at the conversion-action level. A longer window will usually increase reported view-through conversions; a shorter window will usually reduce them.

In practice, your “right” window depends on your buying cycle. If you sell something impulse-driven, a shorter window often gives you a more realistic read. If you sell something considered (high AOV, longer lead time, B2B), a longer window can be appropriate—but you’ll want to sanity-check it against your typical sales cycle so you don’t over-credit impressions from weeks ago.

If you’re also running video with engagement-based measurement, be aware that engaged-view conversion windows are a separate setting from view-through windows and have their own defaults depending on what you’re measuring. Treat them as different tools: engaged-view is about “watched enough to matter,” view-through is about “was seen.”

3) Turn on the reporting that actually surfaces view-through conversions

To measure view-through conversions effectively, you need to do two things in reporting: add the right columns, and (if you want them rolled up) enable the right account-level setting.

If your goal is to see VTCs in isolation, add the “View-through conv.” column to the views you analyze most (campaigns, ad groups, ads, and sometimes placements). That column is your cleanest “assist-style” indicator.

If your goal is to see a more complete total that includes view-through alongside other conversion sources, make sure view-through is included in “All conv.”. This is controlled via an account-level setting found under your conversions settings (look for a section specifically for view-through conversions, then enable the option to include view-through from display and video in your all-conversions columns). Once enabled, “All conv.” becomes far more useful for upper-funnel evaluation without contaminating the primary “Conversions” column that bidding relies on.

For analysis, don’t underestimate segmentation. When you segment conversion reporting by ad event type, you can typically separate outcomes driven by clicks versus outcomes attributed to impressions (and, in video-heavy accounts, outcomes attributed to meaningful engagement). This is one of the fastest ways to stop debates like “are these conversions real?” because you can see exactly what type of ad exposure is being credited.

How to use view-through conversions to improve performance (without fooling yourself)

Use view-through conversions as an “assist” KPI, then validate with business reality

View-through conversions are most useful when you treat them like assisted conversions: a directional indicator of whether your reach and creative are contributing to eventual outcomes. They’re especially valuable for display prospecting, broad video reach, and any campaign where users commonly don’t click in the moment.

What I like to do is look at view-through conversions alongside three anchors: your click-through conversions, your cost efficiency (CPA/ROAS based on primary conversions), and your downstream business metrics (qualified leads, close rate, revenue). If view-through is rising but business outcomes aren’t, that can be a sign you’re buying cheap visibility that doesn’t change behavior. If view-through is rising and your branded demand, lead quality, or sales trend improves, it’s often a sign your upper funnel is doing its job.

Know what bidding will (and won’t) optimize toward

In most cases, automated bidding optimizes using what’s in your primary “Conversions” column, which typically excludes view-through conversions. That’s by design: it keeps bidding grounded in more direct, interaction-based outcomes.

There are exceptions and special reporting views in certain campaign types that incorporate view-through concepts differently (for example, “platform comparable” style reporting in some demand-generation formats, and impression-attributed conversion reporting in some app-focused optimizations). The key takeaway is that you should always confirm which column a campaign type uses for optimization versus which column is purely informational, so you don’t assume the algorithm is “seeing” the same totals you are.

The fastest troubleshooting checklist when view-through conversions look wrong

• You’re looking at “Conversions” instead of “View-through conv.” or “All conv.” View-through is often not in the primary conversions column.
• Your account setting isn’t allowing VTCs into “All conv.” If you expect them in “All conv.”, verify the view-through inclusion setting in conversion settings.
• Your view-through window is too short (or unrealistically long). Short windows can make VTCs look like zero; long windows can inflate credit and muddy decision-making.
• You’re expecting video impressions to behave like video views. Impression-based credit and view-based credit are different; make sure you’re comparing the right metrics.
• Privacy/browser limitations are preventing reporting. Some environments won’t allow view-through measurement to be observed and reported consistently.
• You’re double-counting in your own interpretation. View-through reporting typically excludes users who later interacted with an ad, so reconcile totals using the intended columns instead of manually adding numbers together in a spreadsheet.

When you measure view-through conversions with the right windows, the right columns, and a clear understanding of what’s used for optimization versus what’s for insight, they become one of the best “truth-telling” metrics for upper-funnel work—especially in accounts where clicks are not the primary behavior you’re buying.

If you’re working on view-through conversions, it helps to have a workflow that consistently checks the right Google Ads columns (like “View-through conv.” and “All conv.”), validates your conversion actions, and reviews view-through windows so the numbers don’t get misread or accidentally inflated; Blobr is built for that kind of ongoing hygiene by connecting to your Google Ads account and running specialized AI agents that surface practical, account-specific recommendations—so you can keep VTCs in the right place (as an assist signal) while staying focused on the primary conversions that actually drive bidding and business outcomes.