For those of you who use the Google AdWords conversion data to make decisions on your AdWords campaigns, well - there are important changes happening mid-October.
Google announced it on Google+ saying "starting mid-October 2015, you'll be able to use the “Optimization” setting for each of your conversion actions to determine whether their data should be included in "Conversions.”"
That means you may see less conversions reported once this flip happens. But Google says it is important because it will allow you to "prioritize the conversion actions that are most meaningful for your business."
Here is a bit more detail on what is changing:
As part of these improvements, the “Conv. (opt.)” column will be removed since its data will now appear in the updated “Conversions” column. These changes create the foundation for advertisers to bid to new conversion types and attribution models, two of our priority areas based on customer insights and feedback.And finally, we are introducing an “All conversions” column. Here, you'll see all your conversions that were previously part of “Estimated total conversions,” including “Cross-device conversions,” store visits and any conversion actions you’ve created, regardless of their Optimization setting. Learn more [https://goo.gl/gA3bei]
As before, you can select whether to count only one conversion or every conversion after an ad click for each conversion action. The columns will continue to support segmentation by conversion action and category, as well as the creation of your own custom columns. These controls and new conversion types are not offered for the “Converted clicks” column. If you use “Converted clicks” for bidding or reporting, we recommend you use “Conversions” instead. Learn more [https://goo.gl/LPoN0K].
There is a detailed help document you should read if you use conversions. Also, Greg Finn has a great article on it at Search Engine Land.
Forum discussion at Google+.
