Google Ads reports two types of conversions: click-through conversions and view-through conversions. Understanding the difference between them — and how Google Ads counts each — is important for interpreting your campaign ROAS accurately and making informed decisions about budget allocation across campaign types.
Click-Through Conversions
A click-through conversion occurs when a user clicks your Google Ad and then completes a conversion (purchase, form submission, phone call) within the click-through attribution window. This is the standard conversion type used in most Google Ads reporting.
Default click-through window: 30 days (adjustable per conversion action from 1 to 90 days).
Click-through conversions are the most reliable signal because they require an explicit action (clicking the ad). The user intentionally engaged with your ad before converting.
View-Through Conversions
A view-through conversion occurs when a user sees (but does not click) your Google Display or Video ad, and then converts through a different channel within the view-through window. The user must have seen the ad impression without clicking it, and then converted later via a different path (direct, organic search, etc.).
Default view-through window: 1 day (adjustable from 1 to 30 days).
View-through conversions are only available for Display, Video (YouTube), and Discovery campaigns — not for Search campaigns. Search campaigns require a click (there is no such thing as viewing a text search ad without clicking).
How Google Reports Click-Through vs View-Through Conversions
In Google Ads, the standard “Conversions” column shows click-through conversions only. View-through conversions appear in the separate “View-through conv.” column. When you see the main ROAS figure, it is based on click-through conversions unless you have configured otherwise.
To see both in the same report: add the View-through conv. column in Campaigns or Ads view by clicking the columns selector and adding it from the Conversions section.
Why View-Through Conversions Are Often Misleading
View-through conversions have a significant attribution bias. When a user sees a Display or YouTube ad and later converts through a different channel, the conversion may have had nothing to do with the ad. The user might have been planning to buy regardless of the impression.
Scenarios where view-through conversions overstate impact:
- Remarketing audiences: showing ads to past website visitors who were already likely to return and convert
- 1-day window: if a user sees your ad on Monday morning and buys Monday evening, was it the ad or their original intent?
- Broad targeting: if you show display ads to a large audience, statistical chance ensures many conversions happen among people who saw an impression
How to Configure View-Through Conversion Settings
Go to Tools → Conversions. Select your conversion action. Scroll to Attribution. You can adjust the view-through conversion window (1–30 days).
You can also configure whether view-through conversions are included in the “Include in Conversions” setting. If set to “Yes,” view-through conversions count in your main Conversions column and affect Smart Bidding calculations. If set to “No,” they appear only in the View-through conv. column and do not affect bidding.
Recommendation: for most ecommerce campaigns, set view-through conversions to “Not included in conversions” for your purchase conversion action. This ensures Smart Bidding optimises based on actual click-through purchases rather than including view-through noise in the signal.
Click-Through vs View-Through in Practice
For Search campaigns: only click-through conversions exist. Total Conversions = click-through conversions. No view-through component.
For Display/YouTube campaigns: both types exist. A campaign report showing 50 conversions with 200 view-through conversions has 250 total “conversions” but only 50 required a click. The ROAS on click-throughs alone is much lower than the combined ROAS. Evaluate Display/YouTube campaigns on click-through performance primarily.
Book your free Shopify tracking audit here and we will review your Google Ads conversion configuration to ensure click-through and view-through conversions are set up for accurate performance measurement.