Give Google more to work with

At World Telemedia Marbella in October we’re doing a session together with Google.¹ Different topic than our Amsterdam panel, same root: data.

Google’s bidding automation is good.² It finds more of whatever you teach it to recognize. And that’s the catch, because most subscription advertisers teach it almost nothing.

The typical setup sends Google one signal, the conversion ping. Every convert counts the same: the user who churns in week 1 and the user who renews for a year. Ask the algorithm for more like these and it delivers exactly that. More of everything.

01What more data means in practice

Google can only weight what you report. So report what matters.

Real values on conversions. When a converted user’s reported value reflects billing success and expected retention, bidding shifts toward users who behave like your good ones.

Backend events, not only the click-side convert. Renewals, billing confirmations, cancellations, imported back into the account.³ They turn the algorithm’s picture of a good user from a guess into a record.

Exclusions from the ugly data. Churn cohorts and complaint clusters tell Google who to stop finding. That signal is worth as much as the positive one, and few advertisers send it.

02The new bidding modes

Google keeps moving bidding toward value, and the newest modes push further in that direction.⁴ Fed honest value data, they work in your favor. Fed a bare conversion ping, they chase volume, because volume is all they can see.

What changed, and how we set the new modes up for subscription acquisition, is exactly what the session covers.

03Marbella

4 to 6 October, at the fair. If you want to talk through your own setup before or after the session, book a slot (opens in a new tab).