Question: Eric recently set up a Google Display Ad campaign. Although, by default, he sees a CPA of $20 in the account, the actual CPA he's using to measure success is $15. What's contributing to the $5 difference?
- He doesn't have conversion tracking set up.
- He's including view-through conversions.
- He isn't including Gmail and YouTube users.
- He isn't including conversions from current customers.
Explanation
The lower success metric is caused by view-through conversions, which count people who saw the ad, did not interact with it, and later converted. In Google Ads, these conversions are not included in the main Conversions column for most campaigns, but they do appear in View-through conversions and All conversions. When those additional conversions are included in the calculation, the total number of conversions rises while spend stays the same, so CPA becomes lower. That reporting difference explains why the account can show $20 by default while the success metric shows $15. Google Help+1
Why the other options are incorrect
A) Without conversion tracking, Google Ads would not produce a reliable CPA measurement in the first place. Google Help+1
C) Gmail and YouTube users are not the source of this reporting gap, because the difference comes from how conversions are counted in reporting columns. Google Help+1
D) Excluding current customers changes audience scope, but it does not explain a lower CPA caused by extra counted conversions. Google Help+1
Source for verification
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16542520
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/3419678
The answer(s) to the question is highlighted in the BOLD text above. You can also find more questions and answers related to the exams on the "Google Ads Display Professional Certification" page.