GA4 strengthens campaign measurement with Floodlight Linking

Google this week announced an update to Floodlight linking within Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This update expands linking capabilities to include subproperties and roll-up properties, offering greater flexibility for campaign measurement across complex business structures.

Floodlight linking connects GA4 properties with Campaign Manager 360 (CM360) Floodlight configurations. This integration enables:

Conversion Sharing: GA4 conversion data gets exported to linked CM360 Floodlight configurations. This data becomes accessible to Display & Video 360 (DV360) and Search Ads 360 (SA360) advertisers associated with the Floodlight configuration for campaign bidding and reporting purposes.

Campaign Insights: CM360 campaign and cost data gets imported into GA4. This allows users to analyze campaign performance within GA4 reports, including cost data and user behavior details for visitors acquired through campaigns.

Benefits of enhanced Floodlight Linking

Subproperty and Roll-up Property Support: Organizations with complex business structures can now leverage Floodlight linking for subproperties and roll-up properties. This allows for more granular campaign measurement at the sub-organizational level.

Cross-Brand Linking: Roll-up properties enable Floodlight linking for campaigns spanning multiple brands within an organization. This facilitates a more holistic view of campaign performance across different brand entities.

Improved Attribution: Floodlight linking allows users to apply various attribution models (e.g., GA4's last-click model or Floodlight models) to exported conversions, enabling more informed campaign optimization and reporting decisions.

Understanding Attribution Models

Attribution models determine how credit for conversions is assigned to different touchpoints within a user journey. Common models include:

• Last Click: Credits the last ad interaction a user had before a conversion.
• First Click: Credits the first ad interaction a user had.
• Data-Driven: Uses machine learning to distribute conversion credit across all touchpoints based on their estimated influence.

The expansion of Floodlight linking in GA4 empowers businesses to gain deeper insights into campaign performance. By leveraging subproperty and roll-up property support, organizations can now measure campaign effectiveness at a more granular level and optimize strategies for better results. This update reinforces GA4's position as a powerful tool for data-driven marketing decisions.