How accurate is Bing Ads in tracking view-through conversions?

The accuracy of Bing Ads (now Microsoft Advertising) in tracking view-through conversions can be influenced by several factors, including technological limitations, privacy regulations, and user behavior. Below are key aspects that impact the accuracy of view-through conversion tracking:

1. Cookie-Based Tracking:
Accuracy Dependence: View-through conversion tracking relies heavily on cookies or other anonymous identifiers to track user activity after an ad impression. If a user blocks cookies or uses privacy tools (such as ad blockers), the tracking may be less accurate or not possible.

Impact of Browser Privacy Features: Modern browsers (e.g., Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention or Firefox's Enhanced Tracking Protection) and privacy-focused tools limit cross-site tracking, which can result in lower accuracy for tracking view-through conversions.

2. Cross-Device Tracking:
Multi-Device Attribution: Microsoft Ads tracks users across devices, but this isn't always flawless. If a user views an ad on one device (e.g., a mobile phone) and later converts on another (e.g., a laptop), tracking this behavior accurately depends on whether the platform can connect those sessions to the same individual. Cross-device tracking may not always be perfect, especially if users switch between devices with different logins or profiles.

User Identification Limitations: Without sufficient identifiers (like logged-in accounts), it's more challenging to tie the user's ad view to their conversion on a different device.

3. Attribution Window:
Timeframe Accuracy: The attribution window (e.g., 7, 14, or 30 days) plays a significant role in determining whether a view-through conversion is counted. If a user takes too long to convert after viewing an ad, the conversion might not be attributed accurately to the ad impression.

Customization of the Attribution Window: While advertisers can adjust the attribution window, a longer window could increase the likelihood of attributing conversions correctly, but it might also introduce some uncertainty as users may be influenced by other ads or marketing efforts during this period.

4. Ad Exposure Frequency:
Overexposure: If a user is repeatedly exposed to the same ad across multiple sessions or websites, it could lead to over-attribution of conversions. This can cause inflated view-through conversion rates if frequency capping is not properly managed.

Effective Frequency Management: Frequency capping can reduce the risk of overexposure and help ensure that view-through conversions are attributed more accurately. However, without effective capping, a user might see multiple ads, and only the last one could be counted, skewing results.

5. Attribution Models:
Impact of Different Attribution Models: Microsoft Ads offers different attribution models (e.g., last-click, first-click, linear, etc.). The attribution model you select affects how view-through conversions are tracked. For example, if you're using last-click attribution, the conversion will be attributed to the final interaction (e.g., a click), not necessarily the view that happened before the click. Therefore, attribution model selection directly influences the accuracy of view-through conversions.

Last Interaction Attribution: For campaigns using last-click attribution, only the final action (click or view) counts, while other touchpoints might not be credited. If an ad exposure is the last interaction before a conversion, it's more likely to be attributed accurately.

6. Impression Data Accuracy:
Ad Visibility: Not all impressions are fully viewed by users. Some ads may be shown in places where users don't spend much time (e.g., below the fold or in the margins), making it less likely that the view truly influenced the user's decision-making. Accurately tracking whether an ad impression had a meaningful impact requires insights into ad placement, ad visibility, and how much time users actually spend engaging with the ad.

7. Privacy Regulations:
GDPR, CCPA, and Other Privacy Laws: Compliance with privacy regulations is a major factor in tracking accuracy. In regions governed by laws like the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), users must consent to being tracked via cookies, and Microsoft Ads needs to respect user privacy preferences. Non-consented data leads to the exclusion of users from view-through conversion tracking, which can reduce accuracy.

Data Retention and User Consent: As user privacy and consent become stricter, Microsoft Ads may limit the tracking of view-through conversions for users who decline to share their data, leading to less accurate attribution.

8. External Factors:
Influence of Other Marketing Channels: A user may view an ad but take action after being exposed to other marketing efforts (e.g., email campaigns, organic search results, or social media ads). View-through conversions, by nature, have difficulty isolating the exact influence of a single ad impression in a multi-channel marketing environment.

Multi-Touch Attribution: To improve accuracy, advertisers may need to consider a multi-touch attribution model, which gives credit to multiple touchpoints along the conversion path, not just the last interaction.

9. Data Collection Limitations:
Tracking for Certain Ad Types: View-through conversion tracking works best with display ads and video ads because they have more opportunities for exposure. However, text search ads might not be as effective for view-through conversions since users are more likely to interact with them right away.

Third-Party Ad Networks: For campaigns that include impressions across third-party ad networks, the tracking and attribution of view-through conversions might be less accurate due to cross-platform complexities.

Conclusion:
While Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) provides robust tracking capabilities for view-through conversions, the accuracy of this data can be impacted by several factors:

User behavior (cookie blocking, ad blockers, privacy tools)

Cross-device and multi-session tracking limitations

The attribution window chosen by the advertiser

The type of attribution model applied

Ad visibility and frequency capping management

Privacy regulations affecting data consent

In general, Bing Ads is accurate in tracking view-through conversions, but its precision is influenced by these factors. Advertisers should continually optimize their campaigns by adjusting the attribution window, attribution models, and frequency capping to get a clearer picture of how ad views contribute to conversions.