Are there any prerequisites for tracking view-through conversions on Bing Ads?

Yes, there are several prerequisites for tracking view-through conversions in Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads). To successfully track these conversions, you need to ensure that your account is set up properly and that certain settings are enabled. Here's a list of the key prerequisites:

1. Conversion Tracking Setup:
Conversion Tracking Must Be Enabled: To track view-through conversions, you first need to have conversion tracking set up in your Microsoft Advertising account. This requires installing the Microsoft Advertising UET (Universal Event Tracking) tag on your website.

UET Tag: This tag is used to track user actions (such as conversions) on your website after they interact with your ads. It tracks both click-through conversions (when users click on your ads) and view-through conversions (when users see an ad but don't click on it, yet later convert).

The tag must be added to all pages you want to track conversions on (typically, the confirmation or "thank you" page after a purchase or signup).

2. Ensure the UET Tag Is Properly Installed:
After creating the UET tag in your Microsoft Advertising account, you need to ensure that it's properly installed on your website. This involves adding the UET code to every page on your site, or using a tag manager (like Google Tag Manager) to deploy it.

Test the UET Tag: Verify that the tag is firing correctly using the UET Tag Helper tool, which can help confirm that your tag is installed and working correctly.

3. Attribution Window Configuration:
The attribution window is the timeframe in which conversions can be attributed to ad views. For view-through conversions, Microsoft Ads uses a 14-day default attribution window, meaning that if a user views your ad and later converts within 14 days (without clicking the ad), it will count as a view-through conversion.

You can adjust the attribution window based on your campaign's goals, but this is typically set up when you configure your conversion action in the Conversion Tracking section.

4. Campaign Type and Ad Format:
Ad Format: View-through conversions are generally tracked for display ads, video ads, and shopping ads. Text ads that appear on search results pages may not contribute to view-through conversions in the same way, but they still track click-through conversions.

Display Network Ads: For campaigns utilizing display network ads, users can view an ad and then later convert (without clicking), which triggers view-through conversions.

5. Sufficient Impressions:
To track view-through conversions, you must have sufficient ad impressions. View-through conversions are recorded when a user is exposed to an ad, but does not click on it and later takes an action (e.g., makes a purchase).

If your ads aren't getting enough impressions or aren't shown in high-visibility placements, you may not generate many view-through conversions.

6. Frequency Capping:
It's recommended to have frequency capping enabled to control how many times a user sees your ads within a specified time period. This helps prevent excessive exposure, which could result in ad fatigue or ineffective use of view-through conversion data.

Frequency capping ensures that the view-through conversion data is valid and not skewed by too many exposures to the same user.

7. Tracking Settings and Privacy Compliance:
GDPR and Privacy Compliance: Microsoft Advertising has to comply with privacy regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, etc. Ensure that you have the appropriate consent management process in place (such as cookie banners) to track user data via the UET tag. Without proper consent, tracking may not be allowed, or users' conversions may not be recorded.

8. Enable View-Through Conversions in Microsoft Ads:
In the Conversion Tracking settings, ensure that view-through conversion tracking is enabled for your account. You can find this option when setting up your conversion actions or when editing them.

View-through conversions are typically set by default, but they may need to be manually adjusted based on your specific campaign settings.

9. Campaign Settings:
Tracking Settings: Ensure that your campaign settings allow for proper tracking of view-through conversions. This means checking your bidding strategy, tracking templates, and URL parameters.

Targeting Settings: If you're using specific targeting options like remarketing or audiences, make sure that these settings are also set up correctly to track interactions with users who may later convert.

Summary of Prerequisites for View-Through Conversion Tracking:
Set up conversion tracking using the UET tag on your website.

Configure the attribution window for view-through conversions.

Use compatible ad formats (display ads, video ads, etc.).

Ensure sufficient ad impressions for effective view-through tracking.

Enable frequency capping to control ad exposure.

Comply with privacy regulations and obtain necessary user consent.

Confirm that view-through conversions are enabled in the Conversion Tracking settings.

Ensure that campaign settings and tracking templates are correctly configured.

Once these prerequisites are in place, you will be able to track and analyze view-through conversions within your Microsoft Advertising account, providing valuable insights into how indirect ad impressions contribute to conversions.