Report on Custom Floodlight Variables

The new Search Ads 360 Reporting API is now available. The new API provides enhanced flexibility to build custom reports and integrate the data into your reporting applications and processes. Learn more about migrating to and using the new Search Ads 360 Reporting API.

Advertisers use custom Floodlight variables to report conversion data that is unique to their business needs, such as the genre of a movie that a user purchases, the name of the store from which an item is purchased, shipping costs, and so on. The data can be uploaded by a Floodlight tag on the advertiser's site or by the Search Ads 360 API, and you can use the API to download reports that contain the data.

Learn more about custom Floodlight variables in Search Ads 360.

Metric or dimension

As part of setting up custom Floodlight variables, an advertiser uses the Search Ads 360 UI to indicate how each variable can be used in reports:

  • Metric: In most reports, Search Ads 360 aggregates the values of variables that are defined as metrics.
    For example, an advertiser uses a custom Floodlight variable to track shipping costs. If a Search Ads 360 user defines this variable as a metric and you include the variable in an adGroup report, you'll see the total shipping costs associated with each ad group in the report's scope.

    In the conversion report, Search Ads 360 provides raw data about individual conversions instead of aggregated data.

    Note: Custom metrics can also appear in Floodlight reporting columns. In the Search Ads 360 UI, users add custom metrics to Floodlight reporting columns and then include the Floodlight reporting columns in reports. You can also include these Floodlight columns in a report request, just as you can include any other type of saved column.

  • Dimension: Variables that are defined as dimensions can be used to segment most reports.
    For example, an advertiser uses a custom Floodlight variable to track store names. After a Search Ads 360 user defines this variable as a dimension, you can use it to segment an adGroup report and see the number of purchases from each store that are attributed to ads in the ad group.

    In the conversion report, Search Ads 360 provides raw data about individual conversions instead of aggregated data. So when you add a custom dimension to the conversion report, you'll see the dimension value. Continuing the example from the previous paragraph, if you segment a conversion report by the storeName custom dimension, you'll see the name of the store in which each specific purchase occurred.

    Note: When Search Ads 360 users define a Floodlight reporting column, they can use custom dimensions as a filter so the column reports only the conversions that recorded a specific dimension value.

Include custom metrics in a report request

To include custom metrics in a report request:

Then in a report request, include:

For example if an advertiser created a custom metric named shippingCost, include the shippingCost customMetricName in a report: 

{
   "reportScope": {
     "agencyId": "12300000000000456", // Replace with your ID
     "advertiserId": "21700000000011523", // Replace with your ID
   },
   ...
   "columns": [
     {
        "customMetricName": "shippingCost",
        "platformSource": "floodlight"
     }
   ],
   ...
}

Segment a report by a custom dimension

To segment a report by a custom dimension:

  • You'll need to know the friendly name that was specified when the custom Floodlight variable was created in Campaign Manager. The friendly name also appears in the Search Ads 360 UI when setting up custom dimensions and metrics.

  • The scope of the report needs to be a specific advertiser or lower.

  • Each report request can only specify one custom dimension. But the request can include additional non-custom segments.
    For example, you can segment a report by the storeName custom dimension and by the quarter and device non-custom segments. Just be aware that the number of rows could increase exponentially with each additional segment.

Then in a report request, include:

For example if an advertiser created a custom dimension named storeName, include the storeName customDimensionName in a report to segment metrics by store name: 

{
   "reportScope": {
     "agencyId": "20700000000000123", // Replace with your IDs
     "advertiserId": "2170000012345" // Replace with your IDs
   },
   "reportType": "campaign",

   "columns": [
     { "columnName": "campaignId" },
     { "columnName": "clicks" },
     { "columnName": "cost" },
     { "columnName": "dfaRevenue"},

     {
        "customDimensionName": "storeName",
        "platformSource": "floodlight"
     }
   ],
   ...
}