Google is tightening the viewability requirements for Demand Gen display ads, changing how view-through conversions are attributed. A view-through conversion occurs when a user sees a creative without clicking, then converts later. The old system credited impressions that met certain viewability thresholds; the new rules raise that bar.
For media buyers, this means conversions previously attributed to your creatives will now fall outside reporting. ROAS may drop on paper even if actual performance stays flat. Conversions that once tied to impressions may shift to other channels or direct traffic.
Impact on arbitrage verticals
Nutra and finance offers with long decision cycles are particularly exposed. A user sees the offer, returns via search or direct entry, and the conversion no longer credits Demand Gen. If you optimise campaigns around view-through attribution, expect strategy adjustments.
Shorten your attribution windows. If you ran seven-day view-through windows, test three or four days and compare results before and after the change. Rely on server-to-server postbacks or affiliate-side tracking rather than Google Ads data alone.
Display only
The change applies to Display placements within Demand Gen. Video and other formats remain unaffected for now, but the precedent is set. YouTube and Discovery traffic inside Demand Gen still follows the old counting rules.
Expect turbulence in the first weeks. Algorithms retrain, stats recalculate. Lock in current benchmarks and compare month-over-month, not day-to-day. If ROAS stabilises after a month, that is your new baseline.
