View-Through Conversions Are Real, But Inflated
Display and video ads do influence buyers — even without clicks. A B2B buyer who sees your brand in their LinkedIn feed five times is more likely to search for you later. View-through conversions attempt to capture this influence. The problem is that the default attribution windows are too generous, counting conversions that would have happened anyway.
How to Use View-Through Data
Do not add view-through conversions to click-through conversions and call it total performance. That double-counts. Instead, use view-through conversions as a separate metric that shows the awareness contribution of display channels. Report them alongside — not combined with — direct-response metrics.
Practical Approach
Set conservative windows (1-7 days). Discount view-through conversions by 50-70% in your reporting. Use them to justify brand awareness spend, not to prove direct ROI. If removing all display spend causes a noticeable drop in organic and direct conversions, the view-through influence was real.
Common questions about View-Through Conversion
Are view-through conversions legitimate?
Partially. They capture real influence from display and video ads. But they also overcount — someone who would have converted anyway saw your ad by coincidence. Use a conservative attribution window (1-7 days, not 30) and discount view-through conversions by 50-70% for a more honest picture.
What is a good view-through conversion window?
1-7 days for display and social ads. 1-3 days is most conservative and credible. LinkedIn defaults to 30 days, which inflates numbers. Shorten the window to reduce false attribution. The shorter the window, the more likely the ad actually influenced the conversion.