This is a reminder that the CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD placeholder is sunsetting starting on April 28th, 2014.

Starting on the sunset date, AdWords accounts will be migrated to use the new CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder for a four-week time period. During this period, some AdWords accounts that you access via the AdWords API may be migrated, and some may not. Read on to find out how to determine if a feed has been migrated or not. Migration of all AdWords accounts is scheduled to complete by end of May, 2014.

How will an existing conversion duration threshold be migrated?

If you used CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD in a Feed Mapping prior to the sunset date, then we will automatically migrate those values after the sunset date - and they will be accessible via the AdWords API v201402 as follows:
  • New AdCallMetricsConversion will be automatically created for you with the existing conversion duration threshold.

    Note: If you have 3 feed items with call duration threshold, where two of them are set to 120 seconds, and one of them are set to 30 seconds, then only two AdCallMetricsConversion will be created - one with AdCallMetricsConversion.phoneCallDuration set to 120 seconds, and another one set to 30 seconds.

  • Feed attributes using CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD will remain, setting and reading those values will not produce errors. However, any associated feed attribute values will not be honored.

  • A new feed attribute will be automatically created in your existing feed, and it will be automatically be mapped to the new CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder type.

  • The new conversion type ID feed attribute will be associated to the newly created AdCallMetricsConversion.

Note that in order to get the name and field attribute ID of the newly created conversion type ID field attribute, you should use the FeedMappingService to determine the feed attribute ID that is associated with the CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder type.

How do I know if a Feed has been migrated?

If a feed has been migrated, you will be able to see that the Feed has an attribute associated to the CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder type. You can use the FeedMappingService to determine this.

How do I set conversion duration threshold on a migrated Feed?

If you’d like to continue using conversion duration threshold, then you must upgrade to the AdWords API v201402.

In a migrated feed, the CONVERSION TYPE ID feed item attribute value refers to an AdCallMetricsConversion object by ID. To set the conversion duration threshold, you must update the associated AdCallMetricsConversion object’s phoneCallDuration field. Please note that doing this will impact other feed items that are associated to the same AdCallMetricsConversion object.

Alternatively, you can also associate the CONVERSION TYPE ID feed item attribute value to a different AdCallMetricsConversion:
  • Re-use an existing AdCallMetricsConversion that has the right phone call duration
  • Use the ConversionTrackerService to create new AdCallMetricsConversion with the phoneCallDuration field set
In a migrated feed, if you continue to set the attribute value associated with the CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD placeholder, then those values will be ignored.

Can I start using the new placeholder before the Feed gets migrated?

Yes. Starting from the sunset date, you will be able to use the new CONVERSION TYPE ID placeholder in your feed. If you are using the placeholder in your feed and set the attribute value to a valid AdCallMetricsConversion ID, then the CONVERSION TYPE ID value will be used, and the CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD value will be ignored.

If you choose to do this prior to the automatic migration - don’t worry. The automatic migration process will not overwrite your existing CONVERSION TYPE ID values with CONVERSION DURATION THRESHOLD values.

We are here to help

If you have any questions about this upcoming change or anything else related to the AdWords API, please contact us on the AdWords API forum or via the Google Ads Developers Google+ page.

- Ray Tsang, AdWords API Team