What first-party data onboarding does for your search performance
1. See your audience more clearly
One of the key benefits of first-party data onboarding is the ability to better understand your audience. By uploading your own data, you can gain insight into your customers' behaviors, interests and demographics. This information can then be used to target your advertising to the right people at the right time, improving the chances of success. For example, you may discover that your customers are more likely to convert when they are shown ads related to their specific interests or when they are targeted based on their purchase history.
2. Connect offline outcomes to search performance
Another benefit of first-party data onboarding is the ability to improve your measurement and reporting. Floodlight still handles on-site conversion measurement, but the offline half now comes through Data Manager, which connects Search Ads 360 directly to sources like Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Cloud Storage, or a plain SFTP drop.
One thing to keep in mind: your sub-manager account has to be linked directly to the Campaign Manager 360 advertiser that owns the Floodlight configuration, and whoever builds the connection needs "Insert offline conversions" permission in the parent account. This can help you identify which campaigns are performing well, which ones need improvement, and which ones should be stopped. For example, you may discover that a particular advertising campaign is driving more conversions at a lower cost than expected, allowing you to adjust your bids accordingly to maximize your return on investment.
3. Automate bidding on real outcomes
One of the most significant benefits of first-party data onboarding is the ability to automate your bidding process. Search Ads 360 provides bid automation capabilities actioned via the Floodlight tag, which can be enhanced by incorporating your own data. Search Ads 360 now runs on Google Ads Smart Bidding, with portfolio strategies layered on top, such as Target CPA, Target ROAS, and the multiple-target versions that let you set different goals for individual campaigns inside one portfolio. Onboarded first-party data feeds those strategies directly, so instead of optimizing toward a lead form, you're optimizing toward the leads that actually closed.
4. Bid more accurately on your best segments
Moreover, by using first-party data to inform your bid automation, you can improve the relevance and accuracy of your bids. You may choose to increase your bids for audiences with a higher likelihood of converting or decrease your bids for audiences that are less likely to convert. This allows you to focus your advertising efforts on the most valuable segments of your audience and maximize your return on investment.
5. Control what you spend on lower-value segments
First-party data onboarding also helps you better control and manage your advertising costs. By using your own data to inform your bid automation, you can ensure that your bids align with your business goals and budget. You might cap your bids for certain segments of your audience to avoid overspending or set a minimum bid to ensure that your ads are competitively priced.
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Getting first-party data into Search Ads 360
First-party data onboarding is a valuable tool for companies looking to enhance their advertising efforts and get the most out of their bid automation. By incorporating your own data into Search Ads 360, you can:
- Gain a deeper understanding of your audience
- Improve your measurement and reporting
- Automate your bidding process
- Increase the relevance and accuracy of your bids
- Get better control and manage your advertising costs
Search Ads 360 is an enterprise platform, and the onboarding work pays off in proportion to the volume and complexity you're managing. If you're running search across multiple engines with meaningful offline conversion volume, this is one of the highest-return projects available to you.
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