Dive Brief:

• Google is now measuring cross-device conversion on the ads it serves to sites outside its advertising network and on mobile. 
• Cross-device conversion measurement uses aggregated, anonymized data to extrapolate overall rates of purchase and download.
• The search giant is also making it easier for brands to automate buys of custom ads by uploading templates of their native ad formats for use in creating native ads. 

Dive Insight:

Google is stepping up advertising measurement across platforms in an effort to keep pace with rivals such as Facebook. The company can now measure cross-device conversion outside its own ad network, aggregating data to extrapolate overall conversion based on results from users signed into Google.

With the new tool, marketers will be able to better track which ad placements on the desktop and mobile web led to purchase, even if the customer’s journey began on one device and ended on another.

Google has also introduced options that will help advertisers produce and buy “native” ads almost automatically by breaking down ad components and fitting them to other sites’ preloaded templates. The move will help advertisers guarantee access to thousands of sites simultaneously via programmatic buying.