How to import conversions to Outbrain

What are Imported Conversions?

Imported Conversions (also referred to as Offline conversions) enable you to import Outbrain conversion data to the Amplify dashboard from any analytics platform you are using to register conversions.

Imported conversions serve two main purposes:

• Optimization: If you’re not able to implement the Outbrain pixel to your page, you can use imported conversions to report conversion data from your analytics platform to our system and use it to power our Conversion Bid Strategy. Keep in mind only conversions that happened within a 72h window after the click occurred, will be taken into account for optimization purposes.
• Tracking: Use Imported conversions to report on any conversion data that you store in your analytics platform to have a better overall understanding of how your Outbrain campaigns are performing.

Consider using Imported Conversions tracking when you:

• aren’t able to implement the Outbrain pixel or track conversions through a server-to-server integration
• track or report conversions offline (such as in-store sales or calls)
• are seeing conversion reporting discrepancies between Outbrain and your analytics platform

How to set up Imported Conversion tracking 

There are 2 parts to setting up Imported conversions tracking in the Amplify dashboard:

1. Creating one or more event-based conversions in your Amplify account
2. Scheduling or sending a report including conversion data generated in your tracking platform

Please note: In case you’ve already set up conversion reporting as instructed below and are seeing issues with the implementation, please navigate to the last section of this article.

Step 1: Create one or more conversions on your Amplify account

To ensure our system can match conversions from your reporting with your Amplify campaign, you will need to create one or more conversions in the Amplify dashboard. If you’re looking to import multiple conversion events, make sure to create separate conversions for each of them.

Please note: The name of the conversion in Amplify should match the name of the conversion in your reporting system. For information on how to set up conversions, click here.

Step 2: Schedule or send a CSV report generated from your tracking platform

To import your conversion data into the Amplify dashboard, you will need to generate a CSV file and send it to the following email address: offline_conversions@outbrain.com.

If you’re looking to import conversions from Google Analytics, please refer to this article. If you’re using Adobe Analytics, click here for instructions.

Important: Make sure the subject of the email is your marketer ID. Marketer ID appears as an alphanumeric chain in the URL when you are viewing the Amplify dashboard.

Example URL: https://my.outbrain.com/amplify/site/marketers/00347edsd71c7be8e9da522a7f9bb52b02b0/reports/campaigns

Marketer ID for the example above is: 00347edsd71c7be8e9da522a7f9bb52b02b0

The file should include the following fields:

• Outbrain Click ID (required)
• Conversion Name (required)
• Conversion Time (required)
• Conversion Value (optional)
• Conversion Currency (optional)
• Order ID (optional)

And should be formatted as a CSV file in the following template (please make sure to use this exact format and do not alter any of the column names):

Required fields:

• Outbrain Click ID – This field is added to the landing page URL that you set up when you add content on Amplify. It is represented in the URL as the value of the following query string parameter: dicbo. In case you’re not able to pull the dicbo parameter from your landing page URL, you can send it as a UTM parameter.

• Conversion Name – Conversion name as defined in Amplify (make sure the name of the conversion exactly matches the name of the conversion set up on your Amplify account)

• Conversion Time – Time of the conversion event, in one of the supported time formats:

Optional fields:

• Conversion Value – the value of the conversion – for example a purchase that is worth 35 USD.
• Conversion Currency – the currency of the Conversion value.
• Order ID – the order for which the conversion is reported

Learn more about conversion value and supported currencies here.

Frequently asked questions  

Q: Should I use Imported Conversions besides the standard conversion reporting method?
A:  You are able to import conversions in addition to your standard tracking method (either through the conversion pixel or server-to-server). Our system will show conversions coming from both methods and will use them to optimize your campaigns.
In case there is a duplication of conversions, the system will deduplicate them.

Q: Should I send Imported Conversions data for the whole account or should we limit it to a particular campaign?
A: Whichever option you prefer. Conversion data will be digested per account.

Q: How long after sending the file can I expect to see the conversions reported in the Amplify dashboard?
A: Conversions should appear in the dashboard within 1-2 hours delay.

Q: What kind of conversions can I report on using the Imported Conversions method?
A: You can use imported conversions to report for any desired conversion.

Q: Should I send conversion data incrementally or always for a particular date-range?
A: We recommend sending it each day, including data for the past 24 hours. Sending the file daily will ensure our Conversion Bid Strategy optimization is much more accurate. If you are using this feature for reporting purposes, you can send the file in any desired frequency.

Q: Is it required to send the conversion report at a set time in the day, or can the timing of the report vary?
A: The timing can vary.

Common errors with Imported Conversions reporting and how to solve them:

In case you’ve set up Imported conversions reporting and you’re not seeing the data reflected in the dashboard, make sure to double-check the following:

• Subject of the email should be your Amplify Marketer ID

If you are adding any other information to the subject, make sure the Marketer ID is a standalone word and added as the last part of the subject name.

• Make sure “dicbo” parameter is reported as the full value

Outbrain click ID parameter (dicbo) needs to appear as a full value in your report.
Example of a fully reported dicbo value: dicbo=v4-kvdfrbn-1131211135

In case the dicbo value appears as a shorter version than the one above, please reach out for assistance.

• The column names should be exactly the same as in the example file

The name of the columns should exactly match the names of the columns of the example file linked above. Double-check the example file to ensure the none of the column names have been changed.

• Make sure the conversion date format is correctly reported

The timestamp of each reported conversion event should match one of the supported date formats listed above. If you are using a date format that do not include AM/PM indication, make sure to add a 0 in front of the time value (e.g. 09:00, as opposed to 9:00).

• Conversion names in the report should exactly match the name of the conversions set up in the Amplify dashboard

Double-check the name of the conversions in your report exactly match the names of the conversions as defined in the Amplify dashboard.

In case you’ve checked all of the above and you’re still seeing issues with your imported conversion reporting, please reach out to our team for assistance.