YT exclusive: Platform-comparable conversions and video-played-to metrics (November 2025 overview)📊

A user might watch a compelling ad on YouTube, leave, perform a brand search hours later, and finally convert through a Search or PMax ad.

Two metrics built for a world where clicks don’t tell the full story

Today, we're discussing two critical metrics developed to address this gap: Platform-Comparable Conversions and Video-Played-To Metrics. Together, these tools move beyond simply counting clicks to accurately measure the true influence of your video creative, providing a uniform, reliable view of performance that finally aligns Google's video reporting with the measurement standards of other major digital platforms. We will explore what these metrics represent and, critically, how to interpret their widening gap during the high-activity, cross-channel holiday period of November 2025.

Platform-comparable conversions measure the total influence a campaign had on driving conversions, using Google’s standardized influence model. This includes modelled view-through and impression-driven impact, not only directly attributed conversions. Because of this broader scope, platform-comparable values are consistently higher than the default “Conversions” column. The two metrics answer different questions: attribution vs. influence.

When YouTube drives the Demand, and Search takes the credit

YT campaigns frequently influence users before another channel captures the last click. A user may watch part of a video, leave the session, perform a brand search, and convert through Search or PMax. The default attribution model maybe cannot account for this path, while platform-comparable does. The metric, therefore, provides a uniform, influence-based view of performance that aligns with how other major platforms measure video impact.

Engagement depth isn’t just a creative signal — it’s a predictor of influence

YouTube provides video played to 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% metrics to indicate how deeply users engage with the creative. These engagement milestones play an important role in understanding platform-comparable conversions for one reason: Platform-comparable conversions incorporate influence from impressions, but actual influence increases as viewers progress deeper into the video. Higher played-to percentages are associated with longer exposure to the message, higher brand recall, and a greater likelihood that the viewer later converts through another channel.

Why strong 25–75% completion rates make the attribution gap explode

This is why campaigns with strong 25–75% progression often show a larger gap between default and platform-comparable conversions. The platform is detecting an influence that the attribution model cannot credit. In other words, video-played-to metrics explain why platform-comparable numbers rise, while platform-comparable shows how much that engagement ultimately contributed. These two metrics together provide a clearer view of video performance than either one alone.

Holiday behavior compresses journeys — and widens the influence gap

In November, user journeys become shorter and more multi-channel due to holiday behavior. This increases the share of conversions routed through Search and PMax even when video was the initial driver. During this period, two patterns typically become visible: higher video-played-to rates correlate with a larger platform-comparable uplift because more viewers were exposed to meaningful sections of the video, and the gap between default and platform-comparable conversions widens, reflecting increased cross-channel activity.

Example:

• Default conversions: 57

• Platform-comparable: 181

• Video played to 50%: strong (e.g., 35–45%)

• Video played to 75%: stable (e.g., 20–30%)

This indicates that the campaign influenced a significant number of eventual conversions, even though a smaller portion was directly attributed.

Why these metrics matter most when campaign performance looks the least stable

Platform-comparable conversions and video-played-to metrics together provide a clearer view of true campaign influence than attribution alone, especially during periods of intense cross-channel activity like November. As more users see a video and progress deeper into it, the platform-comparable metric captures the impact that default conversions cannot. Understanding this relationship is essential for accurately evaluating video performance in complex holiday journeys.

💌 Like this newsletter? Let's continue the conversation

Get in touch with us by responding to this email or tagging us on LinkedIn or Instagram, and sharing your thoughts. Your feedback helps us keep our newsletter relevant and interesting.