How are conversion attribution windows selected for ChatGPT ad reports?

Definition: A conversion attribution window is the period after an ad interaction during which an outcome can be credited to that interaction. ChatGPT Ads reporting lets a report request select a click-through window and a view-through window, with independent defaults when the fields are omitted.

Key facts

• OpenAI's Ads reporting documentation accepts click windows of 7, 14, or 30 days and defaults to 30 days after a click.
• The view-through setting accepts 0 or 1 day. Its default is 1 day after an impression, while 0 excludes view-through attribution.
• The four GET Insights endpoints and POST /v1/conversions/insights use the same reporting settings. GET requests send them as query parameters, and POST requests send them as body fields.
• The Insights API reference says the click and view defaults apply independently and that these options select report attribution windows.
• The Measurement Pixel documentation states that view-through conversions use a fixed one-day window after an eligible ad impression when that reporting is available for the account.

Which settings select the attribution window?

The reporting request selects the windows through two fields. attribution_window_days controls how long after an eligible click an outcome can receive credit. The accepted values are 7, 14, and 30; an omitted field uses 30. view_through_attribution_window_days controls the period after an eligible impression. It accepts 0 or 1; an omitted field uses 1, and 0 removes view-through conversions from the report.

The fields are sent in the query string for a GET Insights request and in the JSON body for POST /v1/conversions/insights. A request using the documented defaults can look like this:

curl -G "https://api.ads.openai.com/v1/campaigns/cmpn_123/insights" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${OPENAI_ADS_API_KEY}" \
  --data-urlencode 'attribution_window_days=30' \
  --data-urlencode 'view_through_attribution_window_days=1' \
  --data-urlencode 'attribution_time_basis=ad_event_time'

The Insights API reference also describes omitted or null values as taking the same defaults. The two windows can therefore be selected independently.

How are click-through and view-through conversions counted?

The reporting documentation defines conversions as goal conversions from clicks plus views within the selected windows. It separates click_through_conversions from view_through_conversions, and the view-through field is 0 when the view window is 0. If an outcome qualifies for both kinds of attribution, the click takes precedence. For example, the documentation says that 3 click-through and 2 view-through goal conversions produce conversions: 5.

The Measurement Pixel documentation describes the same event model for website events. View-through reporting is a separate campaign-level metric in Ads Manager. It is excluded from the Conversions metric, which remains the click-through conversion total, while CPA, post-click conversion rate, bidding, billing, and conversion optimization remain click-through-based.

Changing the report windows affects conversions, sales, CPA, ROAS, and post-click conversion rate. Impressions, clicks, and spend remain unchanged. The reporting options also leave campaign conversion goals and optimization settings unchanged.

Which date does a daily report use?

The reporting clock is controlled by attribution_time_basis. Its default, ad_event_time, groups and filters the date range by the date of the attributed ad interaction. conversion_time uses the date on which the conversion occurred. OpenAI documents limited non-goal event coverage for conversion-time reporting, so ad-event time is the documented choice for reports that include those events.

The Insights API reference requires full days in the ad account's timezone, with an exclusive end, for a range covering at most 365 days. In a date range, until is inclusive. In a Unix range, end is exclusive. time_granularity=daily returns daily rows, while time_granularity=none returns a period total. Comparisons with Ads Manager use the same date range, time basis, and click and view windows.

How does campaign setup relate to report settings?

Conversion Tracking documents a conversion event setting as the configuration that defines an action to measure for campaigns. Its example sets attribution_window_days to 30 and describes that value as the time after an eligible ad click during which a conversion can be credited. The setting is then attached to a campaign to measure outcomes.

The reporting page says goal reporting applies going forward from attachment and that attributed events outside campaign goals can also be reported. This separates event configuration and campaign attachment from the window values selected for an individual report request.

Related terms

• Ads in ChatGPT
• Advertising conversion attribution
• AI referral traffic

FAQ

Which click windows can you select?

You can select 7, 14, or 30 days with attribution_window_days. When the field is omitted or null, the report uses 30 days.

Can you exclude view-through attribution?

Yes. Set view_through_attribution_window_days to 0. The default is 1 day after an eligible impression.

Does changing a report window change campaign optimization?

No. The reporting options leave campaign conversion goals and optimization settings unchanged. They change the conversion and sales measures returned by the report.

Which date should you use when comparing Ads Manager?

Use the same date range, attribution time basis, click window, and view window in both reports. The default time basis is the date of the attributed ad interaction.

Sources

1. OpenAI Developers, "Reporting", undated
2. OpenAI Developers, "Insights", undated
3. OpenAI Developers, "Measurement Pixel", undated
4. OpenAI Developers, "Conversion Tracking", undated

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