Summary
This is called an engaged view conversion. It counts a conversion when the user watches at least 10 seconds of a skippable in-stream video or 5 seconds of a skippable Short and then converts without clicking. It is the metric that shows the real contribution of Demand Gen video inventory beyond clicks.
Nitin Batra is a Google Video Ads certified professional who plans and manages Demand Gen and YouTube video campaigns, including conversion tracking and attribution setup in Google Ads.
Last updated: August 23, 2026
In Demand Gen campaigns, a conversion recorded after a user watches 10 seconds of a skippable in-stream video or 5 seconds of a skippable Short is called an engaged view conversion.
- Engaged view conversion
- View-through conversion
- Social conversion
- Click-through conversion
The correct answer is: Engaged view conversion
Key Takeaways
- – A conversion counted after a user watches 10 seconds of a skippable in-stream video or 5 seconds of a skippable Short is called an engaged view conversion.
- – Engaged view conversions require a genuine watch threshold and no click, which is why they sit between click-through and view-through reporting in Google Ads.
- – Demand Gen is built for visual, mid-funnel demand creation, so watch based conversion signals matter as much as clicks when you judge performance.
- – A common mistake is treating engaged view conversions and view-through conversions as the same thing. A view-through only needs an impression with no watch requirement, so the two will never match.
What is the difference between an engaged view conversion and a view-through conversion?
An engaged view conversion needs a real watch, 10 seconds on a skippable in-stream ad or 5 seconds on a skippable Short, before the conversion counts. A view-through conversion only needs the ad to be served and seen, with no minimum watch time and no click. Because of that, view-through numbers are usually much larger and much softer as a performance signal.
Where do I see engaged view conversions in the Google Ads interface?
Open your Demand Gen campaign, go to the Campaigns table, click Columns and then Modify columns, and pick the conversion columns. Engaged view conversions sit with the other conversion metrics and can be added at campaign, ad group, ad and asset level. Save the column set so you do not have to rebuild it every time you review performance.
Do engaged view conversions get included in the main Conversions column?
It depends on how the conversion action is set up under Goals, Conversions, Summary. If the action is marked as a primary action for that campaign and engaged view is enabled, it can be included, otherwise it reports separately. Always confirm this before you compare Demand Gen results against Search or Performance Max, because you can easily double count or under count.
Why does Shorts use a 5 second threshold instead of 10 seconds?
Shorts are consumed in a fast vertical feed with much shorter attention spans, so a 10 second bar would exclude almost every genuine engagement. Google set 5 seconds for skippable Shorts to match how people actually watch that format. Build your creative so the offer and brand land inside the first few seconds, otherwise the watch threshold passes before your message does.