Questions about statistics
- Impressions on the day a campaign was automatically stopped
- Discrepancies in data
- What do I do if I'm getting “false clicks”?
- I have noticed a spike in impressions, clicks, or expenditure
- I got clicks and impressions, but no orders or calls
- What isn't considered an invalid conversion
- I noticed a dip in impressions or clicks
- What is the dsp.yandex.ru platform?
- Why aren't there more impressions in a geo segment that has a positive bid adjustment to boost impressions?
- Why doesn't the number of impressions in the Report Wizard match the number in the “Search queries” report?
- Have questions?
Impressions on the day a campaign was automatically stopped
This may happen if users click on ads the day after they are displayed. For example, if a user entered a search query and saw your ad at 23:59, but only clicked on it at 00:01, then the impression and click will show up in the statistics for two different days.
This also explains cases when the number of clicks during a day exceeds the number of impressions.
Discrepancies in data
- Different click numbers
- Why do I see different totals for funds spent in the Yandex Direct interface and in the API?
- Why is the total on my bill greater than the cost of clicks in my statistics?
- Why do my statistics not match my forecasts?
- Why is the statistics different in Yandex Direct and in Yandex Metrica?
Different click numbers
Click data on the campaign page may differ from data shown on other pages.
In the bid section of the campaign page, only clicks on the ad over the last 28 calendar days are shown. For “regular” ads, these are clicks in search results on desktops and tablets, while for mobile ads, these are clicks on smartphone search results. If the ad group has both “regular” and mobile ads, the combined data is displayed.
In most cases, clients notice differences in clicks:
- Refine keywords (impressions will begin when statistics start to accumulate again).
- Archive your campaign (accumulated statistics are reset to zero).
The page for a specific ad campaign shows only the keywords for which there are ad impressions. The figure on the “My campaigns” will take into account all the ad clicks for the entire duration of a particular campaign.
Impression statistics and clicks on keywords might not be shown if you:
All statistical data is saved and reset to previous values when impressions resume.
On the campaign page, statistics are shown only for the search queries with the keywords you set, without semantic matching. Statistical reports show clicks including queries that semantically match the keyword.
By default, statistics for the entire period of your ad campaign on search and in ad networks are shown in the report. This factor also affects the difference in click data. You can configure which time period you want to get a report for.
Why do I see different totals for funds spent in the Yandex Direct interface and in the API?
When statistics appear in the interface, as well as when calculating totals, the sum total of funds spent is rounded to two decimal places. Depending on whether you are viewing the general or detailed statistics, the values are rounded off either before or after they are added together. The total in the API statistics is not rounded off. This may result in slightly different total amounts.
Why is the total on my bill greater than the cost of clicks in my statistics?
Acts (service invoices used to close a service transaction in the Russian Federation) are automatically generated at the end of each month. The amounts listed in these acts can't be changed.
All Yandex Direct advertising campaigns are regularly checked by an automatic system that protects advertisers from invalid clicks. The statistics for a given campaign may change after the campaign is checked.
If the total contained in the acts for a given period does not match the cost of the clicks in the statistics, that means your statistics for that period were corrected. This discrepancy will be compensated for when the next act is generated.
Why do my statistics not match my forecasts?
The number of real impressions and clicks within a campaign, as well as money spent, may differ from the predicted values, because the forecast considers only impressions on the main Yandex Search. In particular, the Budget forecast and Keyword selection tools do not take temporary targeting settings and impressions in the ad networks into account.
Why is the statistics different in Yandex Direct and in Yandex Metrica?
This is because Yandex Metrica takes into account all sessions on a site, while Yandex Direct only factors in clicks on ads. The only kind of statistics that is worth comparing to Yandex Direct statistics is Yandex Metrica's special reports on Yandex Direct.
Before comparing, make sure that your Metrica tag is installed on all pages of your site and linked to all your campaigns in Yandex Direct.
Data from Yandex Direct and Yandex Metrica may differ: this is normal and should not be a cause for concern.
- The number of sessions and number of clicks do not match
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This difference may be due to the following:
You did not link your Metrica tags to some of your ad campaigns.
You are comparing different attribution models in Yandex Direct and Yandex Metrica.
Users have ad blocking software (such as AdBlock) installed on their browsers, operating systems, or on proxy servers, which can stop tags from loading properly.
Users leave the site before the tag loads properly.
You added a vCard to your ad, and those clicks do not result in website sessions.
- The Yandex Metrica data I see in my Yandex Direct statistics is different from what I see in the Yandex Metrica tag
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The Yandex Direct statistics include Yandex Metrica data on page depth, conversion rates, and goal costs. If your site has several tags installed, Yandex Metrica calculates the data for each tag separately, while Yandex Direct provides a total for all tags.
What do I do if I'm getting “false clicks”?
If you see a large number of recurring sessions or very short sessions in Session Replay, check whether they show up in reports for the “Yandex Direct” group in Yandex Metrica. You can find the suspicious session by time — look at the daily statistics broken down by the minute.
Yandex Direct uses antifraud algorithms to protect its users from invalid traffic. Yandex Direct statistical reports don't include clicks that were identified as erroneous or invalid. The advertiser's account is not charged for these clicks.
Invalid clicks identified by Yandex Direct are excluded from Yandex Metrica reports for the “Yandex Direct” group and from Yandex Direct statistical reports. If the number of ad clicks or impressions shows a sudden spike, this isn't necessarily related to invalid traffic. You can find a description of possible reasons for sudden changes in statistics below.
- Ad number.
- The time period when you believe that fraudulent clicks occurred.
- The tag number in Yandex Metrica and links to reports.
- Any other data that you analyzed.
If your suspicions are confirmed, we will immediately issue a refund to the main account associated with your Yandex Direct account.
The most frequently asked questions on changes and anomalies in statistics
An increase in CTR can be caused by a number of reasons not related to fraud. Examples include changes in rates or display criteria, ads being served on sites that belong to relevant categories, and seasonal demand for your products or services, among other factors. For more information about analyzing factors that could lead to an increase in CTR, see I have noticed a spike in impressions, clicks or expenditure.
Furthermore, if you initially had a low number of impressions and clicks, even an increase of just a few clicks can significantly impact your CTR. Limited increases in CTR are considered normal.
I have noticed a spike in impressions, clicks, or expenditure
The number of clicks or impressions may have increased drastically for the following reasons:
- Changes in the ad campaign
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Even minor changes in ad texts and campaign settings (time, display region, strategy), as well as changes in bids can influence your ad statistics. Changes to keywords can really affect statistics, as keywords are the main criteria that determines if your ads get served. For example, adding a popular phrase to your list of keywords can cause a sharp surge in your impressions and clicks.
- Impressions in ad networks
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Content ads are displayed in the ad networks (Yandex Advertising Network and ad exchanges) if the advertising content corresponds to the site content or the user's interests. We are constantly adding new sites and working to improve ad performance on sites that are already part of the networks. Any one of of the network sites may become a source of useful traffic for you. You can check the number of impressions in ad networks with the Statistics by day report on the campaign statistics page. Click the Show additional settings button and check the ad networks box.
- Added statistics on product campaigns to the account's Report Wizard
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Until March 28, 2023, product campaign statistics were not available for cross sections in the Report Wizard, for all campaigns. You cannot compare product campaign metrics with the metrics of other ad types.
Beginning on March 28, 2023, data on product campaigns was added to the account's Report Wizard. This could have affected the overall metrics. That's why you might see increased impressions, clicks, or expenditures in reports.
- External factors
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To find out what keywords resulted in the majority of clicks, go to the Phrases by day report on the campaign statistics page. If certain phrases noticeably stand out, it may be caused by external factors (such as the current season, a certain TV show, the news, technical issues, changes in your competitors' bids, etc.). You can also use the Yandex Metrica “Yandex Direct, summary” report to view specific search queries which led to your website.
You can enter budget restrictions to monitor your ad expenses. Keep your campaign performance and desired audience coverage in mind when setting restrictions. If your budget is too small it will decrease your number of impressions and your potential customers may end up with your competitors.
If you think your ad campaign has become a victim of fraud, please contact us using the form at the bottom of the page. You must enter your ad number and the period of time when you think malicious clicks or impressions took place. If your suspicions are confirmed, Yandex will refund the money to your shared account ASAP.
I got clicks and impressions, but no orders or calls
We'd recommend paying attention to the quality of your website. Try using Session Replay in Yandex Metrica to determine if your website has quality issues. Session Replay allows you to perform a detailed analysis of user behavior (such as their actions and time spent on your site) and to identify problems in navigation, page logic and site usability.
Other times, the cause of weak sales may be poor campaign performance: users are unable to find the products, services, or terms of service that they want. Please check that you have correctly set your display region and your impression schedule. Also check that your site is free of errors and that you have refined your keywords. Follow Yandex's recommendations for improving advertising performance.
What isn't considered an invalid conversion
Examples of conversions that are not considered invalid or filtered out by the antifraud system:
- Repeat conversions within different sessions
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Sessions are defined according to one of the available attribution models. For example, a user submitted a request during different sessions. These conversions are not filtered out.
If a session on the “Thank you for your purchase” page is set as a goal, but the user forgot to close the page and the conversion was counted twice. These conversions are not filtered out.
To avoid such situations, use verifiers that prevent users from sending the same data again. Either change the attribution model or the goal for optimization.
- Fields filled in incorrectly
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- Contact details. An invalid email or phone number specified by the customer isn't considered invalid traffic.
Inappropriate use of fields. For example, a user left feedback in the contacts form or submitted other information instead of a phone number. The system also doesn't filter out forms that were filled out in exchange for a reward promised on the site.
To avoid such situations, carefully adjust the data format in forms and try not to mislead users.
Note that Yandex can only check conversions for fraud if they occurred over the past 30 days. It is technically impossible to itemize conversions for an earlier period.
If you suspect that some conversions were made deliberately to drain your ad budget, contact us.
I noticed a dip in impressions or clicks
The number of clicks or impressions may have fallen drastically for the following reasons:
- Insufficient bid
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Your competitors may have raised their bids, so your ad groups are losing auctions due to low bids or negative bid adjustments. For your ads to win auctions and get selected for impressions more often, increase your bids or cancel your adjustments.
- Your advertised offer is seasonal
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There are some offers that users are only interested in for part of the year. For example, people search for “snow boots” on Yandex more often in the winter than in the summer. You can use the keyword statistics service to find out when search terms related to your topic are popular.
- Similar ads in different campaigns
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It might be the case that your other campaigns contain ads that perform better despite having similar impression criteria and displaying in the same regions that your campaign in question does. To find these ads, go to the Report Wizard, select the Campaigns and Ad number cross sections, and filter by impression criteria (keywords, retargeting lists, mobile app interests) and region. The report will show you which ads get the most impressions and clicks.
You can disable ads that are less successful in favor of those that perform better or you can alter your impression criteria and regions.
- Strategy relaunch
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You can perform certain actions that will relaunch automatic strategies. For example, your strategy will relaunch when you change your strategy settings or add funds when your account balance is zero.
When you relaunch your strategy, the system recalculates your indicators to set a new forecast and select optimal bids. This takes some time.
More information about relaunching your strategy.
- Ads with adult, sensitive, or distressing subjects
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You could have edited ads so that they are moderated as adult, sensitive, or distressing content. Such ads are restricted in Yandex Direct: adult topics are served only on search and in ad networks on sites with adult content, ads with distressing content are served only for exact search queries, and ads with sensitive content are served only on search and in ad networks on sites related to sensitive subject matter.
If you believe that your ad subject was determined incorrectly, please contact us.
If these recommendations didn't help, contact us using the form at the bottom of the page. You must enter your ad number and the time period when you noticed a drop in impressions and clicks.
What is the dsp.yandex.ru platform?
The dsp.yandex.ru name represents a combination of external ad network sites that collect a small number of impressions. We don't list statistics for them individually because the numbers are insignificant. As soon as a site gets a significant number of impressions, the name of the site is shown.
Why aren't there more impressions in a geo segment that has a positive bid adjustment to boost impressions?
You might be using low-frequency keywords, which means that the likelihood of impressions for the selected location-based Yandex Audience segment is not very high, even with a positive bid adjustment applied. Choose keywords with a higher impression frequency if you want to increase the number of impressions in the selected geo segment.
In addition, your competitors might have raised their bids, so your bid adjustment is not high enough for your ads to win the auction. Change your bids so that you can win auctions more often and be selected for impressions.
Why doesn't the number of impressions in the Report Wizard match the number in the “Search queries” report?
Check the settings for the “Search queries” report. The report with the keyword text filter excludes search queries that didn't have clicks and that aren't listed individually in the statistics (Other search queries). This might make the number of impressions for a keyword in the Report Wizard higher than in the “Search queries” report.
How do I analyze product and catalog statistics?
The "Ad type" cross section in the Report Wizard can help you analyze the statistics for product ads and catalog page ads in a unified performance campaign. In a product campaign, this data is available directly on the campaign page.
- “Product/catalog name”
- “Title”
- “Text”
- “Link”
- “Product category”
- “Product manufacturer”
They help analyze the performance of specific products or catalogs through the lens of familiar metrics, such as impressions, clicks, conversions, and revenue. This information will be useful for campaign optimization. For example, you can find out which items bring you the most conversions or revenue and check this data against the cost revenue ratio.
The “Product category” and “Product manufacturer” are only displayed for products. For catalogs, this information won't be shown in the report. The category and manufacturer in the report are taken from the feed or the site's microdata (if you set up site-based report generation in your campaign).
In the Search queries report, you can use the same cross sections to find out which queries triggered impressions for which product or catalog ad.
For an ad, you can set filters by title, text, and link. For a catalog, you can set a filter by name. For a product, you can set filters by name, category, and manufacturer.
