Query viewability and invalid traffic metrics

Overview

The instructions below provide examples of how to query both valid viewability traffic, and invalid traffic by using the API. These metrics are limited to inventory purchased using Google Ads, Display & Video 360, and YouTube reserve.

Note that MRC-accredited TrueView view view metrics require the use of the ADH API, as there is no associated templated query. Additionally, TrueView view view metrics shouldn't be confused with viewability metrics.

Select the buying door that you want to query viewability metrics for:

Google Ads Display & Video 360 YouTube Reserve

Query viewability metrics using the UI

The templated viewability query provides MRC-accredited metrics.

MRC accreditation is binary—your results can be accredited, or not—and applies to your entire results table. In BigQuery, the label adh-mrc-accredited is applied to all MRC-accredited results. You must run the query through the template in order for your metrics to be MRC-accredited.

To run the MRC-accredited query through the template:

1. Follow the instructions on how to create a query, ensuring that you select YouTube Reserve as the buying door and Video Viewability as the query template.
2. Click the Run button next to Use template.

Note: The order IDs should all specify the same time zone as used in the UI, otherwise the data may not be accurate for campaigns outside the specified time zone.

Query invalid traffic and viewability metrics using the API

Invalid traffic and viewability metrics can be retrieved from the ADH API using the generateIvtReport and startAnalysis endpoints. For invalid traffic, your metrics must be retrieved through the generateIvtReport in order for the adh-mrc-accredited label to be applied and your metrics to be MRC-accredited. Similarly, the global query specified below must be used for viewability metrics through the ADH API for MRC accreditation. This section covers how to send a request to this endpoint using the Python client library.

Follow the setup and authorization/authentication instructions in the API quickstart.

After replacing the following fields with information relevant to your account, you can run the query below to retrieve an invalid traffic report for your YouTube Reserve campaigns:

• Client secrets file
• Customer ID
• API key
• Order IDs
• Timezone

Sample code

Invalid traffic

from __future__ import print_function
import json
import os.path
from google.auth.transport.requests import Request
from google.oauth2.credentials import Credentials
from google_auth_oauthlib.flow import InstalledAppFlow
from googleapiclient.discovery import build

# If modifying these scopes, delete the file `token.json`.
SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/adsdatahub']
TOKEN_FILE = 'token.json'

creds = None

# The file token.json stores the user's access and refresh tokens, and is
# created automatically when the authorization flow completes for the first
# time.
if os.path.exists(TOKEN_FILE):
    creds = Credentials.from_authorized_user_file(TOKEN_FILE, SCOPES)
# If there are no (valid) credentials available, let the user log in.
if not creds or not creds.valid:
    if creds and creds.expired and creds.refresh_token:
        creds.refresh(Request())
    else:
        flow = InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(
            'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRETS.json', SCOPES)
        creds = flow.run_local_server(port=0)
    # Save the credentials for the next run.
    with open(TOKEN_FILE, 'w') as token:
        token.write(creds.to_json())

service = build('adsdatahub', 'v1', credentials=creds,
                developerKey='YOUR_API_KEY',
                discoveryServiceUrl='https://adsdatahub.googleapis.com/$discovery/rest?version=v1&labels=')

body = {
    'ads_data_customer_id': YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID,
    'start_date': {
        'year': 2019,
        'month': 12,
        'day': 15
    },
    'end_date': {
        'year': 2019,
        'month': 12,
        'day': 20
    },
    'time_zone': 'YOUR_TIMEZONE',
    'yt_reserve_dimensions': {
        'order_ids': [YOUR_ORDER_IDS],
        'metric_type': 'METRIC_TYPE_IMPRESSION'
    },
    'dest_table': 'YOUR_DESTINATION_TABLE'
}

resp = service.customers().generateIvtReport(name='customers/YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID,
                                             body=body).execute()
print(json.dumps(resp))

Viewability metrics

from __future__ import print_function
import json
import os.path
from google.auth.transport.requests import Request
from google.oauth2.credentials import Credentials
from google_auth_oauthlib.flow import InstalledAppFlow
from googleapiclient.discovery import build

# If modifying these scopes, delete the file `token.json`.
SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/adsdatahub']
TOKEN_FILE = 'token.json'

creds = None

# The file token.json stores the user's access and refresh tokens, and is
# created automatically when the authorization flow completes for the first
# time.
if os.path.exists(TOKEN_FILE):
    creds = Credentials.from_authorized_user_file(TOKEN_FILE, SCOPES)
# If there are no (valid) credentials available, let the user log in.
if not creds or not creds.valid:
    if creds and creds.expired and creds.refresh_token:
        creds.refresh(Request())
    else:
        flow = InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(
            'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRETS.json', SCOPES)
        creds = flow.run_local_server(port=0)
    # Save the credentials for the next run.
    with open(TOKEN_FILE, 'w') as token:
        token.write(creds.to_json())

service = build('adsdatahub', 'v1', credentials=creds,
                developerKey='YOUR_API_KEY',
                discoveryServiceUrl='https://adsdatahub.googleapis.com/$discovery/rest?version=v1&labels=')

name = 'customers/global/analysisQueries/ad88e8562a8f4baa9c8522945fe95522'
body = {
  'spec': {
    'ads_data_customer_id': YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID,
    'start_date': {
      'year': 2019,
      'month': 12,
      'day': 15
    },
    'end_date': {
      'year': 2019,
      'month': 12,
      'day': 20
    },
    'time_zone': 'YOUR_TIMEZONE',
    'parameter_values': {
      'line_item_ids': {
        'array_value': {
          'values': [
            {
              'value': 'YOUR_LINE_ITEM_ID'
            },
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  },
  'dest_table': 'YOUR_DESTINATION_TABLE',
  'customer_id': YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID
}

resp = service.customers().analysisQueries().start(name=name,body=body).execute()
print(json.dumps(resp))

Calculate viewability metrics net of general invalid traffic

Use the following formulas to derive MRC-accredited viewability metrics net of general invalid traffic (GIVT):

• Total Impressions (Net of GIVT): Total Impressions - General Invalid Impressions
• Viewable Impressions (Net of GIVT): Viewable Impressions + Invalid Viewable Impressions - GIVT Viewable Impressions
• Measurable Impressions (Net of GIVT): Measurable Impressions + Invalid Measurable Impressions - GIVT Measurable Impressions
• Eligible Impressions (Net of GIVT): Eligible Impressions + Invalid Eligible Impressions - GIVT Eligible Impressions
• Non-Viewable Impression (Net of GIVT) : Measurable Impressions (Net of GIVT) - Viewable Impressions (Net of GIVT)
• Unmeasurable Impressions (Net of GIVT): Eligible Impressions (Net of GIVT) - Measurable Impressions (Net of GIVT)
• % Measurable Impressions (Net of GIVT): Measurable Impressions (Net of GIVT) / Eligible Impressions (Net of GIVT)
• % Viewable Impressions (Net of GIVT): Viewable Impressions (Net of GIVT) / Measurable Impressions (Net of GIVT)