What types of actions can I track as conversions (for example, purchases, sign‑ups, app installs)?
Roku Ads Manager can track 27 pre-defined actions from your website, app, or offline systems, including commerce events (for example, Purchase, Add to Cart, Page View), lead and registration events (Lead, Sign Up, Complete Registration), subscription lifecycle events (Start Trial, Subscribe, etc), app outcomes (App Install, Session Start), and key engagement events such as Page View. See full list here.
You decide which of these events to implement and which to treat as “conversions” for your reporting and optimization. If an event is correctly implemented via the Roku JavaScript Pixel, Conversions API, or a supported partner integration, Ads Manager can attribute that event back to your campaigns and show it in reporting.
Do I need both the Roku JavaScript Pixel and Conversions API, or can I use just one?
You can use either the Roku JavaScript Pixel or the Conversions API (CAPI) on its own. There’s no requirement to implement both. The JavaScript Pixel is a browser-based tag that’s typically fastest to deploy for web-only tracking and is well-suited for advertisers who want a simple implementation to get started.
The Conversions API is a server‑to‑server integration that lets you send conversion data directly from your servers, apps, or offline systems to Roku for more reliable measurement, richer payloads, and advanced use cases (for example, multi‑source signals, offline conversions, and custom privacy controls).
How do I choose which conversion event to optimize my campaign toward?
Choose a conversion event that aligns with your primary business outcome and that you can reliably track at sufficient volume. In each case, you’ll want to make sure the corresponding event is correctly implemented via Pixel, CAPI, or a partner connection and is firing consistently before you set it as your campaign goal.
If you’re just getting started, you can begin with a higher‑funnel goal (for example, Page View) to ensure enough signal volume and then graduate to more valuable but less frequent events like purchase or subscription as data accrues. The more meaningful and well‑instrumented your chosen goal event is, the better Ads Manager can learn and optimize toward that outcome over time.
Will I be able to see conversions if I’m running an Awareness campaign?
Yes. If you’ve implemented events via the Roku JavaScript Pixel, Conversions API, or partner integrations, Ads Manager can still attribute and report conversions even when your campaign objective is Awareness. In this case, the optimization model focuses on reach and delivery, but any tracked conversion events that occur within the attribution window will still be counted against your campaigns.
Practically, this means you can run an Awareness campaign to maximize reach on the Roku platform while still monitoring actions such as page visits, sign‑ups, or purchases in your reporting as secondary indicators of performance.
Will I see reports for actions other than my campaign Goal?
Yes. Your campaign Goal determines which event Ads Manager uses for optimization and goal‑based metrics like CPA, but the platform can report on all events you send, not just your selected goal. For example, if your goal is PURCHASE, you can still see metrics for Add to Cart, Initiate Checkout, or Page View as long as those events are implemented and firing.
You can use the Events experience in Ads Manager to view event‑level fire counts and connection health across all sources, and you can use campaign reporting to understand how different events move together throughout your funnel. This helps you diagnose bottlenecks (for example, many product views but few purchases) and refine creative, targeting, and budget decisions.
Where can I see my conversions and ROAS in Ads Manager reporting?
Conversions and revenue are surfaced in Ads Manager’s reporting and events experiences. On the reporting side, you can view conversion metrics (for example, total conversions, cost‑per‑conversion, and when applicable, ROAS) at the campaign, and creative levels once your events are live and attributed.
If your conversion events include a value field (for example, order value), Ads Manager can compute revenue and ROAS based on the attributed events. In addition, the Events tab provides a consolidated view of event fires and connection status across Pixel, CAPI, and partners, so you can confirm that your conversion signals are being received and used by the platform.
Can I measure ROAS if my campaign Goal is not Purchase?
Yes, ROAS can be measured even if Purchase is not your campaign goal, as long as you pass a monetary value in the event payload.
If you do not send a value for your selected goal event, you’ll still see standard conversion metrics (for example, total conversions, CPA), but ROAS will not be available. To enable ROAS, ensure your implementation includes a numeric value (and currency) for the goal event you care about most.
How does Ads Manager measure conversions?
Ads Manager measures conversions by matching your event data back to Roku ad exposures. When a user completes an action on your site, app, or offline channel, your implementation (Pixel, Conversions API, or partner) sends an event that includes an event name, timestamp, user identifiers (for example, hashed email or phone, IP, or device IDs), and optional metadata like order value and order ID.
Roku’s attribution systems then look for eligible Roku ad impressions or clicks within the configured attribution rules and attribute conversions to the appropriate campaigns. The resulting attributed conversions appear in your Ads Manager reporting.
Ads Manager provides a unified view of performance by integrating modeled conversions directly into your reporting. These statistical estimates account for signal loss and browser limitations, ensuring your results reflect the full impact of your ads even when direct tracking is unavailable, providing the most accurate representation of your performance.
How long after an ad is shown can a conversion still be attributed to my campaign (attribution windows)?
Ads Manager uses a 14-day window attribution window for view‑through conversions. You should expect to see the number of conversions continue to increase up to 14 days after your campaign has stopped spending.
Why do my conversion numbers look different between Ads Manager and my MMP/analytics tool?
Differences are expected when you use a Mobile Measurement Partner (MMP) or other analytics platform alongside Ads Manager. Roku Ads Manager typically reports the number of conversion claims it sees based on its own identity graph and attribution rules, while an MMP will only show final attributions after it arbitrates across all connected networks.
For example, Roku may legitimately claim a view‑through conversion that falls within its attribution window, but the MMP may not credit Roku if its own window is shorter or if another network has a stronger click claim. As a result, Ads Manager’s reported conversions can be higher than your MMP’s attributed conversions even though both are working as designed. This pattern is common across all self‑attributing networks, not just Roku.
Can I track conversions from both my website and my mobile app in the same account?
Yes. The Ads Manager measurement stack is designed to ingest events from multiple sources into the same organization and ad account. Web events can be sent via the Roku JavaScript Pixel or Conversions API, while app events can flow through the Conversions API or supported MMP integrations, with all of them mapped into Roku’s unified conversion and attribution tables.
You can use event groups and connection types (Pixel, CAPI, partner) to keep implementations organized, while still reporting and optimizing holistically at the campaign level. When needed, you can also segment performance by event source using event‑level reporting to understand how web and app behaviors contribute separately to your overall results.
How does Roku handle user data and privacy when measuring conversions?
Roku’s measurement tools are built to use privacy‑conscious identifiers and controls. Sensitive user fields such as email and phone are expected to be normalized and SHA‑256 hashed before being sent in the user_data object, and additional identifiers (for example, IP, user agent, device IDs) are used only to support matching and attribution. Advertisers can also set flags like Limited Data Use (opt_out) to limit how event data is processed in support of applicable privacy requirements.
The Conversions API further reduces reliance on browser cookies by enabling server‑side event delivery, which can improve reliability while supporting modern privacy and browser standards. As always, advertisers are responsible for obtaining appropriate user permissions and ensuring their own data practices comply with relevant laws and policies.
What should I check if I’m not seeing any conversions in my reports?
First, confirm that your events are actually firing. Use the Ads Manager Events experience, your pixel diagnostics (for JavaScript), or the test_events endpoint (for CAPI) to verify that events are being sent and accepted with a 200‑level response rather than returning validation errors. Check that the correct event name is being used and that your test actions (for example, a test purchase) map to the event you expect.
Next, verify that: (1) the event is associated with the right event group and ad account, (2) the campaign you’re inspecting has delivered impressions within the attribution window, and (3) your reports are not filtered in a way that hides data (for example, incorrect date range or goal selection). If you still don’t see conversions after these checks, contact support with recent example timestamps so they can investigate your implementation in more detail.
What are event groups and when should I use them?
An event group is the container Ads Manager uses to organize your events and connections for a given property. In the Conversions API, for example, every payload includes an event_group_id that “all these events belong to,” and each event group typically represents a single online property such as a website or app. Your base pixel, associated events, and connection types (Pixel, CAPI, partners like Shopify or MMPs) all hang off that event group.
Use separate event groups when you want to keep tracking logically or operationally distinct. For example, different brands, separate apps, or staging vs. production environments, and a shared event group when multiple connections should all report into the same funnel for a single property. This structure makes it easier to manage setup, diagnose issues, and understand performance without mixing unrelated traffic.