Ever looked at your Google Ads report and wondered why it says you’ve had 22.9 bookings instead of a neat whole number? Don’t worry – that’s not an error. It just means some of your ads worked together to help create those purchases or bookings.
Google shares the credit between the ads that influenced someone’s decision, so those decimals show how every ad played a part in getting your results. It’s Google’s way of giving you a clearer, fairer picture of what’s really driving performance – because in reality, it often takes more than one ad to win a customer.
In this post, we’ll explain why you see decimal numbers, how Google calculates them, and why we use this data model in our reporting to give you the most accurate picture of performance.
What Are Conversions (in Simple Terms)?
Let’s start with the basics. A conversion happens when someone takes a valuable action on your website – like filling out a form, calling your business, making a purchase, or downloading a resource.
In traditional reporting, you’d see whole numbers:
- 1 form submission
- 3 sales
- 10 calls
But digital advertising isn’t that straightforward anymore. People rarely click one ad and instantly convert. They might:
- Click your ad on mobile
- Visit your website later on desktop
- Watch a YouTube video about your brand
- Finally return a week later and buy
So, which ad gets the credit? That’s where things get interesting.
Why Google Uses Decimal Points
Google Ads now uses advanced attribution models and conversion modelling to reflect how real people behave online. When you see decimals, it means conversions are being shared or estimated based on how each ad contributed to the final result.
Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:
- Shared Credit: If two ads contributed equally to one sale, each might receive 0.5 conversions.
- Estimated Conversions: When Google can’t fully track every click (due to privacy settings or cookie restrictions), it uses statistical modelling to estimate part of the result, like 0.3 conversions.
- Cross-Device Tracking: A user might start on one device and finish on another. Google connects the dots and attributes fractions of that conversion across devices.
These decimal points are not errors – they’re the result of smarter, more accurate reporting.
What Is Conversion Attribution (and Why It Matters)
Attribution is simply the method Google uses to decide which ad interaction deserves the credit for a conversion. For years, most advertisers used Last Click Attribution – giving full credit to the final ad or keyword clicked before the conversion. But that ignores all the earlier steps that led someone there.
Modern attribution models recognise that every touchpoint matters, not just the last one.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the main models:
- Last Click: 100% goes to the last ad clicked – ignores earlier brand or awareness ads.
- First Click: 100% goes to the first ad clicked – great for understanding awareness impact.
- Linear: Equal credit to all interactions – each touchpoint gets a fraction.
- Time Decay: More credit to clicks closer to conversion – recognises nurturing over time.
- Position-Based: 40% first click, 40% last click, 20% shared across middle – balances awareness and conversion.
- Data-Driven (default): Uses machine learning to assign credit based on performance data – reflects real behaviour and gives decimals.
When we manage your campaigns, we use Data-Driven Attribution. It’s the most advanced and reliable method because it analyses your actual customer data – not assumptions.
That’s why you’ll see decimals in our reports. It’s Google’s way of saying: “This ad influenced the result, but it wasn’t the only one.”
Why Data-Driven Attribution Gives a Clearer Picture
Think of your digital marketing like a sports team. The striker scores the goal (the final click). But the midfielders (your awareness ads) and defenders (your retargeting campaigns) all contributed to making that goal possible.
If we only gave credit to the striker, we’d miss the full picture of team performance. Data-driven attribution – and those decimal conversions – ensure every contributing ad gets recognised for its role in the journey.
It helps us:
- See which campaigns influence conversions, even if they’re not the last click.
- Identify which keywords or audiences assist other channels.
- Optimise your entire funnel – not just the last step.
How Conversion Modelling Works
In addition to attribution, Google also uses conversion modelling – particularly when it can’t track everything directly. Due to privacy changes (like cookie restrictions and iOS updates), some user paths are now hidden. Google fills in the gaps with machine learning based on patterns and historical data.
That’s why sometimes you’ll see 0.3 conversions or 1.7 conversions – it’s Google saying: “We estimate that this ad contributed to part of a conversion based on observable behaviour.”
It’s not guesswork; it’s a statistical best estimate backed by millions of data points.
Why We Don’t “Round Up” the Numbers
At Marketing Your Brand, we intentionally keep the decimal points in our client reports.
Here’s why:
- Accuracy matters. Rounding everything to whole numbers hides how campaigns share credit across touchpoints.
- It reflects modern behaviour. People move between devices, platforms, and stages – decimals tell that story.
- Better insights, better optimisation. Seeing that one campaign consistently influences 0.3 conversions helps us decide whether to invest more or refine it.
Our reports aim to give you clarity, not confusion – even if that means explaining a few decimal points along the way.
Example: How Fractional Conversions Look in Practice
Let’s say you’re running a campaign to generate 10 enquiries. Someone clicks an awareness ad – no form submitted yet. Later, they click a remarketing ad and convert – that remarketing ad gets 0.6 conversions. The awareness ad gets 0.4 conversions (shared credit).
Your total conversions still equal 1 – they’re just distributed between the ads that played a role. Across dozens or hundreds of conversions, these small fractions create more accurate insights into what’s really driving results.
What This Means for Your Reports
When you review your Google Ads report from us and see decimals, here’s how to read it:
- Don’t worry – it’s not a glitch.
- Every decimal equals a share of influence.
- The total conversions are still correct.
You might see:
- Campaign A: 4.7 conversions
- Campaign B: 2.3 conversions
- Campaign C: 3.0 conversions
Those add up to 10 total conversions, just distributed more fairly across the customer journey.
Our Reporting Approach at Marketing Your Brand
We believe in transparent, human-centred marketing – and that includes how we report performance.
Here’s how we approach it:
- We use data-driven attribution to understand real customer journeys.
- We include decimal conversions to reflect shared impact accurately.
- We report both “Conversions” and “Modelled Conversions” separately in dashboards, so you can see exactly what’s tracked vs estimated.
- We focus on insights, not just numbers – helping you understand what’s working and where to optimise next.
Our goal is to help you make confident, informed decisions about your marketing – not leave you guessing.
The Bigger Picture: Why Accuracy Beats Simplicity
It can be tempting to want simple, whole numbers – but the digital world isn’t that simple anymore. Fractional conversions might look odd at first, but they represent more accurate storytelling about how people interact with your brand.
By embracing these numbers, you’re getting:
- A truer view of campaign performance
- Smarter optimisation based on real data
- More accountability for every dollar spent
It’s one of the ways we help our clients move from surface-level metrics to meaningful marketing decisions.
If you remember one thing, let it be this!
When you see decimals in your reports, remember: they’re not errors – they’re evidence. Evidence that your ads are working together across devices, audiences, and platforms to convert visitors into customers.
At Marketing Your Brand, we don’t just track numbers. We translate them into strategies that drive sustainable growth and real-world results – decimals and all.
Need help understanding your campaign reports? We’d love to walk you through them in plain English and show you how to read the data that matters most.
Reach out and book in a 15-Minute Strategy Chat to review your campaigns with our team.
