TL;DR
- Google's help article About the Overview page, reported by PPC News Feed on 8 October 2026, says the Conversion paths card now includes video impressions, marked with an eye icon.
- Google states video impressions are shown for web conversions, but conversions imported from Google Analytics 4 are not included in that view.
- A new Performance by stage card groups metrics into 3 stages, Awareness, Consideration and Action, and supports Brand Lift, Search Lift and Conversion Lift when studies exist.
- Only biddable conversions count toward the card's Conversions and Conversion Lift figures, according to the same Google Ads help article.
Google has updated its Google Ads help article "About the Overview page" to document two changes to the default dashboard. The Conversion paths card now counts video impressions, not only video views, as steps in a conversion path, and marks them with an eye icon. A new "Performance by stage" card groups metrics into Awareness, Consideration and Action stages and can show Brand Lift, Search Lift and Conversion Lift results when lift studies are set up. There is a limit on the first change: Google says video impressions are shown for web conversions, but imported Google Analytics 4 conversions are not included. Accounts that rely on GA4 imports for their main conversion will not see the new video-impression view on those conversions.
What Google changed on the Overview page
The change was spotted by Hana Kobzova and reported by PPC News Feed on 8 October 2026. The primary source is the Google Ads Help article "About the Overview page", which now has two new sections at the end of its card list: "Video impressions in Conversion paths" and "Performance by stage".
The Overview page is the first screen most people see when they open a Google Ads account. Google's article describes it as a summary of performance and important insights, available for the whole account and for individual campaigns and ad groups. The page already listed "Conversion tracking status/Conversion paths" among its summary cards. What is new is the detail on what those paths contain, and a card that organises metrics by funnel stage.
The table below lists what Google's article now says about each change.
| Change | What Google's help article says |
|---|---|
| Video impressions in Conversion paths | The Conversion paths overview card now includes video impressions in conversion path analysis, marked with an eye icon to tell them apart from video views |
| GA4 limit | Video impressions are shown for web conversions; imported Google Analytics 4 conversions are not included |
| Performance by stage card | Groups metrics into Awareness, Consideration and Action |
| Lift studies in the card | When lift studies are set up, the card also supports Brand Lift, Search Lift and Conversion Lift |
| Conversions in the card | For Conversions and Conversion Lift, only biddable conversions are included |
Video impressions now appear in conversion paths
A conversion path is the sequence of ad interactions that came before a conversion. Before this change, video events in the Overview page's paths were limited to views, according to PPC News Feed. Google's article now says the Conversion paths card includes video impressions as well, to help advertisers understand "the impact of earlier brand interactions". To separate the two kinds of video event, impressions carry an eye icon.
In our reading (analysis, not Google's wording), this means a person who was shown a video ad but did not count as a view, and later converted after a Search click, can now appear in the path with that earlier impression. For brands that run upper-funnel video, the path view will show more video touchpoints than it did before.
The GA4 exception
Google's note is short and specific: "For video events in conversion paths, video impressions are shown for web conversions but imported Google Analytics 4 conversions aren't included." If the conversion action an account uses is imported from GA4, the path for those conversions will not show video impressions. Web conversions will, according to the same note. The article does not explain why the exclusion exists, and it does not say whether it will change.
In our analysis, this matters because the two setups now produce different-looking paths for the same customer journey. An account comparing a GA4-imported purchase with a Google Ads tag purchase may see video impressions in one path and not the other. That difference comes from the measurement source, not from how the ads performed.
What an impression in a path does and does not prove
Our analysis: an impression appearing before a conversion shows that the person was exposed to the ad. It does not show that the ad caused the conversion. Paths describe sequence. They do not include a control group of people who were not exposed, so they cannot separate people who would have converted anyway. Google's own answer to that problem sits in the same new card, which is where the lift metrics come in.
The new Performance by stage card
Google describes Performance by stage as a card that gives "an overview of your campaign's performance at every stage". The metrics are fixed per stage, as listed in the help article.
- Awareness: impressions, cost per thousand impressions (CPM), frequency, unique reach and awareness lift.
- Consideration: views, cost per view, video played to 100%, branded searches, search lift and view-through conversions. Google notes that branded searches are only available to those with access to brand searches.
- Action: conversions, cost per action (CPA) and Conversion Lift.
Google says this lets advertisers track how a campaign's performance "aggregates from initial impressions to final conversions". When lift studies are set up, the card also supports Brand Lift, Search Lift and Conversion Lift.
Which conversions count
The article adds a note for the Action stage. For "Conversions" and "Conversion Lift", only biddable conversions are included. "Conversions" is the number of conversions received after ad interactions such as text ad clicks or video ad views, and the settings "Include in Conversions", "Count" and "Include cross-device conversions" all affect the figure. In our reading, secondary conversion actions that are not set to be included in Conversions will therefore not show up in this card.
Why the lift metrics are the interesting part
In our view, most of the metrics in the card already exist elsewhere in Google Ads. The lift metrics are different because they come from studies with a holdback group, which is the method designed to estimate what the ads caused rather than what happened near them. Putting Conversion Lift beside CPA in the Action stage, and Search Lift beside branded searches in Consideration, gives the dashboard a causal measure next to the usual delivery and response metrics. The card can only show lift when a study exists, so those slots depend on a lift study being set up.
What the source does not say
Google's article does not give a launch date for either change, does not say whether they are rolling out gradually, and does not list which campaign types or account types show the Performance by stage card. It does not say whether the card appears at account level, campaign level or both, beyond describing it as an overview of "your campaign's performance". It gives no reason for excluding imported GA4 conversions from video impressions in paths.
What this means for Thai marketers
Nothing in Google's article refers to Thailand, so the points below are analysis of the documented behaviour, not claims from the source.
- Check where your main conversion comes from. In Goals, then Conversions, see whether the primary purchase or lead action is a Google Ads tag action or an import from GA4. If it is a GA4 import, the new video-impression paths will not apply to it.
- Do not double-count. Accounts that track the same purchase with both a Google Ads tag and a GA4 import, with only one set as primary, should read paths and the Performance by stage card with that setup in mind, since only biddable conversions appear in the card.
- Read video impressions as exposure, not credit. More YouTube touchpoints in paths is useful context for creative and frequency planning. It is not proof of incremental sales.
- Use lift studies for the causal question. If the goal is to know whether video or Demand Gen drives conversions that would not otherwise happen, the Performance by stage card is built to show Conversion Lift once a study runs.
For brands running video alongside search, our YouTube Ads service and Google Ads management pages explain how campaigns are planned and measured, and accounts unsure whether their conversions come from GA4 or the Google Ads tag can start with a GA4 and tracking review.
Frequently asked questions
What does the eye icon in Google Ads conversion paths mean?
The eye icon marks a video impression. Google added video impressions to the Conversion paths card on the Overview page and uses the icon to distinguish impressions from video views.
Why don't I see video impressions in my conversion paths?
One documented reason is that your conversions are imported from Google Analytics 4. Google's help article says video impressions are shown for web conversions but imported GA4 conversions are not included. The article does not mention other reasons, such as a gradual rollout.
What metrics are in the Performance by stage card?
Awareness shows impressions, CPM, frequency, unique reach and awareness lift; Consideration shows views, cost per view, video played to 100%, branded searches, search lift and view-through conversions; Action shows conversions, CPA and Conversion Lift.
Do I need a lift study to use the Performance by stage card?
No, but the lift metrics need one. Google says the card supports Brand Lift, Search Lift and Conversion Lift when lift studies are set up, so those fields depend on a study existing.
Is this available in Thailand?
The source does not say. Google's article gives no country list or rollout timing, so check the Overview page in your own account.
The bottom line
Google's Overview page now shows more of the video side of the customer journey and offers a single card that runs from impressions to Conversion Lift. Both changes help with reading upper-funnel media, and both have limits stated in Google's own documentation: GA4-imported conversions miss the video-impression view, and only biddable conversions reach the new card. A quick check of where your main conversion is recorded will tell you which of these changes you will actually see.
