Post-View Web Visits: Website Attribution for CTV Advertising

Have you ever watched a commercial with your smartphone in hand and then headed to the brand’s website to learn more? Or perhaps you’ve seen an ad while busy cooking dinner, thought about it a couple of days later, and searched for the company on your desktop computer. 

This type of down-funnel activity is often the goal of TV advertising. And yet, without the right attribution model, marketers can't definitely tie the two events (seeing an ad on TV and viewing the company’s website) together.  

While traditional TV advertising is measured through likely correlations such as spikes in web traffic after an ad airs, this doesn’t account for the lengthy sales cycle between initial ad exposure and conversion. Likewise, it can cause marketers to falsely correlate data points when other variables are at play.

Luckily, with connected TV (CTV) advertising, precise measurement and attribution is possible. And post-view website visits attribution is a key metric for gauging which ads are driving customer actions — as well as which viewers are showing an interest.  

What Is Post-View Website Attribution?

Post-view website visit attribution is a measurement tool that allows marketers to directly connect CTV ad exposure to website traffic. This addresses a key challenge in TV advertising: measuring the impact of ads on driving potential customers to a brand's online presence.

Unlike click-based attribution models (which don't work for TV since you can't click on a TV ad), post-view attribution establishes a clear connection between ad exposure and website engagement — even when that visit happens days or weeks after the initial viewing. This lets marketers move beyond assumptions and get a clear, data-backed understanding of how their CTV ads are driving web traffic.

Benefits of Post-View Website Visit Attribution

What makes post-view website attribution valuable is its ability to measure actual consumer behavior rather than relying on assumptions. It helps answer pivotal questions like:

• Which CTV ads are driving website traffic?
  
  
• How quickly do viewers typically visit the site after seeing an ad?
  
  
• Which audience segments are most responsive to the messaging?
  
  
• How many ad exposures does it take before a viewer decides to learn more?
  
  

By connecting the dots between what happens on the living room TV and subsequent online exploration, post-view website attribution fills a critical measurement gap. And marketers who use this insight strategically can optimize their campaigns accordingly. 

Specifically, post-view website attribution supports the following campaign improvements.

Ad-Level Insight

Not all ads are created equal — and post-view attribution makes that crystal clear. By tracking which creatives drive the most website traffic, marketers can pinpoint what’s working and what’s not. 

Whether it’s the messaging, the visuals, or the call to action, this data helps identify the winning elements behind high-performing ads. From there, advertisers can apply this insight to refine existing ads and build more effective campaigns going forward.

Persona Refinement

Sometimes it’s not the ad that needs to change — it’s the audience. Post-view attribution reveals which segments are most likely to take action after viewing your ad, offering a data-backed look at which audience segments are the most receptive. 

These insights allow you to adjust targeting parameters, test new audience groups, and improve your buyer personas based on actual post-ad behavior. Over time, this data becomes a powerful tool for refining your understanding of your customer base, informing not just your advertising strategy but your broader marketing approach.

Journey Optimization

Website visits are often a key milestone in the customer journey — but getting there isn’t always linear. Post-view attribution gives marketers a more complete picture of how viewers move from awareness to consideration. 

By understanding the timing and frequency of visits, agencies and brands can better align their media strategy with consumer behavior, tailor retargeting efforts, and smooth out any friction between first impression and final conversion.

This insight also makes it possible to retarget people who are showing an initial interest with additional touchpoints, ensuring that a company stays top-of-mind until the customer is ready to make a purchase.

How Does Post-View Website Attribution Work?

At Strategus, we make it simple to track post-view website visits through a streamlined three-step process. This provides clear insight into how your CTV ads are influencing online engagement — even days or weeks after the initial exposure.

Step 1: Deploy a Website Pixel

To start, we drop a simple retargeting pixel placed on your website. This small piece of code is invisible to visitors but crucial for accurate measurement. The pixel creates a digital bridge between your CTV campaign and your web traffic. The pixel can be applied across your entire site or on specific landing pages depending on campaign goals. 

Step 2: Monitor and Match Website Visits

Once the pixel is in place, our attribution platform begins monitoring website traffic and cross-referencing visitors with our database of viewers who were served your CTV ads. This matching process works within a 90-day lookback window, giving you visibility into both immediate and delayed website visits.

Our reporting dashboard captures critical data points including:

• Whether users visited your website after seeing your ad
  
  
• The timeframe between ad exposure and website visit
  
  
• How many ad views were necessary to prompt a website visit
  
  

This comprehensive tracking provides a multi-dimensional view of how your CTV advertising influences online engagement across the consideration phase.

Step 3: Analyze and Optimize

With a continuous stream of attribution data flowing in, we use this insight to refine campaign strategy for maximum impact. Our reporting dashboard brings key metrics and trends to life, highlighting which ads, audiences, and placements are driving the strongest website engagement.

Based on these insights, our team of CTV experts will work with you optimize campaigns in several ways:

• Reallocating budget toward high-performing creative executions
  
  
• Adjusting targeting parameters to focus on responsive audience segments
  
  
• Fine-tuning frequency caps based on visit patterns
  
  
• Implementing cross-device retargeting for users showing interest
  
  
• Creating custom audience segments of website visitors for follow-up messaging
  
  

Success Stories Across Industries

Post-view website attribution is one of our more broadly applicable measurement tools. From education to retail to finance, the agencies and brands we partner with are using this capability to better understand audience behavior, prove campaign value, and optimize ad spend.

National Furniture Retailer Captures 80,601 Website Visits

A national furniture chain needed to adapt quickly during the pandemic, introducing online appointment scheduling as part of its in-store experience. To promote the new system and drive high-intent traffic, the retailer partnered with Strategus on a targeted three-week CTV campaign across four major markets.

Using a mix of third-party audience data, ACR retargeting, and full-funnel media tactics, the campaign drove 80,601 post-view website visits, 3,021 products added to cart, 324 online purchases, and 48 scheduled appointments. Nearly 27,000 of those visitors engaged deeply with the site, browsing three or more pages. The campaign not only boosted short-term appointments and sales, but also provided powerful insights for ongoing media strategy and audience refinement.

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Casino Validates CTV Investment with 47,310 Website Visits

A casino wanted to elevate its profile as a top destination for gaming, entertainment, and resort getaways — but moving beyond traditional linear TV came with risk. To test the value of connected TV (CTV), the casino partnered with Strategus for a three-month full-funnel campaign aimed at driving both online and on-site engagement.

Thanks to our robust attribution and measurement tools, the casino gained exactly what it needed: proof. The campaign drove 47,310 post-view website visits and 4,784 verified in-person visits. These results not only boosted bookings and brand visibility — it gave the casino the confidence to reallocate significant budget from linear TV to CTV, a shift that continues to drive performance today.

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State University Drives 5,536 Website Visits

A state university set out to increase brand awareness and web engagement among high school juniors, seniors, and their parents — particularly in out-of-state markets. The university partnered with Strategus to launch a 10-week CTV campaign that included layered retargeting strategies.

The campaign delivered 5,536 post-view website visits, 1,395 clicks, and a 97% view completion rate. Strategus’ After-Ad Influence tool also logged 1,238 third-party research actions, signaling strong consideration. The university renewed and expanded the campaign based on these results, expanding their targeting to include in-state prospective students.

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Get Started With Strategus

Measuring the effectiveness of traditional TV ads is a guessing game. And even when advertising on CTV, most vendors only offer a generic, one-size-fits-all attribution solution.

By partnering with Strategus, marketers gain insight into the buyer’s journey like never before possible. We shine a light on each touchpoint of your campaign and paint a nuanced picture of the path to conversion using our growing roster of nine solutions.

From post-view website visits to foot-traffic attribution, we make it easy to track user activity following ad exposure. And we don’t stop there. We also proactively reach out with optimization recommendations to drive better ROAS for the agencies and brands we represent.

Want better insight into how your audience is progressing through the funnel?  Contact us today.