In this guide
- The POAS Data Feed power-up (Pro plan and up) computes profit per order from the margin of each product and sends it to GA4 and, as the conversion value, to Google Ads.
- Set up: margins in Products & costs, Save the power-up, import the GTM files from the Setup Wizard, test.
- Use it to judge channels by profit, and to let bidding chase profit.
Most stores tell Google Ads what an order brought in. Fewer tell it what the order earned. If your margins differ by product, the difference matters: a $100 order with a 15 percent margin and a $100 order with a 60 percent margin look the same to a revenue-based bidder, and very different to your bank account. Open Tracked's POAS Data Feed closes that gap on your tagging server. This page walks through the set-up and the checks. For the ideas behind it, read ROAS vs POAS, profit on ad spend and Meta profit-based optimisation.
What it does
For every purchase, your tagging server works out the profit from the margin of each product (or a default margin) and sends it to GA4 and, as the conversion value, to Google Ads. You can then see profit by channel and campaign in GA4, and Google Ads can optimise for the value you send. The power-up is available on the Pro plan and above.
Watch events arrive, live
A sample feed. In Open Tracked you see the same stream for your own store.
Set it up
Add margins
Open Products & costs in Open Tracked and add the margin of each product, or set a default margin for the products you have not listed.
Switch on the power-up
Open the POAS Data Feed page and press Save. A token is made for your tagging server.
Import the GTM files
Download the GTM files from the Setup Wizard and import them into your server container.
Press Test this power-up
It checks that the pieces are in place.
Send a test purchase
In GTM Preview, check that the GA4 tag carries a profit value and that the Google Ads conversion uses it as its value.
What a margin should include
- Product cost.
- Shipping you pay and packaging.
- Payment fees.
- Average discount, where it is significant.
- Returns, where they are common, as a lower margin.
A realistic margin is more useful than a perfect one. Start with category averages and refine the products that sell most.
Brands that grow on cleaner data
Stores and agencies use Open Tracked to see which ads earn the sale.
Reading the result
| Where | What you see |
|---|---|
| GA4 | A profit value on purchases, so you can build reports by source, medium and campaign |
| Google Ads | Conversion value equal to profit, so ROAS in the interface becomes profit per ad dollar (POAS) |
| Open Tracked analytics | Spend, revenue, ROAS and profit by channel and creative, next to the tracking |
Changing bidding to profit
Switching the conversion value from revenue to profit changes what Google Ads learns from, and resets part of its learning. Make the change deliberately:
- Run the profit value on a single campaign first, if you can.
- Recompute targets: with profit as value, a target of 1.0 is break-even before overheads. Choose a target above it.
- Keep budgets and creative steady for two weeks.
- Compare profit and cost per purchase before and after in your own data.
Mistakes to avoid
For Meta
The power-up targets GA4 and Google Ads. To send profit to Meta, map the profit value in your Meta Conversions API tag yourself, using the same margins. See Meta profit-based optimisation.
Connected in minutes
Add your domain, install the pixel, connect your ad platforms and watch the first events land.
Frequently asked questions
What is the POAS Data Feed?
An Open Tracked power-up that works out profit per order on your tagging server and sends it to GA4 and Google Ads.
Which plan includes it?
Pro and above.
Where do I enter margins?
In Products & costs in Open Tracked.
Does it send profit to Meta?
It targets GA4 and Google Ads. For Meta you map the profit value in your server tag.
Will my reported ROAS change?
Yes. With profit as the value, ROAS in Google Ads becomes profit per ad dollar.
Do I need spreadsheets to read my results?
No. Once tracking is live, the Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit, and you can ask Ari, the built-in AI assistant, questions about your own numbers in plain words. Ari's allowance depends on your analytics plan.
Is Open Tracked different from Open Track or Open Space Track?
No. Open Tracked is the official name of our server-side tracking platform, and the website is opentracked.io. Many people search for it as Open Track, OpenTrack or Open Space Track. All of them lead to the same product: server-side Google Tag Manager hosting, first-party analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Fix your tracking at the source
Open Tracked hosts your server-side Tag Manager, keeps first-party cookies alive and shows what each ad is really worth.
The Open Tracked team
We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?
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