Attribution decides which ad gets credit for a sale or lead. Meta and Google Analytics measure differently, so their numbers rarely match.
Attribution windows
- 7-day click: the conversion happened within 7 days of someone clicking your ad.
- 1-day view: the conversion happened within 1 day of someone seeing your ad without clicking.
A common default is 7-day click and 1-day view. You can compare windows in Ads Manager.
Why numbers differ from Analytics
- Meta counts view-through conversions; Analytics usually does not.
- Analytics often credits the last click, which may be Google search or direct.
- Privacy changes and blocked cookies cause missing data on both sides.
How to judge results
- Tag ad links with UTMs using our UTM link builder.
- Compare Meta’s reported results with your real sales or leads in your CRM or store.
- Look at total business results: when ads run, do sales rise?
- Calculate blended return with our ROAS calculator using total revenue and ad spend.
Do not over-trust any one number
Use Meta’s data to compare ads with each other, and your own sales data to judge whether ads are profitable.
Read how to track marketing results.
Want the full picture? This article is part of Meta ads: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
