Big Change In Ad Conversion Attribution at Meta

Meta is finally updating how advertisers can view and track conversions and, given their history, it’s long overdue. In typical Meta fashion, they aren’t exactly making a big deal about it.

Meta has introduced new attribution settings in its Ads platform, allowing advertisers to distinguish between all conversions and first-time conversions.

How it works. Advertisers can now choose between two attribution options:

All Conversions: Shows every conversion after an ad view or click

First Conversion: Displays only the first conversion after an ad view or click

Why we care. Advertisers have long struggled with discrepancies between Meta’s ad data and their own backend numbers. This update aims to bridge that gap, providing more accurate insights into ad performance and customer acquisition costs.

By the numbers. One advertiser found that Meta was counting about 25% of non-first purchases towards new customers, significantly inflating reported performance metrics.

Between the lines. Previously, Meta counted all conversions a user made after interacting with an ad, potentially including multiple purchases by the same customer. This led to inflated performance metrics and skewed customer acquisition costs.

How to access. Advertisers can find the new feature in Ads Manager under Attribution settings, where they can select their preferred attribution window and conversion view.

What’s next. As advertisers begin to use these new attribution settings, we may see a shift in how businesses evaluate the effectiveness of their Meta ad campaigns and allocate their marketing budgets.

That last part is so key. Meta has long been weary of providing more clarity on the effectiveness of campaigns on their platforms and for, you know, good reasons. SPOILER ALERT: They lied a lot.