Search Marketing FAQ

ROAS = Revenue / Spend. Meta calculates ROAS automatically when Purchase event includes 'value' parameter. View in Ads Manager > Customize Columns > Purchase ROAS. Two views: ROAS in Meta's reporting (uses Meta's attribution windows) and ROAS in your CRM (uses your last-click or attribution model). Both diverge by 10-40%; reconcile weekly.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Sign in to Ads Manager (business.facebook.com/adsmanager). Default Campaign view shows performance. Click any campaign for ad-set view; click any ad set for ad view. Use the date selector for time windows, breakdowns for segmentation, columns for metric customization. Schedule recurring reports via Ads Reporting > Schedule Report.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

In Ads Manager click the Columns dropdown > Customize Columns. Toggle metrics on or off, drag to reorder. Save column sets as presets (Performance, Cost, Engagement, etc.). For deeper customization, use Reports > Create Custom Report with metric x dimension combinations. Export to CSV or schedule recurring delivery via email.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Meta's default is 7-day click + 1-day view. Use this for most direct-response accounts. Switch to 1-day click for accounts with same-day-conversion patterns (impulse purchases). 7-day click + 1-day view typically captures 90-95% of Meta-driven conversions. Longer windows are no longer available since 2021.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

7-day click + 1-day view since iOS 14's ATT restrictions. Conversions are credited to Meta if a user clicked an ad within 7 days or viewed an ad within 1 day before converting. Older 28-day click windows were deprecated. Default is reasonable for most accounts; reconcile against your CRM to verify.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Longer attribution windows credit more conversions to Meta, raising reported conversions and ROAS. Shorter windows credit fewer. 7-day click + 1-day view (default) typically reports 15-30% more conversions than 1-day click only. Compare to your CRM source-of-truth: if Meta-reported conversions exceed CRM by over 30%, Meta is over-attributing.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Meta deduplicates conversions at each level. A user who clicks two ads in the same campaign counts as 1 campaign conversion but might count twice across ad sets. Roll-up totals at higher levels are not the simple sum of lower levels. Use the highest level for accurate attribution; do not sum ad-level conversions to derive campaign totals.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Three reasons. Different attribution models (Meta credits within 7 days of click; GA4 uses data-driven attribution with cross-channel deduplication). iOS ATT restrictions block iOS event pass-through to Meta but not to GA4. Server-side vs client-side tracking differences. Expect 20-40% gap; reconcile against CRM (the source of truth) rather than between Meta and GA4 directly.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Modeled conversions are Meta's estimates for events it cannot directly measure due to privacy restrictions (iOS ATT, browser tracking blocks). Meta uses aggregate statistical modeling to estimate the missing conversions and reports them alongside measured conversions. Modeled conversions typically represent 5-25% of total reported conversions in iOS-heavy audiences.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Three causes. Attribution-window delay (some conversions land days after the click; up to 7-day lag). iOS 14 ATT (some events are aggregated and reported with up to 72-hour delay via SKAdNetwork). Tracking pixel or CAPI issues (events not firing). Wait 7 days after a campaign starts before evaluating performance to let conversion data settle.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Apple's App Tracking Transparency requires user opt-in for cross-app tracking. iOS users who opt out (the majority) cannot be tracked across Meta's pixel and your site. Result: Meta reports 15-30% fewer measured conversions on iOS than pre-ATT. Modeled conversions partially fill the gap. Conversions API recovers some events server-side.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

ATT and Safari's Intelligent Tracking Prevention degrade cross-site tracking for iOS users (majority of US mobile traffic). Result: Meta cannot attribute the full conversion path for iOS clicks. Mitigations include Conversions API (server-side events), enhanced first-party data, and aggregated event measurement (AEM). Expect 15-30% attribution gap on iOS traffic.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Five steps. Install Conversions API alongside the Pixel for server-side event delivery (recovers 15-30% of lost events). Configure Aggregated Event Measurement (AEM) for prioritized events in Events Manager. Use first-party data (Customer Match, CRM uploads) for audience building. Run Conversion Lift studies for incremental measurement. Reconcile against CRM source-of-truth weekly.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Conversions API sends conversion events server-side to Meta, complementing the client-side Pixel. CAPI bypasses iOS ATT, ad blockers, and browser privacy restrictions, recovering 15-30% of lost conversion signal. Required for accurate Smart Bidding in 2025. Set up via Shopify/WooCommerce plugin, GTM Server, partner integrations, or direct API.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Three paths. Platform-native (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Squarespace have one-click CAPI integration). Conversions API Gateway (Meta-hosted service that sends server-side events). Direct API (custom endpoint built by your devs that sends events to Meta's API). Most accounts choose the platform-native path. Pair with the Pixel; CAPI complements rather than replaces.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Use Events Manager > Test Events. Trigger events on your site or send test events from your CAPI integration; events appear in real time. Check Meta Pixel Helper Chrome extension for client-side firing. In Events Manager > Overview, check the event-match-quality score; 7+ indicates healthy pixel/CAPI; below 5 needs investigation.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Five-step diagnosis. Verify Pixel firing via Meta Pixel Helper. Verify CAPI events in Events Manager > Test Events. Check the conversion event is selected in your campaign optimization. Review attribution window settings - longer windows surface delayed conversions. Compare against your CRM/source-of-truth. If discrepancy persists, audit tag deployment via GTM.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Three common causes. Meta's 7-day click + 1-day view window credits conversions other platforms attribute elsewhere. Modeled conversions (estimated for iOS ATT-blocked events) inflate the count. Double-firing pixel events (often during checkout) inflate. Reconcile against CRM source-of-truth weekly; Meta over-reports by 10-30% in most setups.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Different attribution windows credit different conversions. Switching from 7-day click + 1-day view to 1-day click only typically drops reported conversions 15-30% because conversions that happened 2-7 days after click are no longer credited. The conversions themselves did not change - only the attribution count Meta reports.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Default 7-day click + 1-day view for most direct-response accounts. Use 1-day click for impulse-purchase brands where most conversions happen within hours of click. The window you optimize for affects bidding (Meta optimizes for events within the window). Choose the window that matches your actual conversion timing, not the longest available.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

In Ads Manager, switch to Ad level, sort by ROAS or Purchase ROAS. Compare against ad set average. Use Breakdown by Time to identify whether ROAS is stable or declining over time. Investigate top-ROAS ads' creative pattern and replicate. Investigate bottom-ROAS ads' creative gaps and revise or kill. Refresh top performers before they fatigue.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Six-step diagnostic. Check Pixel/CAPI firing in Events Manager. Verify attribution settings. Compare CRM vs Meta reported conversions. Review frequency (over 3 is fatigue). Audit audience overlap. Check creative variation count (need 3+ per ad set). Then look at bidding strategy (cost cap too tight) and budget (under Learning threshold). Fix in that order.

in Meta Ads Reporting & Attribution

Sponsored Products are pay-per-click ads that promote individual product listings on Amazon search results and product detail pages. They appear with a Sponsored label, target shoppers actively searching for products. The most common Amazon ad type. Eligibility requires an active Professional Seller account and Buy Box on the targeted ASIN.

in Amazon Sponsored Products

Active Amazon sellers with a Professional Seller account (US$39.99/month). Vendors registered with Amazon Vendor Central. Products must be in eligible categories, hold the Buy Box, and not be on Amazon's restricted list. New sellers without Buy Box ownership cannot run Sponsored Products until they secure the Buy Box on the listing.

in Amazon Sponsored Products