attribution Facebook Advertising networks 4 Common Attribution Mistakes in Facebook Advertising

Hi, this is fb1.shop. Attribution is perhaps the most important element of advertising on Facebook. It helps to see what works and influences optimization and targeting. Making mistakes in this area can affect all stages of an advertising campaign.

In this article, we will discuss the most common attribution errors. You might be making some of these mistakes. It's not too late to make necessary corrections.

What is attribution?

Attribution refers to the ability to assign value to a conversion from an advertising campaign. Proper attribution involves several levels that can impact the effectiveness of advertising. When something goes wrong with attribution, it usually relates to an error in one of these areas:

• Setup. Ensuring that all necessary steps are taken to accurately and fully display results.
• Application. Knowing how to apply attribution knowledge to various optimization strategies.
• Interpretation. Being able to make sense of the results obtained.
• Understanding. Understanding how attribution works, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it impacts your approach.

Now, let's discuss the most common mistakes.

Incorrect Pixel or Conversions API Setup

Conversion attribution is impossible without configuring how Meta learns about interactions with your business beyond Meta. It starts with the pixel, which should be on every page of your website. Ideally, it should also be on other non-owned sites where you sell products.

Once, setting up the pixel (and events) was enough. However, if you haven't configured the Conversions API, you're sending incomplete data to Meta. By sending conversion information through the Conversions API in addition to the pixel, you can fill in gaps where the pixel might fall short.

Failure in Standard, Custom Events, ana Custom Conversions

Certainly, configuring pixel and conversion APIs is half the battle. However, it's the events themselves that determine when someone has taken a significant action. Events help identify whether someone made a purchase, registered, searched, or performed another important action on your site. Custom conversions aid in providing detailed reports, such as specifying the exact product purchased.

Failures in this area typically boil down to three main issues:

1. Misunderstanding their role and unique purpose: Do you know the difference between standard events, custom events, and custom conversions? Most advertisers do not, often confusing custom events with custom conversions. Advertisers may attempt to use one in place of another when, in fact, all three should be utilized.
2. Incorrect or incomplete setup: Standard events should ideally be set up for all critical actions. For unique actions not predefined, create custom events and pass necessary details through parameters. Create custom conversions to add detail to reporting.
3. Overreporting or underreporting: The pixel, Conversions API, and events must be correctly configured to trigger on the right page and at the right time. Incorrect setup can lead to sending too many or too few events, affecting reporting accuracy.

Inability to Understand Conversion Result Meanings

One of the major pitfalls is misunderstanding the results — how they are calculated and the context underlying various types of attribution. By default, conversions are counted if someone clicks on your ad and converts within seven days or views your ad and converts within a day (without clicking). Many advertisers are unaware of this. They often assume that all conversions in the results are due to someone clicking on their ad and converting immediately.

Conversions may not be instant. They could happen later on the same day, within seven days, or without the user clicking at all but merely seeing your ad.

Attribution mistakes often stem from not realizing that not all conversions are the same or that all conversions of a specific type (one-day click or one-day view) are always good or bad.

If you're an experienced advertiser who understands the nuances of different types of attribution, you'll regularly use the attribution window comparison feature to see how your results are distributed. You might even add a column for 28-day clicks, which otherwise remains in the shadows.

Always Leaving Attribution Settings at Default

A significant mistake is not understanding how attribution settings apply both to standard reporting and ad display optimization.

By default, attribution is set to 7-day click and 1-day view. This means not only that conversions occurring within this window will be reflected in reports, but also that Meta will optimize ad delivery to people more likely to convert within this window.

If you're optimizing ads for sales, a 7-day click and 1-day view attribution makes sense. However, for other types of conversions, this may not be ideal. Claiming that a view-through conversion relates to purchases is an exaggeration. Users either directly visit your site or search for your product on Google.

This explanation of view-through conversion becomes unsuccessful when dealing with typical leads. It also applies to optimizing for user engagement-based custom events, which can occur multiple times. As a result, Meta may overstate results simply by showing ads to people who regularly visit your site (even if they don't click).

The solution is to adjust the attribution settings in these cases to only include 1-day clicks. Since views are not counted as conversions by default, the algorithm won't optimize for this type of conversion.

However, you can still see 1-day view conversions. They just won't be included in default reporting. To view them, use the attribution window comparison feature. Expect them to be fewer if they're not included in the ad set's attribution settings.

• The material is prepared by the Facebook account shop fb1.shop.
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