Meta ads and Google ads are claiming the same conversion, how is this possible
Meta Ads and Google Ads can both claim the same conversion. If a visitor clicks on ads from both platforms, or views ads from both platforms (in the case of Google Ads, this only applies to display campaigns), both advertising platforms have contributed to the conversion.
Meta Ads receives all events that are set up via Server-Side Tagging and sent to Meta, including conversion events like a purchase event. These events include certain parameters, such as fbc or fbp information.
An fbc cookie is placed in the visitor’s session if they arrive on the site via a click on a Meta Ads campaign. This fbc cookie can be used for up to 7 days after the click to attribute the conversion to the campaign. So, if someone clicks on your Facebook or Instagram ad and makes a purchase within a week, the fbc information is sent with that purchase event, allowing Meta Ads to attribute the purchase to their campaigns.
An fbp cookie is placed in every visitor’s session if they are logged into a Meta platform like Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp in their browser or on their device. Everyone with a WhatsApp, Instagram, or Facebook account has their own identification number in the form of an fbp cookie. With Server-Side Tagging, this fbp cookie is stored for an average of two years. When Meta Ads receives a conversion event that includes fbp information, Meta Ads checks if that profile has seen an ad from the same Meta Pixel in the last 24 hours. If Meta Ads identifies that a visitor with a specific fbp number has seen an ad on one of their platforms, they know they contributed to the conversion.
Google Ads receives all conversions that are set up in your sGTM container. All of these conversions are sent to Google Ads with specific parameters, such as the wbraid, gbraid, and gclid.
gclid (Google Click Identifier) is a tracking parameter used by Google to synchronize information between the Google Analytics account and the Google Ads account. Whenever a user clicks on a Google ad, Google automatically adds a unique parameter to the landing URL. The gclid present in all GA4 events contains information about where a visitor came from.
wbraid is used for web-to-app measurements, and gbraid is used for app-to-app measurements. Google introduced these new URL parameters as part of compliance with Apple’s ATT framework to link conversions back to ad campaigns. These parameters work with modeled conversions to improve the accuracy of iOS traffic measurements.
Scenario
A visitor clicks on a Facebook campaign for your shoe webshop because they are interested in the pair of shoes they see in the ad. They browse your site but decide not to make a purchase, although they are still interested in your product. A few days later, they decide they want to buy your product, so they open their browser and type “buy shoes” into the search bar. You advertise on this search term through Google Ads, and your Google Ads campaign appears at the top. The visitor clicks on your Google Ads search ad. During this session, the visitor does make a purchase. Meta Ads and Google Ads both receive a purchase event with parameters that allow them to see that their campaign contributed to the sale.
Meta Ads Situation at the Time of Conversion
Meta Ads receives all events that are set up via Server-Side Tagging and sent to Meta, including conversion events like a purchase event. These events include certain parameters, such as fbc or fbp information.
fbc Cookie
An fbc cookie is placed in the visitor’s session if they arrive on the site via a click on a Meta Ads campaign. This fbc cookie can be used for up to 7 days after the click to attribute the conversion to the campaign. So, if someone clicks on your Facebook or Instagram ad and makes a purchase within a week, the fbc information is sent with that purchase event, allowing Meta Ads to attribute the purchase to their campaigns.
fbp Cookie
An fbp cookie is placed in every visitor’s session if they are logged into a Meta platform like Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp in their browser or on their device. Everyone with a WhatsApp, Instagram, or Facebook account has their own identification number in the form of an fbp cookie. With Server-Side Tagging, this fbp cookie is stored for an average of two years. When Meta Ads receives a conversion event that includes fbp information, Meta Ads checks if that profile has seen an ad from the same Meta Pixel in the last 24 hours. If Meta Ads identifies that a visitor with a specific fbp number has seen an ad on one of their platforms, they know they contributed to the conversion.
Google Ads Situation at the Time of Conversion
Google Ads receives all conversions that are set up in your sGTM container. All of these conversions are sent to Google Ads with specific parameters, such as the wbraid, gbraid, and gclid.
gclid
gclid (Google Click Identifier) is a tracking parameter used by Google to synchronize information between the Google Analytics account and the Google Ads account. Whenever a user clicks on a Google ad, Google automatically adds a unique parameter to the landing URL. The gclid present in all GA4 events contains information about where a visitor came from.
gbraid & wbraid
wbraid is used for web-to-app measurements, and gbraid is used for app-to-app measurements. Google introduced these new URL parameters as part of compliance with Apple’s ATT framework to link conversions back to ad campaigns. These parameters work with modeled conversions to improve the accuracy of iOS traffic measurements.
Scenario
A visitor clicks on a Facebook campaign for your shoe webshop because they are interested in the pair of shoes they see in the ad. They browse your site but decide not to make a purchase, although they are still interested in your product. A few days later, they decide they want to buy your product, so they open their browser and type “buy shoes” into the search bar. You advertise on this search term through Google Ads, and your Google Ads campaign appears at the top. The visitor clicks on your Google Ads search ad. During this session, the visitor does make a purchase. Meta Ads and Google Ads both receive a purchase event with parameters that allow them to see that their campaign contributed to the sale.
Updated on: 16/08/2024
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