Which attribution window should I use?

Match the purchase cycle: short windows for impulse buys, 7 or 28 days for considered decisions. Then hold it constant, the specific choice matters less than consistency, because every change redraws history and breaks trend lines.

Why do Meta and Google report different conversion counts?

Different windows, different attribution logic, and each claims conversions the other also touched, so their sum exceeds the order database every time. Align windows when comparing, and let one blended source, analytics or the backend, arbitrate totals.

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Attribution Window

An attribution window is the period after a click or view during which a resulting conversion is credited to an ad.

Common settings include a 7-day click and 1-day view window. A longer window captures more delayed conversions but can overstate an ad's role. Choosing it affects how performance looks and how channels are compared.

Windows should mirror the purchase cycle: impulse products live comfortably in 1-day-click reporting, considered purchases need 7 or 28 days for the numbers to mean anything. Two rules keep analysis honest. Compare channels only on identical windows, most cross-channel arguments dissolve once the windows match. And remember platform reports each claim their own credit inside their own windows, so summed platform conversions exceed reality; a blended source of truth, analytics or the order database, arbitrates. When windows change, platform policy or your choice, annotate the date, or the trend line lies.

Example

The same month under two windows. 7-day click: 130 conversions credited. 1-day click: 71. Neither is wrong: the product has a research phase, and half of buyers return days later. The mistake was comparing this platform's 7-day numbers against another channel's 1-day report and concluding the first "performed better". Windows must match before numbers may be compared.

Frequently asked questions

Which attribution window should I use?: Match the purchase cycle: short windows for impulse buys, 7 or 28 days for considered decisions. Then hold it constant, the specific choice matters less than consistency, because every change redraws history and breaks trend lines.
Why do Meta and Google report different conversion counts?: Different windows, different attribution logic, and each claims conversions the other also touched, so their sum exceeds the order database every time. Align windows when comparing, and let one blended source, analytics or the backend, arbitrate totals.

Related terms

Attribution Model Conversion ROAS

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