Meta conversions not matching your shop: why, and which number to use

What Meta counts as a purchase

Meta credits a purchase to an ad according to the attribution setting of the ad set. With standard attribution, these windows are available for website conversions (Meta Business Help):

• Click-through: purchases within 1 day or 7 days after a link click on the ad.
• View-through: purchases within 1 day after someone saw the ad, without clicking.
• Engage-through: purchases within 1 day after a click on the ad that wasn't a link click, or after a video was played for 5 seconds.

Ads Manager only shows events attributed to someone who was shown your ad and removes duplicates, for example when the same event arrives several times for one person in a short period. Events Manager, by contrast, shows attributed and unattributed events, including organic traffic and visits from other platforms (Meta Business Help). Where events can't be counted directly because data is missing, Meta may use statistical modeling (Meta Business Help).

What your shop counts

Your shop's order list contains all orders: from Meta ads, from Google, from a newsletter, from people who typed in your address. It knows nothing about who saw which ad. It also shows refunds and cancellations, which change what an order was worth in the end.

Why Meta can show more purchases than the shop assigns to it

• View-through. A purchase within a day after someone only saw your ad can count for Meta, even if the person later came through a search ad or a newsletter. In your shop, that order belongs to the other channel.
• Different rules in different tools. Third-party reporting tools may use other attribution windows than Meta (Meta Business Help). Each tool credits the purchase by its own rules, so two channels can end up claiming the same order.
• Duplicate pixel fires. If Ads Reporting shows more conversions than your other tools, Meta suggests checking for duplicate pixel fires with the Meta Ads Data Advisor; redirects can cause them (Meta Business Help).

Why Meta can show fewer purchases

• Outside the window. Someone clicks today and buys ten days later. With a 7-day click window, Meta doesn't count it; your shop does.
• No Meta ad involved. Orders from people who were never shown one of your ads don't appear in Ads Manager.
• Browser and connection problems. The Meta Pixel runs in the browser and is more affected by loading errors, connectivity issues and ad blockers than the Conversions API, which connects your server or shop platform directly with Meta. Meta recommends using both (Meta Business Help).
• Pixel set-up. If Ads Reporting shows fewer conversions, Meta points to pixels that piggyback on existing tag managers and to set-up errors (Meta Business Help).

So there is no general rule that Meta counts more or fewer. It depends on your attribution setting, your tracking set-up and how much of your revenue comes from other channels.

How to compare the two numbers

Meta's troubleshooting steps for reporting differences, in a sensible order (Meta Business Help):

1. Same time zone. Set Ads Manager and your shop report to the same time zone.
2. Same conversion date. In Ads Reporting, you can report conversions by the time of conversion or by the time of the impression. For a comparison with shop orders, use the time of conversion.
3. Same window. Note which attribution setting your ad sets use, and compare with a shop report that uses a similar window, if your tool offers one.
4. Raw pixel fires. Compare the purchase events in Events Manager with the orders in your shop. If the count matches but the value doesn't, check currency, decimal places and the other variables in your purchase event.
5. UTM parameters. Put UTM parameters on your ads so the shop knows which campaign and ad an order came from. In Ads Manager, you add them under Tracking, as fixed values or dynamic parameters such as utm_content={{ad.id}} (Meta Business Help).

Which number to use

Use Meta's number to compare campaigns and ads with each other inside Meta. The attribution model of an ad set also informs how Meta delivers your ads (Meta Business Help). Use the shop's number for revenue, margin and the question of whether advertising pays off, because it is the money that came in. Where both are needed, put them side by side per campaign. The ROAS guide shows how much the choice changes the result.

How aurexus helps

aurexus puts both views next to each other. Connect Shopify or WooCommerce, and new orders arrive every five minutes. aurexus matches them to your Meta ads through their UTM parameters: first by the ad ID, then by the ad name, otherwise to the campaign only. Orders from other sources, such as Google or a newsletter, don't count for Meta. Without UTM parameters, an order can't be matched.

A switch shows purchases, revenue and ROAS either by Meta or by your shop. Revenue is the order total in your shop's currency, with refunds deducted. Check UTM lists active ads that don't carry matching UTM parameters, so you can fix them before the next order comes in. All of this sits next to the spend you already see on the dashboard.

The shop comparison is a beta, included in the paid plans Pro and Agency. More on the page for online stores.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't Meta Pixel conversions match Shopify?

Because each side counts by its own rules. Meta counts purchases attributed to your ads within the attribution setting, for example up to 7 days after a click or 1 day after a view (Meta Business Help). Shopify lists all orders from all sources. Time zone, conversion date and pixel set-up add further differences (Meta Business Help).

Which number is right: Meta or my shop?

Both, for different questions. Meta's number shows which ads Meta credits with a purchase, under the same attribution model that informs its ad delivery. The shop's number shows the revenue you actually received. For profitability, go by the shop; to compare ads inside Meta, go by Meta.

Why does Meta count fewer purchases than my shop?

Often because the shop also contains orders from other channels, or because purchases happened outside the attribution window. Pixel events can also get lost through browser errors or ad blockers; the Conversions API is less affected (Meta Business Help).

How does the attribution window change conversions?

The window decides how long after a click or view a purchase still counts for an ad. A 7-day click window credits more purchases than a 1-day window, and view-through adds purchases by people who only saw the ad (Meta Business Help).