Social Media & Web Analysis
Why do statistics differ between social media platforms and web analytics tools – and how does it affect your advertising budget?
If you advertise on social media, you’ve probably noticed that the number of clicks reported by the platforms doesn’t always match the number of visits (sessions) in your web analytics tool (such as Google Analytics, Piwik Pro or Matomo). This discrepancy can sometimes be significant, making it feel like you’re “losing” valuable traffic along the way. In this post, we take a closer look at the typical journey a visitor takes from clicking on a social media ad to arriving on your website – and explain why these differences can occur. From the initial click to final conversion, we walk you through each step. We also share tips on how to make sure your ad budget is used as effectively as possible.
What happens?
The user sees your ad or post in their feed and taps the link to learn more or make a purchase.
Potential issues
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Unverified clicks: Social media platforms may register “ghost clicks” from bots, which can inflate your click numbers in the ad reports.
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Different definitions of a click: A click in a social media app doesn’t always correspond to a “session” in your web analytics tool.
What happens?
After the click, an in-app browser opens within the social media platform and the landing page begins to load.
Potential issues
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Loading time: In-app browsers are often slightly slower than standard browsers, which means the page may load more slowly. This increases the risk that the visitor closes the page before it can be properly tracked.
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Cookies: The in-app browser does not use the same cookies as the user’s default browser (e.g. Chrome or Safari), making it harder to track returning visitors. However, cookies are still stored within the in-app browser for repeated visits to the same site. Note that some apps use different components to render webpages – for instance, Android Custom Tabs can allow cookies to be shared between the in-app browser and the user’s regular browser.
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Limited tracking: The platform may inject its own tracking code into the website, which can interfere with your existing tracking setup.
What happens?
In accordance with GDPR and other privacy regulations, the website displays a cookie consent banner, requiring the visitor to actively accept or reject cookies for tracking and digital marketing purposes.
Potential issues
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Disruption to the user journey: Some visitors may close the page when the cookie banner appears, instead of making a selection.
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Lack of consent: If the visitor does not give consent to cookies, your ability to track the session and follow up on conversions is affected. In-app browsers do retain cookies between visits, so if a user has previously accepted or declined cookies, the banner will not reappear.
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With or without cookies: If your website uses cookieless tracking – such as Google Analytics’ Advanced Consent Mode – or similar solutions in other analytics tools, the discrepancy between web analytics and social media data will be smaller. Meta does not currently offer an equivalent to Advanced Consent Mode.
What happens?
The visitor might click through the site, read the content, abandon the session, or switch to their default browser.
Potential issues
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Short session duration: Even if the visitor has previously accepted or declined cookies on your site, they may still leave before tracking has fully registered.
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Switching browsers: Some users choose to open the page in their standard browser instead of the in-app browser. Since cookies are not shared between browsers, this breaks the link between the original click and any later conversion – meaning the campaign won’t get “credit” for the conversion.
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Different attribution windows: Different platforms use different timeframes for attributing conversions. This can cause discrepancies when comparing data between social media platforms and web analytics tools. For example, Meta’s default attribution window is 7 days post-click or 1 day post-impression, whereas Google typically uses a 30-day post-click window.
Summary
Understanding why the click numbers in social media ad reports don’t always match the visits recorded in your web analytics tool is key to using your ad budget effectively. By identifying the technical challenges at each step of the user journey – and knowing how both clicks and conversions are measured – you can avoid misinvestments and allocate your budget where it truly delivers results.
To avoid wasting your ad spend, consider the following:
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If you’re working with a large ad budget, consider using a dedicated attribution tool. This often gives a clearer picture of which channels and campaigns are actually driving conversions.
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Other, more advanced steps include optimising your landing pages, reviewing how your cookie banner is displayed, and evaluating the risks and limitations of cookieless tracking.
Some discrepancy between social media “clicks” and visits in your analytics tool is nearly unavoidable. A difference of up to 20% is not unusual. But if the gap approaches 30–40%, it’s definitely time to investigate the cause.
Are you or your marketing team struggling with mismatched statistics – or would you like help understanding your data and making your ad campaigns more efficient? Don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’ll guide you and help you find the right strategy to maximise the return on every penny spent!