Why there can be a discrepancy between Facebook data shown in Launch and Google Analytics.

In this article, we will discuss what are data discrepancies, differentiations in tracking methods of Facebook Ads Manager & Google Analytics, and differentiations between attribution models.

In advertising, it is a recurring topic to accurately match Facebook conversions and click metrics to the data in Google Analytics. This is due to the fact that both platforms track performance differently. 

What are data discrepancies?

Data discrepancies in analytics are when different platforms indicate a difference in information and results. 

Wonderkind’s Talent Attraction Tool utilizes end channels such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google. Since these channels track data differently, it is very likely that these discrepancies in data will occur. 

Tracking differentiations from Facebook Ads Manager & Google Analytics

To capture data about website visitors, Google Analytics utilizes first-party cookies. Meaning that when a candidate does not accept the cookies, or disable JavaScript, the data cannot be tracked or captured by Google Analytics. 

Facebook does not require cookies to register a click on an advertisement. In order to use Facebook, you as a user need to be logged in. Therefore, it is easier for Facebook to attribute certain actions to their user base. 

Additionally, due to pixel tracking via Facebook, it results in the fact that it can be tracked when a certain action starts on one device and is completed on another. Google Analytics, on the other hand, does not pick up on this phenomenon. 

Furthermore, another explanation is that a candidate will disengage from the landing page before the Google Analytics tracking code fires. This mostly occurs when a candidate clicks an ad by accident. If this is the case, Facebook will record the action. On the other hand, Google Analytics did not get the chance to record the session. 

With the above mentioned, it can be concluded that there is a strong possibility that Facebook records certain actions which Google Analytics does not. 

Differentiation between attribution models

In the case of a conversion, Facebook automatically attributes the result to the advertisement which a candidate engaged with. Even in the event of no click. 

Meaning that Facebook will still register a conversion when a candidate sees a job ad and does not click, but later visits a website organically and applies on the website. 

To give some further context to this principle, a 7-day window for click-through conversions and a 24-hour window for view-through conversions are used by Facebook. 

Google Analytics only supports a click-through attribution and therefore would not register the conversion described above since, according to their data, the candidate landed on the website organically.
It does not consider any influence that a job has had on a candidate. 

Google Analytics would only register an event from Facebook if the candidate directly landed on the landing page via the job ad.