Web2App · Published 2024-09-05 · 2 min read
Part 1: where are my conversions?
The problem
You have set up your first Google Ads campaign for an iOS app. You can see the installs in Firebase, Adjust or AppsFlyer. There are even subscriptions and purchases. But for some reason Google Ads is not showing any conversions.
The bad news: the conversions are not going to appear in Google Ads. The good news: you are not alone, and there is a solution.
How it all works
The diagram is attached. Three traffic sources: Facebook, organic and Google Ads.
- The app asks the user for permission to access the device identifier through the ATT dialog.
- The app sends ALL conversions to Google Ads.
- Google Ads shows only some conversions in the dashboard: the ones that came from Google Ads and gave ATT consent.
That third point is the one to understand. Google Ads listens to every conversion but only displays the attributed ones.
What is ATT?
The mechanism iTunes uses to protect the user's data. Until the user consents to sharing the device identifier, the app cannot pass that identifier on.
Then why can I see conversions and revenue in Firebase or AppsFlyer?
Careful — this is the most important part of the article.
Firebase, or AppsFlyer, is an MMP. An MMP does NOT need the device identifier to work out which campaign a user belongs to. It uses other methods. Or, briefly, every MMP has its own attribution mechanism. More about those in future articles.
Why are there no conversions in Google Ads?
Because Google Ads only shows users who gave ATT consent, and those are around 10%. Google Ads uses the most precise and reliable approach, and because it is so conservative we do not see most of the conversions in the dashboard.
And even if a user did give ATT consent, that is no guarantee they will count as an attributed conversion. Why? Because nobody knows the internals of Google Ads and who exactly it considers its own.
But Firebase managed to count them somehow
Firebase is not restricted at all, technically or legally. An MMP turns the sensitivity of its algorithms up to maximum. An ad network turns it down to minimum.
How does this relate to SKAdNetwork?
It does not. Google Ads does not use SKAdNetwork by default.
So what do I do to make the installs appear?
Keep reading the channel. I will explain everything.
At this stage the thing to understand is that if you can see 10% of your conversions, you are doing well. That is the highest figure achievable with the classic approach.