Been looking at our attribution data and something feels off. We’re getting conversions but the path users actually take seems way more complex than what shows up in our dashboards.
Anyone else finding gaps between what analytics report and what’s really happening?
Track what actually converts not just what gets clicks.
Your analytics are showing you a highlight reel, not the full movie. Most tools default to 7-day or 30-day attribution windows. But users can take 90+ days to convert, especially for apps that cost money. I track cohorts by first touchpoint and watch them for 6 months. The channel that looks worst at 30 days often has the highest LTV users. Also check your organic traffic spikes after paid campaigns. Paid ads create brand searches that show up as organic conversions. You’re probably spending more efficiently than your dashboard suggests.
iOS 14 changes made this worse too. Lost a lot of visibility into what actually drives conversions.
Yeah, this hits close to home. Been seeing the same thing across different app campaigns.
The issue is most attribution models only show the last touchpoint or give credit to just a few interactions. But users might see your ad on Facebook, search for your brand later, click an email, then finally convert through organic.
What I started doing is looking at user surveys alongside the data. Simple post-install questions like “How did you first hear about us?” The answers often don’t match what my attribution dashboard shows.
Also found that cross-device journeys mess things up big time. Someone sees your ad on desktop but downloads on mobile - that connection gets lost in most tracking setups.
Try pulling data from multiple sources and comparing. Google Analytics, your ad platforms, and even customer feedback. The real story usually sits somewhere in between all of them.
The tracking gets messy when you have multiple touchpoints across different platforms.
I usually set up UTM parameters for everything and check which campaigns actually bring users who convert to paid plans. The attribution might say Facebook but the paying users often come from a completely different source.
Customer lifetime value by channel tells a better story than just looking at install numbers.