This article will provide a few explanations as to why conversions and clicks don't match on your report.
There are a couple of reasons why these do not always match.
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- Clicks and Conversions are Different Metrics. A ‘click’ and ‘conversion’ don’t happen at the same time. For example, you click on a display ad and close your browser before the landing page fully loads. This would count as a click, but not as a conversion because the landing page (where the conversion pixel is placed ideally) hasn't had a chance to load and register that a conversion has taken place.
- The Pixel Code has not Been Placed on the Landing Page. This might sound like a no-brainer, but it happens too often that a landing page doesn’t contain the pixel tracking code it needs in order to register a conversion that has taken place. If this happens, a click is measured, but no conversion will come through in the reporting.
- Automatic Redirect of the Landing Page. If your landing page immediately redirects you to another page after clicking on the ad, this will also cause a click and conversion discrepancy. For example, let's say you've set your landing page to direct people to www.example.com/test/ after they've clicked on the display ad and this landing page is also where you placed the conversion pixel in order to track conversions on this page. But let's say with the way the client's site is structured, that this landing page (when entered into a browser) automatically redirects the user to this new page instead - www.example.com/test/thisisanexample. And this new page the user is redirected to does not have the pixel code placed on it to track a conversion on this page. So, the click would be registered because you clicked on the display ad, but unless the pixel code is placed on the new, redirected page (www.example.com/test/thisisanexample), then a conversion will not be logged.
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Bookmarking Conversion URLs. Let's say someone clicks on your display ad offering cheap holidays in Brazil. If the offer looks good, the user might bookmark this URL. This would count as a single click and multiple conversions each time this person navigates back to this bookmarked URL (if the pixel code is placed on this page).
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Browser/Cookie Settings of the Visitor. There is a possibility that the conversion doesn’t get measured because of the browser settings of the website visitor. If the person indicates not to accept certain cookies within their browser settings, the conversion is not measured by the platform. However, you still see the click within your data.
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Mobile vs Desktop Due. to cookies being more difficult to recognize/retrieve on mobile devices, it can be harder to track conversions on these devices than it is on desktop devices. If you are running a campaign primarily to mobile devices (as we do with Device ID and Microproximity campaigns), it's possible conversions will be fewer than clicks because while the click of the ad is easily recognized/reported, the cookies on the mobile device may not be there for it to recognize a conversion has taken place, even if the pixel code is placed correctly on the page.