About conversion discrepancies in TikTok Ads Manager

TikTok Pixel is multi-session, which are conversions that didn't happen immediately after an ad click but still occur within the conversion window. You may see discrepancies between third-party reporting tools and TikTok Ads Manager. These discrepancies occur for a variety of reasons and this information can help inform marketing decisions instead of having to reconcile both numbers.

Note: Ensure you are using UTM parameters within your TikTok ads correctly. This will allow the third-party reporting tool to start capturing TikTok conversions (with limitations) and it's important they are applied to all of your landing page URLs.

Common reasons for discrepancies

• Google Analytics' UTM tags are single session, while TikTok's Pixel is multi-session.

• TikTok's in-app browser can lead to underreporting in Google Analytics.

• Google Analytics is a cross-platform measurement tool, while TikTok only measures TikTok ads.

• Third-party reporting tools may have different attribution methodologies than TikTok.

• Ad blocking and browser settings may affect accuracy of tracking impressions.

• Conversion date and timezone settings may affect accuracy of tracking impressions.

Explanations for discrepancies

Google Analytics’ UTM tags are single-session, while TikTok’s pixel is multi-session

For TikTok to receive credit in Google Analytics, a person must click on an ad, then convert immediately. TikTok will record conversions in Ads Manager when a person clicks and then later returns to the website and completes the conversion within 24 hours. Multi-session conversions account for the majority of conversions in TikTok Ads Manager. Such conversions are not recorded in the third-party reporting tool and may be attributed to other channels.

TikTok’s in-app browser can lead to underreporting in Google Analytics

TikTok ad clicks often lead to opening a webpage within TikTok’s in-app browser. Similar to other apps, these in-app browsers sometimes block Google Analytics from logging the proper referral channel. Someone may click on a TikTok ad, which will open the URL in the TikTok browser rather than take them to the external site. In these instances, Google Analytics may not always recognize that the person has accessed the website via TikTok, and instead record it as organic or direct traffic. TikTok will always recognize itself as the referrer and correctly log all conversions that result from a TikTok ad click.

Google Analytics is a cross-platform measurement tool, while TikTok only measures TikTok ads

People may discover a product or service on TikTok, then search for that product/service on a search engine and complete the purchase. If the attribution settings are the last click in Google Analytics (which is the default), the channel with the last touchpoint will often get the full conversion credit and TikTok will receive none. Due to this, TikTok conversions in Google Analytics or the third-party tool are often underreported.

Third-party reporting tools may have different attribution methodologies than TikTok

TikTok and Google Analytics have different attribution methodologies. At TikTok, attribution is made up of many matching methods including email, phone, IP, UA, and other techniques. Google Analytics attributions are based on cookies and UTM trackers, with some channels receiving modeled conversions. These different methodologies often result in different conversion numbers.

Ad blocking and browser settings may affect accuracy of tracking impressions

Certain ad-blocking software may block tracking mechanisms used by analytics tools. As a result, analytics tools may not be able to accurately track all user sessions, and TikTok sessions may be attributed to other channels.

Conversion date and timezone settings may affect accuracy of tracking impressions

Conversions on TikTok are reported based on the impression time of the ad that led to the conversion. Depending on how and when a third-party tracks conversions, you may see different metrics for conversion and attribution if they report based on time of conversion or another metric. When you set up your TikTok Ads Manager account, you are instructed to determine a time zone. If the time zone on your TikTok Ads Manager account varies from the time zone in your third-party reporting tool, this can impact the recorded metrics as well.

Next steps

• Learn about click discrepancies in TikTok Ads Manager.