Meta and Google only count the sales that reach them, and a lot never do. You fix it by sending conversions more reliably. Use a browser tag for the basics, plus server-side sending for the sales the browser misses. Most sites should use both.
Say your store shows 40 orders this week. You open Meta Ads Manager, and it says 22, Google Ads says 18. Nobody is lying here, the ad platforms only count the sales they hear about, and the rest never reach them. Meta and Google use those counts to decide who sees your ads. So missing sales make your ads worse over time.
Let’s get into it.
Why do Meta and Google need your conversion data?
A conversion is the action you pay ads to get. It could be a purchase, a lead form, a booked call or a signup.
Meta and Google use your conversions in three ways.
Reporting
You judge which ads work by the conversions each platform shows you. If the platform under-counts, a good campaign looks weak. You might pause it, even though it was bringing in sales.
Optimization
Both platforms learn who to show your ads to from the people who converted. Fewer conversions means fewer signals to learn from. So learning is slower, and each result costs you more.
Audiences
Meta and Google build retargeting and lookalike audiences from people who converted. A lookalike audience is a group of new people who look like your buyers. If conversions go missing, these audiences shrink and get less accurate.
Why does conversion data go missing?
Most of the gap comes from a few common causes:
- Ad blockers stop tracking scripts from loading at all.
- Cookie banners. The browser tag does not track visitors who decline cookies.
- Browser limits. Safari and Firefox limit how long tracking cookies last, so returning visitors look new.
- Sales that happen later. Some sales close offline, on a call or in your CRM. Your website never sees them.
- Site changes. A new form plugin or a removed thank-you page can quietly break tracking.
You can check how big your gap is in a few minutes. Count last week’s orders or leads in your store or CRM. Then compare that with what Meta and Google report for the same week. A small gap is normal. A large gap means a lot of sales never reach the platforms.
The fix is to send conversion data more reliably. There are two broad ways to do it.
What are the two ways to send conversions?
Every method falls into one of two groups: client-side or server-side. There is also a middle option that sits between them.
Client-side (browser) tracking
Client-side means a small script runs in your visitor’s browser. The Meta Pixel and the Google tag are both client-side scripts. When someone buys, their browser tells Meta or Google.
It is easy to set up, often with a WordPress plugin. A lot of marketers also add it through Google Tag Manager, a free tool for managing tags. The weakness is the browser itself. Ad blockers, cookie banners and browser limits can all stop the script from sending anything.
Server-side tracking
Server-side means your website’s server, your store or your CRM sends the conversion straight to Meta or Google. The visitor’s browser is not involved. So ad blockers and cookie limits don’t matter at all. It takes more setup, and some options add a monthly hosting cost. But it is the only way to send sales that happen offline or later.
The middle option: tags on your own domain
Here the script still runs in the browser. But it loads and sends data through your own domain, instead of Google’s or Meta’s. Ad blockers block fewer of these requests, because they look like part of your own site.
| Client-side | Own domain (proxy) | Server-side | |
| Where it runs | Visitor’s browser | Browser, routed through your domain | Your server, store or CRM |
| Setup effort | Low | Medium | Medium to high |
| Blocked by ad blockers | Often | Less often | Rarely |
| Can send offline sales | No | No | Yes |
| Best for | Getting started | A quick improvement for Google | Stores and lead-gen businesses spending on ads |
Why should you use both?
The best setup for most businesses uses the browser tag and server-side sending together. The browser catches what it can, and the server fills the gaps. The platforms then remove duplicates, so they count each sale once. This is called deduplication, and it only works if both sides label each sale the same way.
What are your options for Google Ads?
Here are Google’s methods, simplest first. For each one, I’ll say what it is and who it suits.
1. The Google tag or a Google Tag Manager conversion tag
This is the standard browser setup. The tag fires when someone reaches a thank-you page or submits a form. On WordPress, plugins like Google’s own Site Kit make it easy. It suits everyone as a starting point.
2. Importing GA4 key events into Google Ads
If you already use GA4 (Google Analytics 4), you can mark events as key events. Then you can import them into Google Ads as conversions. This is simple, but it inherits GA4’s gaps. If GA4 misses a sale, Google Ads misses it too.
3. Enhanced conversions
With enhanced conversions, your tag also sends the customer’s email or phone number. Your site hashes it first. Hashing scrambles it into a code that nobody can turn back into the email. Google uses that code to match the sale to a signed-in Google user. You get a big gain in accuracy for very little work.
Note: In June 2026, Google merged enhanced conversions for web and for leads into one on/off setting. You no longer choose a separate setup method.
4. Google tag gateway
Google tag gateway loads Google’s tags through your own domain. This is the middle option from earlier, so fewer requests get blocked. The easiest setups are through Cloudflare or Google Cloud. On Cloudflare it is free to switch on. It only helps Google’s tags, not Meta’s.
5. Server-side Google Tag Manager
Here you run your own tagging server. Your site sends data to it, and it forwards that data to Google Ads, GA4 and other tools. You get more control, but it takes more setup. You also pay to host the server. Hosted options like Stape save you from running it yourself.
6. Offline and CRM conversions
This is for leads that turn into sales later, like a deal closed on a call. You send the sale back to Google with the customer’s details or the click ID. A click ID is a code Google adds to the link when someone clicks your ad. Google calls the current version enhanced conversions for leads. You send it through Google Ads Data Manager, using a built-in connector, a file upload, or the API. This changed in 2026. Since June 2026, new offline uploads go through Google’s Data Manager API, not the Google Ads API. So many older guides on this are now out of date.
Consent Mode
If your site shows a cookie banner, Google’s tags need to know each visitor’s choice. Consent Mode is how they get it. I cover this in the caveats below. The technical guide linked at the end covers each Google method step by step. That includes Consent Mode settings and what an offline upload contains.
What are your options for Meta (Facebook and Instagram ads)?
Meta’s options follow the same order, simplest first. That makes it easy to compare them with Google’s.
1. Meta Pixel
The Meta Pixel is Meta’s browser script. It fires standard events like Purchase, Lead and CompleteRegistration. Most people add it with a WordPress plugin or through Google Tag Manager. Like the Google tag, it can be blocked.
2. Advanced matching
With advanced matching, the Pixel also sends hashed customer details, like an email address. Meta then matches more of your events to real accounts. You can switch on automatic advanced matching in Events Manager. Events Manager is the part of Meta’s ads tools where your Pixel and events live.
3. Conversions API (CAPI)
The Conversions API is Meta’s server-side method. Your server or store sends the same events straight to Meta. This is the main fix for a blocked Pixel. The event still reaches Meta, even if the browser never sends it.
Ways to set up the Conversions API
You have four main routes:
- Partner integrations. Shopify and WooCommerce have plugins that send events for you.
- Meta’s Conversions API Gateway. Meta’s ready-made setup that runs on cloud hosting, so there is a monthly hosting cost.
- Server-side Google Tag Manager. Add a Meta tag to the same tagging server you use for Google.
- A direct connection. A developer connects your backend straight to Meta’s API.
4. Offline and CRM events
Some leads only become customers later. Your CRM can send that sale to Meta through the Conversions API too.
Run the Pixel and CAPI together
This is the one thing to get right with Meta. Run the Pixel and the Conversions API together, and give both the same event ID for each sale. An event ID is a unique label for one event. When Meta sees the same event name and event ID from both, it counts the sale once, not twice.
Event Match Quality
Event Match Quality is a score from 0 to 10 in Events Manager. It shows how well Meta can match your events to real people. Sending more good customer details, like email and phone, raises the score. The technical guide linked at the end covers the fields Meta needs and how deduplication works. It also walks through an example Purchase event.
What should you watch out for?
These methods help a lot, but each comes with something to get right. Here is what to check:
Consent still applies
Sending data from your server or your own domain does not remove the need for consent. Respect each visitor’s cookie banner choice. Pass it to Google through Consent Mode, and to Meta as well.
Double counting
Two plugins doing the same job can count one sale twice. So can the Pixel and CAPI without a shared event ID. After installing any new plugin, check for duplicate tags.
Send only real conversions
Mark purchases, qualified leads and signups as conversions. Page views and button clicks are not conversions. If you send them as conversions, the platforms learn from the wrong actions.
Send the sale value
Include the value and currency of each sale where you can. The platforms can then aim for valuable customers, not just more customers.
Never send raw personal data
Hash emails and phone numbers before you send them. Avoid sensitive details, like health or financial information. Meta also limits what some industries, like health, can send.
Own-domain routing is not a full fix
Some ad blockers now block tracking on your own domain too. Treat it as an improvement, not a complete fix.
Redesigns break tracking
A new theme, form plugin or checkout can silently stop your conversions. Test your tracking every time the site changes.
The numbers will never match exactly
Meta, Google and your store count sales differently. Each platform also credits sales to its own ads. Aim for numbers that are close, then compare them against your real orders every week.
—————————————————–
Wrapping up
Read the detailed technical guide to sending conversions to Google Ads and Meta see our. It also covers which setup suits which type of business.
Revised by
Ansh Agrawal
Founder of Datalyze, a product analytics consultancy. We’ve worked with 150+ companies, from seed to Series C, to set up their analytics infrastructure, turn data into insights, unify data across tools, and build an AI layer on top of it.
