28/10/2026
Each ad platform counts conversions using its own rules and its own attribution window. If a customer sees a Meta ad, then searches for your brand on Google and buys, both platforms can report that sale. That’s why platform totals often add up to more sales than you actually made.
According to IAB’s State of Data 2026 report, only 39% of the US brand and agency decision-makers surveyed use attribution, incrementality tests and marketing mix modelling together. Each method answers a different question, so relying on one leaves gaps in what you can see.
AI search adds one more gap. More people read an answer in ChatGPT or Google’s AI Overviews, then type your URL or search your brand name. Analytics records that visit as direct traffic or branded search, and the content that influenced the decision gets no credit.
Save this for the next budget meeting where every channel looks profitable.