17/11/2025
Most ad platforms report conversions that were already going to happen.
Returning customers, CRM-driven buyers, and users already mid-journey get counted as “paid results” simply because the ad appeared before the purchase. These are free conversions. They’re normal, and every strong brand has them — but they should never be the basis for budget decisions.
When you optimize toward attributed ROAS, the platform learns to chase the easiest conversions to claim. That creates clean numbers in the dashboard but very little real growth in the business.
The goal isn’t to eliminate free conversions.
The goal is to stop optimizing for them.
Every impression has an opportunity cost. You either spend it capturing natural demand or creating new demand. Only one of those grows the business.
This is why incrementality matters. The real question isn’t “What did the platform count?” but “What changed because the ad was shown?”
When you focus on incremental impact — whether through incrementality optimization or smarter exclusions and audience strategy — you push the system to invest impressions where they actually move the business forward.
Attributed results tell you what the platform can claim.
Incremental results tell you what your ads actually create.
That difference is everything.
Read more:
https://www.jasonburlin.com/free-conversions-vs-real-impact
