GlossaryAttribution & Bias

Platform Self-Attribution

Also known as: Grading Own Homework

Platform self-attribution is the practice where ad networks (Facebook, Google, TikTok) grade their own homework. They use generous lookback windows and view-through conversions to claim maximum credit for sales, often ignoring that other platforms contributed or that the user would have converted anyway.

The Short Version

Allowing the fox to guard the henhouse.

Prerequisites

Platform Bias

The 1+1=3 Problem

Facebook claims 100 sales. Google claims 100 sales. Your Shopify backend only shows 150 total sales.

Who is lying? Both. They are both 'Self-Attributing' overlapping users. If you sum up their reports, you will always over-count reality.

How it works

Platform serves an ad

User buys product 6 days later

Platform checks its own '7-day view' window and claims the sale, ignoring all other interactions.

Common Misconceptions

Summing up dashboard conversions to get a total

Trusting '7-day click / 1-day view' without skepticism

Comparing ROAS across platforms calculated with different windows

In SpendSignal

SpendSignal connects directly to your source of truth (Shopify/Stripe). We do not rely on pixels. We credit channels based on their statistical contribution to the total pot, silencing the self-attribution noise.

Frequently Asked Questions

QWhy do platforms do this?

To prove value and encourage higher spending. It is in their financial interest to be optimistic about their impact.

QCan I turn it off?

You can tighten the windows (e.g., remove View-Through), but you cannot fully stop platforms from grading themselves on their own dashboards.

Learn more about SpendSignal