Meta Ads Attribution Windows: 1-Day Click vs 7-Day Click

"My ROAS is 4.0!" "Great. How much cash is in the bank?" "Uh... zero." This scenario happens every day. The culprit is View-Through Attribution. Facebook likes to claim credit for sales it didn't cause. If a user sees your ad, scrolls past it, and then buys 24 hours later from an email, Facebook says "I did that!" To make real money, you must strip away the vanity metrics and look at Click-Through Sales.

In this guide, we break down the Attribution Hierarchy, the "7-Day Click" Standard, and why 1-Day View is dangerous.

The Financial Logic of Attribution

• View-Through Sale: A user saw the ad, didn't click, but bought. Value: Low. (They were likely Retargeting audiences who would have bought anyway).
• Click-Through Sale: A user clicked the ad and bought. Value: High. (The ad caused the action).
• The Trap: If you optimize for "View-Through," Facebook will just show ads to your existing customers to claim credit. It won't find new customers.

Theory: The Window Settings

You can change how Facebook reports data.

• 7-Day Click (Standard): Counts a sale if they buy within 7 days of clicking. Best for most ecommerce.
• 1-Day Click: Counts a sale only if they buy today. Best for impulse buys ($20 widgets).
• 1-Day View: Counts a sale if they saw the ad today. Best for... misleading your boss.

Framework: The "Source of Truth" Stack

1. Meta Dashboard (7-Day Click / 1-Day View): Use this for day-to-day optimization (which ad is winning?).
2. Google Analytics (Last Click): Use this for "Cash in Bank" verification. (Meta will always report 30% more than GA).
3. Third-Party (Triple Whale / Northbeam): Use this for Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA).

Execution: Changing Your View

By default, Meta shows "7-Day Click + 1-Day View." To see the truth:

1. Go to Ads Manager.
2. Click Columns → Customize Columns.
3. Click "Comparisons" (bottom right).
4. Select "Attribution Setting."
5. Uncheck "1-Day View."
6. Result: Your ROAS will drop. But now you see the real impact of your ads.

Advanced Strategy: The "Incrementality" Test

How do you scientifically prove Facebook is driving sales? Run a Lift Test.

1. Go to Experiments.
2. Create Lift Test.
3. Logic: Facebook splits your audience into Group A (Sees Ads) and Group B (Sees Public Service Announcements).
4. Result: If Group A buys 100 units and Group B buys 80 units, your "Lift" is 20 units.
5. This proves that 80% of your sales would have happened without ads (Retargeting/Email).

Case Study: The Subscription Box

Client: Meal Kit Service. Data: Meta ROAS 3.0. GA ROAS 0.5. Diagnosis: 80% of sales were "1-Day View" (Retargeting active subscribers). Action:

1. Excluded "Active Subscribers" audience.
2. Switched optimization to "1-Day Click" (forced algorithm to find impulse buyers). Result:

• Meta ROAS dropped to 1.5. (Panic!).
• New Customer Acquisition Revenue increased 50%. (Success).
• We stopped paying to advertise to people who were already subscribed.

Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Optimizing for "1-Day View"

Never set your ad set optimization to "1-Day View." The algorithm will just find people who are "about to buy" and show them an ad to snipe the credit.

2. Comparing Facebook to Google

Google Ads is "Intent" (Bottom Funnel). Facebook Ads is "Discovery" (Top Funnel). Google will always have higher ROAS. If you judge Facebook by Google standards, you will turn off your demand generation engine.

3. Ignoring Time Lag

"I spent $1,000 today and got 0 sales. Turn it off." Reality: Users take 3 days to decide. Rule: Don't judge "Today's" spend until 3 days from now.

Summary

Attribution is not math. It is philosophy. There is no "Correct" number. There is only "Useful" data. 1-Day View is useful for Ego. 7-Day Click is useful for Business.

Your Attribution Checklist:

1. Customize Columns to show Click vs View.
2. Optimize Ad Sets on 7-Day Click or 1-Day Click.
3. Run a Lift Test quarterly.
4. Don't panic when GA reports lower numbers than Meta.

Trust the Click.