How to read ad returns when the platforms and your booking system disagree

An ad platform counts a conversion as soon as a visitor clicks and then books, even if the booking is made through another channel. Your reservation system only sees what really lands in the schedule. Both figures are accurate: they do not measure the same thing.

Why the figures differ

• The attribution window: a platform counts bookings up to seven days after a click, sometimes one day after a simple view.
• Cancellations: the platform keeps the conversion, the schedule removes it.
• Multiple channels: a guest sees an ad, then books through TheFork or Google. The platform claims the booking.

The rule to remember

Use your reservation system's figure as the reference when deciding a budget. Use the platforms' figures to compare campaigns with each other: the gap is usually fairly constant from one campaign to the next.

How to track the gap

Each month, compute the ratio between the return reported by the platform and the one measured on confirmed bookings. As long as that ratio stays stable, the platform's figures remain usable for ranking your campaigns. If it suddenly changes, check your tracking: pixel, UTM parameters, imported conversions.

What Painapo does

Painapo matches each campaign with the bookings confirmed in your reservation system, shows both figures side by side, and flags when the gap leaves its usual range.

Key takeaways

• One source of truth for decisions: confirmed bookings.
• Platform figures are for ranking campaigns.
• Watch the gap: if it changes, something changed in your tracking.