Facebook Ads: iOS 14 Apple Update
Apple has now begun rolling out the iOS 14 update which is going to affect the Facebook Ads platform in a number of ways. While these changes are happening gradually, you can expect this to affect your Facebook Ads and how particular metrics are reported.
The iOS 14 changes will affect how Facebook receive & process conversion events from tools such as the Facebook pixel.
Attribution Settings
One of the biggest changes Facebook has made is to the attribution windows. Prior to iOS 14, the default attribution settings were 28 day click and 1 day view. This means that there was a 28 day time period (after an ad click) where conversions could be credited to your ads and this data would often be useful to make campaign optimisations.
However, the attribution settings have now been changed to 7 day click and 1 day view. This means that there is now a shorter time period where conversions can be attributed to your Facebook ads. This has also cause a bit of an issue with tracking for campaigns that were live / paused when the changes came into effect.
In the screenshot below, you can see that one of the campaigns has 'multiple attribution' settings and the total number of conversions is blank. As there are multiple attribution windows within the same campaign, the total number of conversions is unable to be calculated by Facebook's systems.
This has a negative impact on the performance of a Facebook ads campaign because there is no accurate data to use for optimisation.
To avoid this problem, it is best to build a fresh campaign that will automatically have the default 7 day click attribution setting. While not ideal, this will prevent inaccurate data.
Domain Verification
At the time of writing, domain verification isn't mandatory to run Facebook ads. However, domain verification will allow you to get the most out of Facebook's Aggregated Event Measurement tool and will future proof your account. By doing this, the data in your Facebook ads dashboard will also be as accurate as possible.
Domain verification is best implemented through the Facebook Business Manager. There are a number of ways to perform this task.
To begin verification, go to your Facebook Business Manager -- brand safety -- domains -- verification tab.
Please get in touch if you need assistance with this and we will even give you a Free Facebook Ads review.
Aggregated Event Measurement
"Aggregated event measurement is a protocol for ad performance measurement which processes web events from opted-out devices to help you run effective ad campaigns." - Facebook.
This tool is useful to ensure event data is as accurate as possible while considering iOS 14 users that opt out of tracking.
Once you have verified your domain you will be able to prioritise 8 conversion events that are most important to your business. For example, an important event could be a 'purchase' event that also contains the purchase value.
This event data can then be used with ad campaigns for targeting, optimisation and reporting.
To prioritise these events go to the 'events manager' and then switch to the 'Aggregated Event Measurement' tab to begin the process.
Final Thoughts
These are the most important changes to be aware of when running Facebook Ads. Event data often makes or breaks a Facebook Ads campaign, so make sure you are up to date with all the incoming changes to get the most out of your account.
Is your Facebook Ads account under performing? Get in touch for a Free Facebook Ads review.
