Why your conversion data isn’t showing (and what you should do about it)

Recent data shows that businesses are losing track of up to 40% of their conversion data on average. If you're running digital ads, that means nearly half of your actual results might be invisible to you right now. Yikes.

And sadly, the problem is only getting worse. By 2025, traditional tracking methods will become even less reliable as major privacy changes, such as 3rd party cookie deprecation, take effect. If you’re still relying only on browser-side tracking pixels in analytics and ad platforms, these changes will fundamentally impact how you can track and measure success.

In this article, we’ll explain what's happening to your data and why it matters for your business.

The current state of conversion data and tracking

The impact of data loss varies significantly across industries, with businesses consistently losing substantial portions of their conversion data.

Ecommerce companies typically experience significant tracking gaps, while B2B services often face even greater challenges in accurately tracking their conversions due to longer sales cycles, offline conversions, and multiple touchpoints. Mobile app installs have been particularly affected since Apple's privacy changes and Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) framework implementation, fundamentally changing how iOS user behavior can be tracked.

When your tracking misses conversions, ad platforms can't optimize your campaigns effectively. Machine learning algorithms need accurate data to make good decisions about who to show your ads to and how much to bid. Missing conversion data means these algorithms are working with incomplete information, leading to higher customer acquisition costs and wasted ad spend.

Since you’re here, we’re sure you’re aware already, but in case you’re not, third-party cookies are small javascript tracking code snippets placed by external domains on a user's browser that allow advertisers to track conversion actions and user behavior across different webpages.

The impact of the statistics we mentioned above are compounded when you consider how many companies are still relying on third-party cookies (it’s about 49% worldwide, according to Statista).

3 major factors behind your disappearing data

1. Apple's privacy updates

Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) framework has fundamentally changed how iOS user data can be collected and how cookies can be utilised. Facebook loses the ability to track view-through conversions, meaning you can't see when someone views your ad on their iPhone and converts later on another device. Google Ads faces similar limitations, with cross-device conversion tracking becoming increasingly unreliable.

The impact is pretty hefty because iOS users represent a large portion of mobile traffic, often with higher-than-average purchasing power (have you seen the cost of an iPhone these days?!)

This means you're likely losing tracking data for some of your most valuable potential customers.

2. Various browsers’ privacy changes

Chrome's planned removal of third-party cookies in 2025 represented the biggest shift in digital advertising tracking in the past decade. While Safari and Firefox already block third-party cookies by default, Chrome's massive market share makes this change particularly significant.

However, you’ve probably heard that Google has scrapped those plans – kind of.

Instead, Google has included reference to third-party cookies in its Privacy Sandbox project update, where Anthony Chavez (VP, Privacy Sandbox) states:

“In light of this, we are proposing an updated approach that elevates user choice. Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time. We're discussing this new path with regulators, and will engage with the industry as we roll this out.”

The removal of third-party cookies would affect every aspect of digital advertising. Cross-site tracking becomes nearly impossible, limiting your ability to understand the full customer journey. Retargeting campaigns, which often deliver some of the highest ROI, become less effective. Most importantly, conversion attribution becomes fragmented, making it harder to know which ads are actually driving results.

But we hear you: “Google dropped the plan to deprecate cookies, so it doesn’t matter anymore, right?”

Well…we’d say wrong.

Even though the immediate plan is not to deprecate third-party cookies, it’s a much safer and forward-thinking approach to move to first-party data through server-side tracking.

3. The impact of ad blockers

Ad blocker usage has evolved beyond simply blocking advertisements. Modern ad blockers often prevent conversion tracking pixels from firing, creating significant blind spots in your data, with around 31.5% of ALL internet users having ad blockers installed.

This means that even when your ads do reach your target audiences, you might not be able to track their actions. The problem compounds when you consider that users with ad blockers are often more tech-savvy and have higher disposable income.

So what’s the impact of tracking data not showing?

The immediate effects of poor tracking are obvious: incomplete conversion data, incorrect conversion rates, and skewed ROAS calculations. But the long-term implications run much deeper.

Even the most sophisticated Meta or Google Ads conversion tracking systems struggle when data is incomplete, causing machine learning algorithms to become less effective. This creates a downward spiral where worse data leads to worse targeting, higher costs, and even less effective campaigns.

Most importantly, strategic marketing decisions based on incomplete data can misdirect your entire strategy and cause your ad campaigns to miss the mark.

Think about it: you might cut spending on Google Ads campaigns that are actually performing well, or increase investment in underperforming channels that appear to be successful due to tracking discrepancies.

How to check your own conversion data loss

Understanding your tracking accuracy doesn't require complex tools or technical expertise. Here's a systematic approach to measuring how much conversion data you're actually losing.

1. Compare your sales data vs ad platform data

Start with a simple comparison between your actual business results and what your ad platforms report. For example, you can look at your actual sales numbers from your ecommerce platform or CRM for the last 30 days. This is your baseline truth.

Then, compare this with the total conversions reported across your ad platforms (Facebook Ads, Google Ads, etc.). The gap between these numbers reveals your basic tracking loss.

For example, if your Shopify store shows 1,000 sales but Facebook and Google Ads together only report 600 conversions, you're likely missing about 40% of your tracking.

2. Platform-specific analysis

Break down your tracking accuracy by platform to identify specific problem areas:

iOS vs Android

Compare conversion rates between these operating systems. If your iOS conversion rate is significantly lower (often 30-40% lower), you're likely having iOS tracking issues.

Browser comparisons

Look at conversion rates across different browsers. Safari users often show lower conversion rates due to intelligent tracking prevention. A significant gap between Safari and Chrome conversion rates usually indicates tracking problems.

Mobile vs Desktop: Major differences between mobile and desktop conversion rates (beyond normal behavioral differences) often signal cross-device tracking issues.

3. Time-based analysis of your ad data

You can also look for sudden drops in reported conversions that coincide with:

• iOS updates
• Changes to your website or Google Ads conversion tracking setup
• Privacy policy updates
• Cookie banner updates (doesn’t need much to get it completely skewed!)
• Ad blocker adoption trends

4. Historical trend analysis

Finally, try comparing your current data with historical performance:

1. Calculate your average conversion rate from 12 months ago
2. Look at your current conversion rate
3. Factor in seasonal changes and market conditions
4. Factor in SEO improvements

Any significant or sudden decrease in your conversion rates without corresponding changes in other metrics (like site traffic or engagement) can often signal tracking issues rather than actual performance problems.

Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond

Regardless of Google’s plan (or lack of) to deprecate third-party cookies, it’s possible that changes could be made at any time, by companies like Google or by governments.

There is a fundamental shift in how tracking is perceived and how businesses should manage their customer data, user experience, and privacy. To us, this means businesses need to start preparing now by understanding their current tracking gaps and exploring privacy-friendly alternatives (and to us, this means tactics like using first-party data)

The key is to focus on sustainable tracking methods that will still work in a privacy-first world. This means moving away from third-party data dependency and building systems that can accurately track conversions while respecting user privacy.

Businesses that adapt their tracking methods now will have a significant advantage over those that don’t. And realistically, those who wait until privacy changes force their hand will face a difficult transition period with potentially severe impacts on their advertising effectiveness.

Three things you can do right now

Things aren’t all doom and gloom, though! There are plenty of things you can do to get started with better tracking, so let’s go step-by-step:

1. First, review your current tracking setup and identify where you're losing data. As we mentioned earlier, run a simple test: double-check your actual sales or lead numbers against what Google Analytics 4 or your ad platforms report. This will give you a clearer picture of your current tracking accuracy and how to troubleshoot it.
2. Second, evaluate your technology stack. Many businesses are still relying on tracking methods from 2020 or earlier. These systems weren't built for today's privacy-focused environment, let alone what's coming in 2025. Whether you're using Google Tag Manager (GTM) or other tracking implementations, it's crucial to update your setup for what's coming in 2025: modern tracking solutions that focus on first-party data and server-side tracking to maintain accuracy while respecting privacy.
3. Third, start building a first-party data strategy. This means collecting and managing customer data directly, rather than relying on third-party tracking scripts, cookies and cross-site tracking. It's more work upfront, but it creates a sustainable foundation for future marketing efforts.

The cost of waiting to fix your tracking issues

Third-party cookies, even though they exist, already aren’t that useful for tracking anymore. And the longer you wait means:

• More wasted ad spend due to poor optimization and e.g. unreliable Google Ads conversion tracking
• Higher customer acquisition costs
• Lost market share to competitors who can track accurately
• Increasingly difficult transition as privacy changes accelerate

Accurate conversion tracking isn't optional for businesses that rely on digital marketing. It's a fundamental requirement for effective marketing in 2025 and beyond.

Your next step is simple: measure your current tracking accuracy. Once you know where you stand, you can make informed decisions about how to move forward.

If you’re ready to do that now, why not try Tracklution for free? All you need is access to your website, Google Tag Manager, and ad platforms (like your Google ads account, Meta account, etc.) – it’s super easy.