How LinkStack signup ad attribution works

What LinkStack preserves

• An eligible paid visit can include Meta's fbclid, Google's gclid, gbraid, or wbraid, UTM values, campaign and ad IDs, placement, the landing page, and a sanitized referrer.
• LinkStack places those values in an encrypted first-party token for up to 30 days. A later organic visit does not erase the paid touch.
• The token carries no email or LinkStack account ID before signup.
• A completed signup is matched privately to the paid touch, then the temporary token is removed.

OAuth and in-app browser handoffs

Instagram and Facebook can open a landing page in an in-app browser, while Google sign-in may finish in a different browser context. LinkStack carries the encrypted paid-touch token inside the approved authentication return URL so that browser switch does not discard the original ad click.

What each provider receives

• Meta receives CompleteRegistration from the browser and server with one shared Event ID for deduplication. The server copy can include the retained Meta click and browser IDs plus hashed account identifiers, IP address, and user agent.
• Google receives the configured signup conversion. A retained Google click parameter is restored on the post-signup URL until the browser tag queues the conversion.
• Global Privacy Control suppresses LinkStack's paid-touch capture and advertising delivery where supported.

Why reports can still differ

• The provider applies its own attribution window, account settings, identity model, consent rules, and reporting delay.
• A click with no provider click ID may have only UTM-level evidence, which proves the campaign landing but may not let the provider claim the conversion.
• Ad blockers and browser privacy controls can prevent a browser event even when LinkStack records the account creation.
• One conversion can be modeled, delayed, deduplicated, or credited differently by Meta and Google.

Launch checklist

1. 1Keep Meta and Google auto-tagging enabled so the landing URL receives a click ID.
2. 2Add readable UTM source, medium, campaign, and content values as a second layer of evidence.
3. 3For Meta, also add campaign_id, adset_id, ad_id, and placement URL parameters when building the ad.
4. 4Test the real placement and signup method, including Google OAuth from Instagram's in-app browser.
5. 5Wait for the provider's normal reporting delay before changing a working setup.