Cross-Platform Section
How the cross-platform summary works and what blended ROAS, attribution gaps, and channel comparisons mean.
The Cross-Platform section synthesises performance across Google Ads and Meta Ads into a unified paid media view. It only appears when both platforms have real spend data in the report period.
When it appears
The Cross-Platform section is shown when:
- Both Google Ads and Meta Ads are connected to the client, and
- Both had non-zero spend in the report period
If either platform had zero spend (e.g. campaigns were paused), the section is hidden.
Summary metrics
| Metric | What it means |
|---|---|
| Total paid spend | Google Ads spend + Meta Ads spend combined |
| Total paid clicks | Google Ads clicks + Meta Ads link clicks combined |
| Total revenue | If Google Analytics is connected: GA conversion value. Otherwise: sum of revenue from both ad platforms. |
| Total conversions | If Google Analytics is connected: GA total conversions. Otherwise: sum from both platforms. |
| Blended ROAS | Total revenue ÷ total paid spend across both channels |
| Blended CPA | Total paid spend ÷ total conversions across both channels |
Why Google Analytics is used as the revenue source of truth
Google Ads and Meta Ads both attribute revenue to themselves. If a user sees a Meta ad and then clicks a Google ad before converting, both platforms will claim that conversion. Adding them together would double-count revenue.
Google Analytics measures what actually happened on the website — it counts each conversion once, regardless of which ads the user interacted with. When GA is connected, ReportsMate uses GA conversion value as the total revenue figure to avoid inflation.
Top paid channel
Shows which paid channel — Google Ads or Meta Ads — had the higher ROAS in the period. This is the most efficient channel on a return-per-dollar basis. It does not mean the other channel is underperforming; it provides a benchmark for budget allocation discussions.
Attribution gaps
This section highlights discrepancies between what the ad platforms report and what Google Analytics reports:
| Gap | What it means |
|---|---|
| Click-to-session gap | Paid ad clicks minus GA sessions. A large gap means traffic is being lost between the click and the website — slow page speed, tracking issues, or clicks from bots. |
| Click-to-session ratio | GA sessions as a percentage of paid clicks. Healthy range is 70–100%. Below 50% usually indicates a tracking problem. |
| Conversion attribution gap | GA total conversions minus the combined ad platform conversions. Usually positive — GA often attributes some conversions to organic/direct that the ad platforms also claim. |
Common questions
Blended ROAS is lower than what either platform reports individually This is expected and accurate. Each platform reports its own ROAS without knowing about the other's spend. The blended figure accounts for total investment across both channels. If blended ROAS is significantly lower, one channel may be heavily subsidising the other.
The section disappeared this month Check that both Google Ads and Meta Ads had actual spend in the period. If one channel had zero spend, the section will not appear. Verify in the individual platform sections.
The click-to-session gap is very large A large gap (e.g. 10,000 paid clicks but only 3,000 GA sessions) usually means the GA tracking tag is not firing on all pages, or a significant portion of clicks are landing on pages without tracking. This is a tracking health issue worth investigating.