Cross-platform comparison of lead data between Meta Ads, Google Analytics 4, and Transporters.io for the Bus Charter account, January to March 2026.
Two independent platforms confirm Facebook is generating leads. The gap sits in Transporters.io's ability to capture source attribution.
Both Meta Ads and Google Analytics independently confirm that Facebook campaigns are driving quote submissions. The discrepancy lies in how Transporters.io captures (or loses) UTM source data.
Meta Ads vs Google Analytics 4: lead counts side by side
This table compares how many leads each platform attributes to the Facebook campaigns. Both platforms track independently using different methodologies.
| Month | Meta Ads (Leads) | GA4 (Quote Thank You) | GA4 (Form Submissions) | Transporters.io (Quotes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 57 | 74 | 76 | 43 |
| February 2026 | 78 | 92 | 99 | 51 |
| March 2026 (partial) | 4 | 2 | 4 | - |
| TOTAL | 139 | 168 | 179 | 94 |
The number of lead events tracked by the Meta pixel on the Bus Charter website. This fires when someone completes the quote form. Meta uses its own attribution model (typically 7-day click, 1-day view).
The "Get an Online Quote Thank You Message" event in Google Analytics, triggered when someone sees the thank you page after submitting a quote. This is tracked via GA4's session-based attribution and only counts sessions where the source was facebook / cpc.
The combined count of form_submission and form_submission_old key events in GA4. These are alternative conversion tracking methods on the site. Some overlap with the Quote Thank You event is expected.
The number of quotes recorded in Transporters.io where the referring URL contained Facebook UTM parameters. Because UTM data is often stripped during the form-to-CRM handoff, this number is significantly lower than what Meta and GA4 report. This is the source of the attribution gap.
GA4 session data for all Facebook sources in 2026
All Facebook-related traffic to the Bus Charter website in 2026, as recorded by Google Analytics 4.
| Source / Medium | Sessions | Users | Conversions | Bounce Rate | Avg Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| facebook / cpc (paid) | 1,823 | 1,586 | 181 | 79.6% | 54s |
| m.facebook.com / referral | 118 | 118 | 10 | 73.7% | 41s |
| l.facebook.com / referral | 106 | 90 | 19 | 52.8% | 123s |
| facebook.com / referral | 26 | 26 | 0 | 53.8% | 14s |
| lm.facebook.com / referral | 5 | 5 | 2 | 40.0% | 59s |
| TOTAL (All Facebook) | 2,078 | 1,825 | 212 | ||
Performance by campaign from Meta Ads (30 Dec 2025 to 2 Mar 2026)
All three active campaigns and their contribution to total lead volume.
| Campaign | Spend | Impressions | Clicks | LP Views | Leads | Cost/Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospecting - Corporate (Broad) | $1,361 | 115,551 | 2,922 | 644 | 58 | $23.47 |
| Prospecting - Corporate | $1,369 | 129,933 | 2,900 | 657 | 66 | $20.74 |
| TOTAL (Prospecting) | $2,730 | 245,484 | 5,822 | 1,301 | 124 | $22.02 |
Why Transporters.io shows different numbers
The gap between what Meta/GA4 report and what Transporters.io shows comes down to how each platform captures source attribution.
When a user submits a quote on the Bus Charter website, the form data is passed to Transporters.io. However, the UTM parameters (which identify the traffic source as Facebook) are being stripped during this handoff. As a result, Transporters.io records the lead but cannot attribute it to Facebook. This makes it appear as though Facebook is generating fewer leads than it actually is.
Both Meta Ads (139 leads) and GA4 (168 quote submissions) independently confirm that Facebook is driving leads. These two platforms track at the point of conversion on the website itself, before the data is handed off to Transporters.io. The slight difference between the two numbers is expected due to different attribution windows and tracking methodologies.
Google Analytics tracks that a conversion event occurred but does not capture specific quote reference numbers or customer details. It can confirm how many quotes came from Facebook, but it cannot provide individual quote IDs to cross-reference with Transporters.io records.
Management fee and ad spend breakdown
Management costs for the Facebook campaign, excluding ad spend.
The Facebook campaigns are generating leads at a cost-effective rate. Both Meta and GA4 confirm this independently. The issue is purely a tracking handoff problem between the website and Transporters.io.