Single-conversion vs multi-event tracking — model the funnel correctly

Single-conversion vs multi-event tracking — model the funnel correctly

Track one conversion point or the whole event chain? Choose by how you're paid and what you optimize.

Use single-conversion when:
— Payout is one action (CPL, single sale) and that's all you optimize.
— The network only fires one postback anyway.
— You want clean, unambiguous ROI math.

Use multi-event (registration → deposit → repeat) when:
— Payout is staged (CPA + revenue share, or tiered).
— You need to optimize toward the deepest event, not the first.
— You want to spot where the funnel leaks between events.

Tradeoffs to record:
— Single is simple but blind — you can't tell a junk reg from a depositing one.
— Multi-event needs distinct event tokens and the network firing a postback per step — more wiring, more failure points.
— Optimizing on the shallow event (reg) when you're paid on the deep one (deposit) scales the wrong traffic.

Rule: track every event you're paid on, optimize toward the deepest revenue event, and report on all of them. Never optimize on a free upstream event.

Save this SOP. Run this before every launch.