How to Improve Match Rate

A low Match Rate reduces attribution accuracy and distorts business metrics. Here are 6 practical tips for improving it.

Tip 1: Use balanced instead of strict

Strict mode requires all UTM fields to match. If even one field differs (case, whitespace, encoding) — matching doesn't happen.

Solution: switch to balanced mode. For example, balanced_source_medium_content instead of strict_full.

Expected effect: +10-30% to Match Rate.

Tip 2: Check UTM tagging on all ads

A common problem is that some ads simply don't have UTM tags. Check all active ads in your ad account.

How to check:

1. Export a list of all active ads
2. Check each ad's URL for UTM parameters
3. Make sure utm_source is filled in on every ad

Solution: add UTM tags to any ads that lack them. Use dynamic parameters for automatic substitution.

Tip 3: Check source_constant inference

If your CRM has a field that contains the same value across all rows, the system may automatically use it as utm_source.

How to check:

1. Open your CRM table
2. Find the column with the source (for example, "Source", "Channel")
3. Check whether the value is the same in every row

Solution: if inference doesn't trigger automatically, contact support to enable it manually.

Tip 4: Use more fields for matching

The more fields involved in matching, the more accurate the match. But in loose mode, more fields also raises the Match Rate.

Recommendation: always fill in at least 3 fields:

• utm_source
• utm_medium
• utm_campaign

Adding utm_content lets you distinguish between ads within a campaign and reduces the number of ambiguous matches.

Tip 5: Increase the date window

If the deal cycle is long, the standard 7-14 day date window may not be enough.

How to determine the right window:

1. Look at the average time from first touch to deal in your CRM
2. Set the date window = average time + 30%

Example: if the average deal cycle is 20 days, set the date window to 30 days.

Tip 6: Check that CRM records contain UTM data

UTM tags can get lost when passed from the website to the CRM.

How to check:

1. Create a test lead: click through an ad and fill out the form
2. Open the created deal in the CRM
3. Check whether the UTM fields are filled in
4. Compare the values with those in the ad's URL

Solution: if UTM tags aren't being passed through:

• Check the hidden fields in your site's forms
• Make sure JavaScript correctly reads UTM data from the URL
• Check the site's integration with the CRM (API, webhook)

A comprehensive approach

For maximum Match Rate, apply all the tips together:

1. Switch to balanced mode
2. Add UTM tags to all ads
3. Enable source_constant inference
4. Use 4-5 UTM fields
5. Increase the date window to 30 days
6. Check that UTM data is passed to the CRM

After each change, rerun the report and track the Match Rate.

Related pages

• Match Rate
• Match Modes
• Unmatched Rows
• Troubleshooting