Attribution Model
An attribution model is a rule or set of rules that determines which marketing channel or touchpoint gets credit for a conversion (e.g., a purchase or registration).
Simply put, it answers the question:
which channel “deserves” the result?
Why do you need an attribution model?
Users rarely make a purchase after a single interaction. Typically, the path looks like this:
- sees an ad →
- clicks through to the website →
- reads an article →
- returns via search →
- completes the purchase
An attribution model helps you understand which of these steps contributed to the conversion.
Main Attribution Models
- Last Click
All credit is assigned to the last source the user came through before conversion.
The simplest and most common model. - First Click
All credit goes to the user’s first interaction.
Useful for evaluating acquisition channels. - Linear Model
Credit is evenly distributed among all touchpoints. - Time Decay
Interactions closer in time to the conversion receive more credit. - U-shaped (Positional)
The main credit goes to:
- the first contact;
- the last contact;
- the remaining touchpoints receive a smaller share.
- Data-Driven
Uses algorithms and machine learning to determine the actual contribution of each channel.
The most accurate, but requires a sufficient amount of data.
Example
User journey:
- Facebook →
- Google search →
- Email →
- Purchase
Depending on the model:
- Last Click → all credit to Email
- First Click → all credit to Facebook
- Linear → credit is divided equally among all channels
Why use different models?
Analyzing different models helps to:
- understand each channel’s contribution;
- optimize the marketing budget;
- improve your promotion strategy;
- avoid skewed analytics.
Key takeaway
An attribution model is a way to distribute conversion credit among marketing channels.
The choice of model influences how you evaluate advertising performance and make budget allocation decisions.
