Attribution Models Explained

Attribution models are rules for distributing conversion credit. Different models can produce different answers from the same customer journey because they are designed to emphasize different parts of that journey.

First-click

First-click gives all credit to the first known marketing interaction. It is useful for studying discovery but ignores later touchpoints that may have influenced the conversion.

Last-click

Last-click gives all credit to the final known interaction. It is simple and easy to reproduce, but it can undervalue channels that created or nurtured demand earlier.

Linear and position-based

Linear models divide credit across touchpoints. Position-based models intentionally give more weight to selected stages, such as the first and last interactions. Both require a complete enough journey to be meaningful.

Data-driven models

Data-driven approaches estimate contribution from observed patterns rather than a fixed rule. They can be useful at sufficient scale but should not be treated as objective truth when identity or event data is incomplete.

Choose based on the question

Use first-click for acquisition discovery, last-click for conversion-closing analysis, or multi-touch approaches when the journey genuinely spans multiple interactions. Keep one reporting baseline stable enough to compare performance over time.