Definition
Attribution is how credit for a conversion is shared among the marketing touchpoints, such as searches, ads, emails and referrals, that led to it.
Attribution explained
A buyer might first find you through an AI assistant, read a blog post from organic search, click a retargeting ad, then return by typing your brand name before requesting a demo. Attribution decides which of those gets credit.
Common models include:
- Last click: all credit to the final touchpoint before conversion.
- First click: all credit to the first touchpoint.
- Data-driven: credit shared according to how much each touchpoint appears to contribute, based on your account's data. It is the default model in GA4 and Google Ads.
No model is perfectly true. Some influences are invisible to analytics, such as a recommendation in an AI answer that wasn't clicked, a podcast mention or a conversation with a colleague. Combine platform attribution with CRM data, self-reported attribution on forms (“How did you hear about us?”) and trends in branded search to get a fuller picture.
Example
Your reports credit most demo requests to branded search. Adding a “How did you hear about us?” field reveals that many buyers first heard of your brand through ChatGPT or an industry article, which justifies continued investment in GEO and digital PR.
Why it matters
Attribution shapes where budget goes. A last-click view tends to undervalue SEO, content and AI visibility, which often start the journey.
Related service
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GA4, Search Console and dashboards that connect organic and AI search to leads and revenue.
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Related terms
- UTM parametersUTM parameters are tags added to the end of a URL, such as utm_source and utm_medium, that tell analytics tools where a visit came from.
- Key eventA key event in GA4 is an event you mark as important to your business, such as a purchase, lead or sign-up, so it is reported as an outcome.
- MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)An MQL (marketing qualified lead) is a lead that marketing judges likely to become a customer, based on fit and engagement, before sales takes over.
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)ROAS (return on ad spend) is the revenue generated by advertising divided by the cost of that advertising, often written as a ratio or percentage.
- GA4 (Google Analytics 4)GA4 (Google Analytics 4) is Google's analytics platform that records site and app activity as events and reports on traffic and conversions.