The process of identifying which marketing touchpoints contribute to a conversion.
Marketing Attribution is the analytical process of identifying which marketing touchpoints (ads, emails, content, social posts, etc.) contributed to a customer conversion or sale. Attribution models determine how credit is distributed across the customer journey. Common models include Last-Click, First-Click, Linear (equal credit), Time-Decay, and Data-Driven (algorithmic). Multi-touch attribution provides a more complete picture than single-touch models.
Without attribution, marketing budget decisions are based on guesswork. Proper attribution reveals which channels and campaigns are actually driving revenue, enabling smarter budget allocation. Attribution becomes more complex — and more important — as customer journeys span more channels.
A customer journey: Google Ad click → blog post → email signup → nurture email → purchase. Last-click attribution gives all credit to email. First-click gives all credit to Google Ads. Linear attribution gives 25% to each touchpoint.
Data-driven attribution uses machine learning to analyse all conversion paths and assign credit based on the actual impact each touchpoint had — as opposed to rule-based models like last-click. Available in Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads.
CPA
Cost Per Acquisition — the average cost to acquire one customer or lead.
ROAS
Return On Ad Spend — revenue earned for every dollar spent on advertising.
ROI
Return on Investment — net profit divided by the cost of the investment, expressed as a percentage.
Marketing Automation
Using software to automate repetitive marketing tasks such as emails, social posts, and lead nurturing.