Attribution decides which marketing channel gets credit for a sale. The model you choose can change which campaigns look profitable.
The four common models
- First click credits the channel that introduced the customer. Useful for judging prospecting campaigns.
- Last click credits the final touch before purchase. Useful for retargeting and email.
- Linear splits credit equally across every touch.
- Position-based gives most credit to the first and last touches, and the rest to the middle.
Compare, do not pick one
Each model answers a different question. A channel that looks weak in last click but strong in first click is filling the top of your funnel. Cutting it may hurt sales a few weeks later.
Tie attribution to profit
ROAS based on revenue can hide unprofitable campaigns. Always check profit per campaign after product costs and fees, not just revenue.
FCAnalytics shows all four models side by side on the same orders, with profit for every campaign.