Attribution (noun): How credit for a lead or sale gets assigned to the marketing that led to it.
What it is
A homeowner might see your Facebook ad on Monday, search your name on Thursday, click a Google ad and call you. Three touchpoints, one lead. Attribution decides which one gets the credit.
Common attribution models
- Last click: All the credit goes to the final click before the lead
- First click: All the credit goes to the first interaction
- Data-driven: Credit gets split based on which touchpoints actually moved people toward converting. This is the default for most conversions in Google Ads.
Why it matters
Get attribution wrong and you might cut the channel that’s doing the heavy lifting. Facebook ads often introduce people to a business, then Google gets the credit when they search the name later. Turn off Facebook and the Google leads can dry up too.
How to track where leads come from
- Use a separate call tracking number for each channel
- Add UTM parameters to the links in your ads and emails
- Record a lead source on every lead in your CRM
- Ask “How did you hear about us?” Customers are terrible at remembering, but it’s still worth asking.