What Is Marketing Attribution? Models Explained (2026)
Marketing attribution is how you assign credit for a conversion across the touchpoints that led to it. Here are the main models — last-click, first-click, linear, time-decay, position-based and data-driven — and why platforms over-claim.
Marketing attribution is the practice of assigning credit for a conversion to the marketing touchpoints that led to it. Because customers rarely buy on the first click, attribution decides which ads, channels and campaigns get the credit — and that choice changes which numbers look good.
The main attribution models
| Model | How it assigns credit | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Last-click | 100% to the final touch before converting | Short, simple paths; quick to read |
| First-click | 100% to the first touch | Judging top-of-funnel discovery |
| Linear | Equal credit to every touch | You value the whole journey evenly |
| Time-decay | More credit to touches near the conversion | Longer consideration cycles |
| Position-based | Most credit to first and last touch | Valuing both discovery and closing |
| Data-driven | Credit modeled from actual paths | Enough data to model fairly |
Why platforms over-claim
Each ad platform measures conversions with its own model and attribution windows, often crediting view-through and assisted conversions to itself. Add the platforms together and you'll 'find' more conversions than your business actually had — the same sale counted by Meta, Google and TikTok at once.
Why a blended view matters
- Per-platform numbers over-claim, so summing them overstates results.
- Blended ROAS (total revenue ÷ total ad spend) is harder to game and closer to reality.
- Pick one source of truth for decisions and reconcile platform numbers against it.
- Never compare attributed results across different currencies or windows.
How Floowzy helps
Floowzy brings every platform's results into one place and computes blended and per-platform ROAS and CPA in a single currency, so you can see platform-attributed numbers without mistaking their sum for business truth.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best attribution model?
- There's no single best model — it depends on your sales cycle and goals. Last-click is simple but overcredits the final touch; data-driven is fairer if you have enough data. Many teams use a blended view across channels as their source of truth and use platform models as inputs.
- Why do my platforms report more conversions than I actually had?
- Each platform uses its own attribution and windows and often claims view-through and assisted conversions, so the same sale can be counted by several platforms at once. Comparing the total to your real, blended revenue corrects the over-count.
- What is blended ROAS?
- Blended ROAS is total revenue divided by total ad spend across all channels, rather than any single platform's attributed figure. It's harder to game and closer to business reality, which is why it's a reliable decision metric.