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Non-last-click attribution models in Google Ads help you understand
your customer’s full Search journey,
so that you can drive better performance through data
On a last-click attribution model,
all conversion credit is given to
the last Search ad that a customer clicked before converting.
This ignores the increasingly complex and multi-touch nature of customer’s Search journeys.
Non-last-click models attribute credit to all clicks throughout a customer’s
conversion path on the Search and Shopping network.
Understanding the value of all clicks for Search and Shopping
provides you with the data you need to make informed optimization decisions.
There are several attribution models available within Google Ads:
five so-called rules-based models and one data-driven model.
Data-driven attribution is the recommended model for all eligible advertisers.
Powered by dynamic algorithms, it uses your account data
and Google’s machine learning capabilities
to determine which ads, keywords, and campaigns
have the greatest impact on your business goals.
To opt-into data-driven attribution,
your account must have at least 15,000 clicks on Google Search
and 600 conversions for a conversion action in the last 30 days.
If data-driven isn’t available in your account,
choose one of the rules based multi-touch attribution models.
The rules based models include time decay, linear, and position-based.
Time decay gives more credit to clicks that
happened closer in time to the conversion.
Linear distributes conversion credit equally across
all clicks on the conversion path.
Position-based gives 40% of credit to both the first-and last-clicked ads
and corresponding keyword,
with the remaining 20% spread out across the other clicks on the path.
When choosing your attribution model, think about your marketing objectives.
Are you trying to find growth through acquiring new customers?
If so, consider the position-based model.
Are you currently a market leader or new to the market?
Is there low or high competition within your industry?
Ensure that your non-last-click attribution model best meets your business goals.
Attribution models are set at the conversion action level.
To switch from a last-click to non-last-click attribution model,
view a conversion action and click “Edit settings”.
Select “Attribution model”
and choose from the models in the drop down menu
data-driven attribution, or one of the rules-based models:
linear, time decay, or position-based.
The drop down menu will show all the models your account is eligible for.
To benefit from non-last-click attribution,
it’s important to understand how to read the data.
The value in your conversion columns will change moving forward
as conversions are credited across keywords, ad-groups,
and campaigns that received clicks along the conversion path.
Your performance will not improve until you take action on the new data.
After you've switched to a non-last-click attribution model
it’s important that you look at an appropriate time range
when analyzing your Google Ads data.
If you only look at the most recent days,
it may appear like your conversions are decreasing,
but this is a result of consumer behavior and your conversion Time Lag.
For example, conversion credit that would only be attributed to Saturday
on a last-click model, is attributed to all of the clicks throughout the conversion path
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday that weeks
This may appear as a decrease in conversions if you’re looking
at Saturday’s data on Sunday,
but as time goes on and more customers convert,
Saturday will continue to receive credit for conversions
that take place on the following Tuesday
and Wednesday.
After one or two conversion cycles,
the conversion credit for Saturday will normalize.
To understand your customer conversion cycle,
look at the Time Lag report to see how many days
it takes the average customer to convert after their first click on your ad.
This is how many days you should always exclude
from your reporting when analyzing performance.
For example,
if the average conversion Time Lag is about 4 days long,
analyze days 1 to 30 from month one on day 5 of month two.
When you switch attribution models,
any new conversions will be attributed based on your chosen model in both
the “All Conversions” and “Conversions” column.
Since switching attribution models will not adjust your historical data,
you can use the conversions "Current model" column
to understand historical performance after an attribution model change.
This way you can still compare account performance from month to month,
or year to year.
When comparing time periods before or during the attribution model change,
always use the "Current model" column.
For more step-by-step videos on Google Ads implementation and optimization,
check out Google Ads Tutorials.
If you have any questions, or for more information
please visit Google Ads Help
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