Attribution

How does attribution work?

A customer rarely converts after a single contact. A path might begin with an organic search, continue with a newsletter and end with an ad. An attribution model decides how much of the value each contact receives. SegMetrics and Rockerbox both note that modern journeys span several channels and devices, which makes the credit hard to assign. Credit is based on recorded interactions and shows contribution, not proven cause.

Models in Google Analytics 4

GA4 offers three models.

• Data-driven attribution distributes credit for a key event using machine learning on converting and non-converting paths.
• Paid and organic last click assigns 100 percent of the key event value to the last channel the customer clicked through.
• Google paid channels last click assigns 100 percent to the last Google Ads channel clicked before converting.

First click, linear, time decay and position-based were removed as of November 2023, so older guides that describe them are outdated. GA4 uses a configurable lookback window for key events.

What it means for SEO

How much a page contributed to revenue depends on the model. Organic search often provides early contacts (assessment), and a last click model credits the final contact. Comparing the models in your reports shows how sensitive your results are to that choice.

Example

A shopper finds a guide through organic search, opens a newsletter a week later and buys through it. Under last click the newsletter gets the full value and organic search none. Under data-driven attribution the value can be split between both.

FAQ

What is an example of attribution? A purchase credited to the ad clicked last, even though a blog post found through search started the journey.

Which attribution model should I use? It depends on your question. Last click answers which channel closed the sale. Data-driven models try to show each contact’s contribution.

Last updated: October 7, 2026