Google uses attribution modeling as a identify process and how to determine credit for conversions assignments through different clicks and conversion paths. It is general for users to go through several stages of a conversion funnel before taking the final step towards conversion, attribution modeling gives a better understanding of how each interaction contributes to a conversion.

Google Attribution Models

First Click Attribution

This attribution model is set up comparably to Last Click attribution but First Click attribution gives full credit to the first ad click interaction, in which Google assigns 100% credit to a single action a user makes.

• Pros: First Click attribution allows you to see how people are getting to know your brand.
• Cons: First Click attribution doesn’t show the full picture so other campaigns don’t get the credit they should. In the multi-touch conversion process, any click that goes after the first click isn’t recognized at all, which gives an wrong portrayal of the conversion process.

Linear Model

The Linear attribution model assigns same credit to all Google ad similar points involved in a conversion course.

• Pros: This attribution model gives much bigger picture, which allows marketers to see all the steps taken to finish conversion actions. This also allows optimization for the entire customer path, as opposed to a one action.
• Cons: Because same credit is spread between all actions in a multi-touch conversion, it could twist some of the data and give different credit than is deserved to certain clicks. This strategy also makes it complicated to optimize for the specific keywords and campaigns because it assigns same weight to all actions.

Position-Based

The Position-Based attribution model assigns credit to all close points along the conversion path by giving 40% credit to the first click, 40% to the last click, and the other 20% between the rest.

• Pros: The Position-Based attribution model shows more of the whole picture of the entire conversion path since it has a weighted method. It recognizes that the most important steps in the customer conversion path are mostly the first and last clicks, while it will still give credit to the clicks in the middle.
• Cons: This attribution model can lower the value the close points in between the first and last clicks. A remarketing ad could be the reason a user is coming back, but the moment they are ready to complete a conversion, user may have clicked on a branded ad.

Last Click Attribution

Last Click attribution gives whole attribution credit to the final ad a user clicks on. Google will also give 100% credit to that final Google ad clicked.

• Pros: Last Click attribution is a straightforward method that removes the confusion and shows insight to the source and campaign that is the last push of users completing a conversion action.
• Cons: This attribution model doesn’t give the whole picture of a user’s journey to conversion, so different sources and campaigns don’t get the credit they should. Last Click sets aside all other efforts taken to get the conversion, which is why it’s a usual trend to see more branded campaign conversions with the Last Click model, as users mostly go straight to the site with a branded keyword or ad when they are ready to complete a conversion action.