Attribution Models
When building an attribution report, you have the below attribution models to choose from. This guide will illustrate all models using the example: Google Ads Touchpoint → Facebook Ads Touchpoint → Google Ads Touchpoint → SDR Touchpoint → Opportunity Created ($10k)
First Touch: All value is assigned to the first touch.
Example above:
Google Ads - $10k - 1 opportunity
Last Touch: All value is assigned to the last touch.
Example above:
SDR - $10k - 1 opportunity
Linear: The total value is divided and distributed equally among all touches.
Example above:
Google Ads - $5k - 0.5 opportunites
Facebook Ads - $2.5k - 0.25 opportunites
SDR - $2.5k - 0.25 opportunites
Position-Based: The first and last touches get 40% of the total value each, and the remaining 20% is distributed among the remaining touches.
Example above:
Google Ads - $5k - 0.5 opportunites
SDR - $4k - 0.4 opportunites
Facebook Ads - $1k - 0.1 opportunites
Uniform: The total value is assigned to each touch.
Example above:
Google Ads - $10k - 1 opportunity
SDR - $10k - 1 opportunity
Facebook Ads - $10k - 1 opportunity
Note: The total attributed value doesn’t add up to the total actual value when using the Uniform attribution model.
Time Decay: The time decay model is another model where the total value attributed doesn’t add up to the total actual value. It is designed to attribute less value to a touchpoint the further away it’s from the conversion action. Specifically, the value halves every 7 days.
For fellow nerds, the formula is v×2−i7v×2−7i (where vv is total value and ii is days from the conversion action).
Note: The total attributed value doesn’t add up to the total actual value when using the Time Decay attribution model.
Predictive: HockeyStack’s proprietary machine learning attribution model.
Post-Opportunity Linear Attribution
Key Question: Which touchpoints help close deals after the opportunity is created?
How it works: Only considers touchpoints that occur between the opportunity created date and the deal close date. Credit is distributed equally across all touchpoints within this window.
Example above (extended to post-opp): Google Ads → Facebook Ads → Google Ads → SDR → Opportunity Created ($10k) → Case Study Download → Demo Call → Pricing Page Visit → Deal Closed.
Post-Opportunity Linear ignores the pre-opportunity touchpoints and splits credit equally among the 3 post-opportunity touchpoints: Case Study Download ($3.3k), Demo Call ($3.3k), Pricing Page Visit ($3.3k).
Use case: To understand which sales activities and marketing efforts accelerate deal closure during the sales cycle.
Post-Opportunity Uniform Attribution
Key Question: Which touchpoints consistently appear in deals during the sales cycle?
How it works: Only considers touchpoints that occur between the opportunity created date and the deal close date. Each touchpoint receives the full deal value.
Example above (extended to post-opp): Google Ads → Facebook Ads → Google Ads → SDR → Opportunity Created ($10k) → Case Study Download → Demo Call → Pricing Page Visit → Deal Closed.
Post-Opportunity Uniform ignores the pre-opportunity touchpoints and gives full credit to each post-opportunity touchpoint: Case Study Download ($10k), Demo Call ($10k), Pricing Page Visit ($10k).
Use case: To identify the most common touchpoints in closed-won deals and spotting patterns in successful sales cycles.
When to use Linear vs Uniform
Linear is a credited attribution model. It’s used to signify a comparison between the level of influence that each touchpoint has on the final conversion action.
Uniform is not a credited attribution model. It’s used to signify that the influence exists, regardless of its level.
Uniform is most commonly used when looking at:
Deal amount metrics like ACV, where you need to calculate using the full deal amount, rather than the credited amount.
The most popular touchpoints before a certain conversion action.
Different naming conventions
Customers have different ways of thinking of linear and uniform attribution models. Sometimes they use different wording.
Linear may also be called: sourced, attributed,
Uniform may also be called: touched, influenced.
However, to be sure of what any of the different naming conventions really mean, you need to check the definition of a specific report. We have seen customers calling both first touch and last touch 'sourced'.
What touchpoints are included in attribution?
“Qualified touchpoints” depend on the report breakdown you select.
If you only select web source-related breakdowns such as Source, Campaign, or UTM medium, only web sources will be included as attribution touchpoints.
If you only select page url as the breakdown, only pageviews will be included as attribution touchpoints.
If you select any action property as the breakdown, actions that have that action property will be included as attribution touchpoints. Ex: If you select linkedin_campaign_name, the only attribution touchpoints will be linkedin ad impressions/engagements. But if you select action type, since all actions have an action type, everything ever recorded will be attribution touchpoints.
If you select a defined property as the breakdown, similar rules to the above apply, based on the mapped properties used in the defined property. However, if the defined property has “Hide values outside mappings” selected, hidden values will not be included as attribution touchpoints.
If you select multiple breakdowns, the broadest possible touchpoint range, based on the above rules, will be included as attribution touchpoints.
If using a goal, all “qualified touchpoints” before the first instance of goal in a user/company’s journey within the selected date range are used as touchpoints.
As an example, think of a journey that has a Google Ads visit 3 months ago, a conversion 2 months ago, a Facebook Ads visit yesterday, and a conversion today. If the report date range is This Month, the Facebook Ads visit will be used in attribution, with the conversion today. If the report date range is Last 3 Months, the Google Ads visit will be the only touchpoint used in attribution, with the conversion 2 months ago. The Facebook Ads visit and the conversion today will be disregarded.
If using a sequence, all “qualified touchpoints” before the first instance of the “breakdown” selected sequence step within the selected date range are used as touchpoints.
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