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Marketing & Growth Systems

Attribution: credit is a rule you choose, not a fact you discover

Before booking, a customer clicked an ad, read your reviews, opened an email and then filled in the form. Every one of those channels will claim the job. Attribution is choosing a rule for splitting the credit, knowing which question that rule answers, and writing it down so everyone counts the same way.
Discuss your systemSee the same month under three rules ↓
L-2207 · job J-490 · $2,950Sep 18search adSep 24review siteOct 1newsletter emailOct 2quote form (direct)RuleFirst touch$2,950——direct · no creditLast touch——$2,950direct · no creditPosition-based40/20/40$1,180$590$1,180direct · no credit

The same month, three answers

September's leads and revenue to date, credited by channel. The totals never change; only the split does.
  • Search adsleads 88revenue ($k) 25.4
  • Referralsleads 31revenue ($k) 21.9
  • Marketplaceleads 64revenue ($k) 5.1
  • Emailleads 0revenue ($k) 0

Email never starts a journey here, so first touch gives it nothing.

Every rule: 183 leads, $52.4k revenue to date.

Which rule answers which question

First touchWhat finds new customers?Deciding where to spend on being found
Last touchWhat comes right before the decision?Timing reminders and offers
Position-basedWhat contributes along the way?A balanced monthly view
Asking the customerWhat do they remember?Word of mouth and anything offline

What attribution can't see

Every rule works only on the touches that were recorded.

  1. 01

    Untracked calls

    The number on the van

    A call to a number with no tracking has no source.

    “direct” growing as calls grow.

  2. 02

    Word of mouth

    A neighbour's recommendation

    The most trusted channel leaves no click. Ask, and record the answer.

    referrals counted as “direct”.

  3. 03

    Several devices

    Phone at lunch, laptop at night

    One person can look like two visitors until they give an email or a number.

    journeys that start halfway through.

  4. 04

    The time lag

    Revenue comes later

    A lead from September may pay in November. Judge a channel too soon and it looks worse than it is.

    monthly reports that compare unfinished months.

  5. 05

    Unknown sources

    Shown, not hidden

    Leads with no recorded source appear as unknown, so the gap is visible.

    unknowns quietly assigned to the biggest channel.

What attribution hands off

In

Touches
clicks, calls, forms, emails
Outcomes
jobs and invoices
The chosen rule
written down
Attribution
join → apply the rule

Out

Credit by channel
under that rule
Journeys
the touches behind each job
Unknowns
counted, not hidden

Worth setting up when budget depends on it

Good fit

  • You spend on more than one channel and decide budgets from reports.
  • Customers often touch several channels before booking.
  • Calls and forms can carry their source.

Not the right fit

  • Nearly all work comes from one channel.
  • Leads aren't recorded with a source at all yet. Start with instrumentation.

Where attribution is used

Next to attribution

Questions about attribution

Which rule is right?

None is right in general. Choose the rule for the question you're asking, write it down, and keep it until you have a reason to change it.

Is data-driven attribution better?

It needs a lot of journeys to be stable. For most service businesses, a simple written rule plus asking customers works better.

Does attribution prove a channel works?

No. It shows where credit falls under a rule. To test cause, change something and measure, like pausing a channel in one area.

What about the platforms' own reports?

Each platform credits itself under its own rules. Your attribution uses one rule across all of them.