What is an attribution model?
An attribution model is the rule for dividing credit for a key event among the visits that led to it. GA4 uses data-driven attribution by default.
An attribution model decides who gets credit. Last click gives all credit to the final source before the action. First click, an older option, gave it all to the first. GA4 now offers data-driven attribution, its default, which uses your data to share credit based on what actually seems to influence results, plus last click options. GA4 removed first click, linear and other rule-based models in 2023. The paths that lead to a key event, where earlier visits "assist," are shown in GA4's advertising reports.
Why it matters for your business: Knowing which model your reports use explains why numbers can differ between tools, such as GA4 and an ad platform.
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