Understanding Mobile Attribution
Learn how attribution helps you understand which marketing campaigns drive the most value
View Your Attribution DashboardWhat is Mobile Attribution?
Mobile attribution is the process of identifying which marketing campaigns, channels, or touchpoints led to a user installing your app or completing a desired action.
In today's multi-channel world, users often interact with multiple marketing touchpoints before converting. They might see a Facebook ad, click a Google ad, receive an email, and then finally click through from an Instagram story before installing your app. Attribution helps you understand and give credit to each of these touchpoints.
Why Attribution Matters
Optimize Marketing Spend
Understand which campaigns deliver the best ROI and allocate your budget accordingly.
Improve Campaign Performance
Identify underperforming campaigns and make data-driven decisions to improve them.
Understand Customer Journey
See the complete path users take from first interaction to conversion.
Attribution Models Explained
Different attribution models give credit to marketing touchpoints in different ways. Choosing the right model depends on your business goals and customer journey complexity.
How it works: Gives 100% credit to the last touchpoint before conversion.
Best for: Understanding which campaigns directly drive conversions.
Example: User sees Facebook Ad ? clicks Google Ad ? installs app. Google Ad gets 100% credit.
Cons: Ignores earlier touchpoints that influenced the decision
How it works: Gives 100% credit to the first touchpoint in the customer journey.
Best for: Understanding awareness and top-of-funnel performance.
Example: User sees Facebook Ad ? clicks Google Ad ? installs app. Facebook Ad gets 100% credit.
Cons: May overvalue initial touchpoints, ignores conversion drivers
How it works: Distributes credit equally across all touchpoints.
Best for: Balanced view when all touchpoints matter equally.
Example: User has 4 touchpoints ? each gets 25% credit.
Cons: May not reflect true impact of individual touchpoints
How it works: Gives more credit to touchpoints closer to conversion.
Best for: When recent interactions have more influence on conversion.
Example: 4 touchpoints ? most recent gets highest credit, decreasing for earlier ones.
Cons: May undervalue awareness campaigns
How it works: Gives 40% credit to first touch, 40% to last touch, and distributes remaining 20% to middle touchpoints.
Best for: Valuing both awareness and conversion while acknowledging nurturing.
Example: 5 touchpoints ? first gets 40%, last gets 40%, middle 3 share 20%.
Cons: Somewhat arbitrary credit distribution
How to Use Your Attribution Dashboard
Set Up Your Campaigns
First, create campaigns with tracking URLs. Each campaign tracks clicks and conversions from different marketing channels.
Create CampaignChoose Your Attribution Model
Select the attribution model that best fits your business goals. You can compare different models to see how credit distribution changes.
- Use Last Touch to focus on direct conversion drivers
- Use Linear for a balanced view of all touchpoints
- Use U-Shaped to value both awareness and conversion
Analyze Campaign Performance
Review key metrics to understand campaign effectiveness:
- Total Conversions: Number of successful user actions
- Attribution Credit: Weighted credit assigned by the model
- Touch Distribution: First, middle, and last touch participation
- Average Position: Where the campaign typically appears in the journey
- Time to Conversion: How long from click to conversion
Optimize Your Marketing
Use attribution data to make informed decisions:
- Increase budget for high-performing campaigns
- Pause or optimize underperforming campaigns
- Test different campaign strategies and measure impact
- Understand which channels work together effectively
Common Questions
Why don't I see any attribution data?
To see attribution data, you need to:
- Create a campaign with a tracking URL
- Have users click the tracking link (this captures the click)
- Have users install/open your app and retrieve the parameters
- Wait for attribution to be calculated
How long does attribution take to calculate?
Attribution is calculated in near real-time. Once a user clicks a link and then completes a conversion action (like installing your app), the attribution data should appear within minutes.
Can I compare different attribution models?
Yes! Use the attribution model dropdown to switch between different models and see how credit distribution changes. This helps you understand the full impact of your campaigns.
What is an attribution window?
An attribution window is the time period during which a click can be credited for a conversion. For example, a 7-day click window means a conversion will be attributed to a click that happened within the last 7 days.
How do I know which model to use?
It depends on your goals:
- Focus on direct conversions ? Last Touch
- Value awareness campaigns ? First Touch
- Balanced view ? Linear
- Recent interactions matter more ? Time Decay
- Value both awareness and conversion ? U-Shaped
Ready to Start Tracking Attribution?
Set up your first campaign and start understanding which marketing efforts drive the most value.