What is Attribution?
Attribution determines how credit for a conversion is assigned across different marketing touchpoints. In Vendo, you can choose an attribution model before importing conversions into Google Ads, Meta Ads or Microsoft Ads.
If you do not want to apply an attribution model, select Participation—this will assign credit to every touchpoint that led to a conversion (if the touchpoints that led to a conversion are within the same channel it will split the credit between them).
Attribution Models in Vendo
1. Last Click Attribution
The last ad interaction (within or across channels) gets full credit.
Meta[0%] → Google Search [0%] → Google Display [100%] → Converts
2. First Click Attribution
The first touchpoint gets full credit.
Meta [100%] → Google Search [0%] → Google Display [0%] → Converts
3. Linear Attribution
Credit is equally distributed across all touchpoints.
Meta[33%] → Google Search [33%] → Google Display [33%] → Converts
4. Time Decay Attribution
Time Decay prioritizes touchpoints that occur closer in time to the conversion event. The assumption is that the closer a touchpoint is to the conversion, the more influence it likely had on the user's decision-making process.
Meta [20%] → Google Search [30%] → Google Display [50%] → Converts
5. Position-Based Attribution (U-Shaped)
This model emphasizes the importance of both the first and last touchpoints in the customer journey while assigning less credit to middle interactions. It reflects the idea that the first touchpoint initiates interest, while the last touchpoint closes the deal.
The first touch and last touch touchpoints get 40% credit, with the remaining 20% split between the remaining touchpoints
Meta [40%] → Google Search [20%] → Google Display [40%] → Converts
6. Participation (No Attribution Applied)
Every touchpoint that led to a conversion is counted.
Example (Cross-Channel):
Meta [100%] → Google Search [100%] → Converts
Example (Cross-Channel and WIthin-Channels):
Meta [100%] → Google Search [50%] → Google Display [50%] → Converts
Full Example
How Vendo Tracks Click IDs
To assign conversions correctly, Vendo maps conversion data to ad interactions using Click IDs:
Google Click ID (GCLID) – Example:
gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8uTz57nQ9wIVgYNLBR2rEAAYASAAEgJ5JPD_BwEFacebook Click ID (FBCLID) – Example:
fbclid=IwAR1I2lA5oABh9B6_kLoE56kmX9ZJZcDABXZpMicrosoft Click ID (MSCLKID) – Example:
msclkid=3bd2dffd8f9e11ec9f58fa163e7897b4
By selecting the right attribution model, you ensure your ad spend is accurately distributed, improving decision-making and ROI.
Lookback Window
The lookback window defines how far back to attribute clicks to a conversion. As an example, if the conversion occured on the 8th January and we have a 7-day lookback window Vendo will search for any clicks for that user from the 1st January:
If your product or service involves a long decision-making process (e.g., buying a vehicle), set a longer window, such as 30 days.
For products with shorter conversion cycles (e.g., quick online purchases), a 7-day window may suffice.
Choose a window that aligns with your industry and sales cycle. The maximum lookback window is 30 days.