{"id":5761,"date":"2022-08-29T12:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-29T12:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/"},"modified":"2022-08-29T12:32:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-29T12:32:00","slug":"data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/","title":{"rendered":"Data-driven attribution: How to think about Google\u2019s default attribution model"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Attribution has been the holy grail for advertisers since the beginning of time, especially for media platforms that typically sit further away from the conversion and play a role in branding (i.e., billboards, banner ads and videos).<\/p>\n<p>In September 2021, Google Ads <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-ads-announces-machine-learning-based-data-driven-attribution-models-in-new-privacy-landscape-374727\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> its plans to move away from last-click attribution to a data-driven attribution (DDA) model. This change is intended to better allocate credit that search keywords play in a consumer\u2019s purchase decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Last month, Google <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-will-automatically-switch-some-advertisers-attribution-models-386732\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">started letting advertisers know<\/a> it will automatically switch conversion tracking to the data-driven attribution model. Using machine learning, Google believes that data-driven attribution provides the greatest opportunity to value each unique interaction properly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what this change in default attribution model means for advertisers and businesses.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/#The_attribution_problem\" >The attribution problem<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/#Common_attribution_models\" >Common attribution models<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/#What_does_shifting_to_data-driven_attribution_mean_for_my_business\" >What does shifting to data-driven attribution mean for my business?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/#Partial_conversions\" >Partial conversions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/#Google_only\" >Google only<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/#What_does_the_data_show\" >What does the data show?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2022\/08\/29\/data-driven-attribution-how-to-think-about-googles-default-attribution-model\/#What_action_should_be_taken\" >What action should be taken?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_attribution_problem\"><\/span>The attribution problem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Media platforms have long maintained their contributions in influencing consumers about the brands and products they purchase.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>How will the recent attribution shift affect these platforms?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Think about Hulu\u2019s path and the ad products Disney+ and Netflix will sell to advertisers wanting to tie conversions to their media placements.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Think about Pinterest and Snap\u2019s challenges when cutting ad budgets.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What is the first to go? Conversion drivers at the end of the funnel, like search, or awareness-based tactics, like sponsored stories?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This discussion is what makes <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/guide\/ppc\/tracking-and-measurement\/attribution-google-ads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">attribution<\/a> such a timeless discussion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Google has the same problem as all these companies but within their own properties.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>While Google has shown its ability to grow its search business consistently in almost any economic condition, its real growth opportunity comes in non-search tactics (YouTube, Gmail and Google Display Network).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Inventory is essentially limitless in these areas, unlike search. This is why this change is so important for Google and advertisers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_attribution_models\"><\/span>Common attribution models<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Let\u2019s start by breaking down attribution and the different models that indicate how \u201ccredit\u201d for conversion is applied. The six common attribution models are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Last click: <\/strong>This is the historical default that gives all credit to the final click prior to the conversion.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Time decay: <\/strong>Gives credit based on the time between interactions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Linear:<\/strong> Gives equal credit across each step of the conversion path.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Position-based: <\/strong>Gives credit to specific steps in the conversion path (typically first and last).<\/li>\n<li><strong>First click<\/strong>: All credit to the first interaction (typically used to credit awareness tactics)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data-driven<\/strong>: Uses historical data to determine the attribution credit. The model will shift depending on the unique path.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"650\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/08\/Common-attribution-models.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" class=\"wp-image-387554\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color\">\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing&#8230;Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\" type=\"submit\" name=\"submit_button\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-cyan-bluish-gray-background-color has-cyan-bluish-gray-color\">\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_shifting_to_data-driven_attribution_mean_for_my_business\"><\/span>What does shifting to data-driven attribution mean for my business?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Partial_conversions\"><\/span>Partial conversions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Moving to a DDA model will create conversions for keywords that are <em>&lt;1<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For example, if two keywords are involved in conversion the DDA model may allocate the credit for that conversion as .25 and .75 or .5 and .5. as opposed to giving full credit to the client keyword as a whole number.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_only\"><\/span>Google only<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Many advertisers\u2019 digital marketing efforts go beyond just Google ad buying platforms. However, DDA within Google Ads only considers Google properties in attribution modeling.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say a customer clicks an email, then searches for your brand, then watches a YouTube video before clicking through on Facebook to your website to buy.<\/p>\n<p>In this scenario, Google will only allocate credit to Google proprieties. This could potentially give more credit to a conversion or result in double-counting across analytics platforms or conversion tags you might be using.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_the_data_show\"><\/span>What does the data show?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I pulled data across a vast majority of our accounts and looked at the differences between the various models.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I noticed slight differences when indexed against the total number of conversions. So slight that I had to alter the chart\u2019s <em>y<\/em>-axis to the thousandth place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The most significant difference was between last click and first click attribution (which makes sense since it\u2019s the biggest difference in strategic approach).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The second closest was last click to data-driven attribution. Even so, the swings were less than 0.3%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, these swings may be larger for advertisers with bigger non-search spend amounts or heavy users of <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/performance-max-campaigns-set-up-386684\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Performance Max campaigns<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, even the accounts with these features didn\u2019t see that big of a difference to change how we managed them materially.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/08\/Indexed-attribution-models-800x495.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" class=\"wp-image-387555\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_action_should_be_taken\"><\/span>What action should be taken?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This is a very personal choice for the brand. We have seen most of our customers move to DDA, given the smaller change each model has on the total number of prior reported conversions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Also, the total number of conversions reported out of Google Ads before any shift does not change. Thus, it is just within your account that conversions change. Comparing another tactic like Facebook pre\/post won\u2019t be impacted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the amount of data that Google has on various conversion paths goes beyond any individual advertiser. It also can help provide insights into where cookies or other data is opaque for advertisers (see <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/10081327\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">modeled conversions<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Also, to inform this decision, Google has created the ability to compare various model types. Go to Google Ads and navigate to <em>Tools and Settings<\/em> &gt; <em>Attribution<\/em> &gt; <em>Model Comparison<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This tool will allow advertisers to see the variances between the models. Using these comparisons, you can help communicate and educate your internal team about the potential impact.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"123\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/08\/Model-comparison-800x123.png\" alt=\"| Craig Hordlow\" class=\"wp-image-387556\" title=\"| Craig Hordlow\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Overall, data-driven attribution, while not a silver bullet solution completely, provides better insight into various ad types and keywords and how they impact the customer journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This will allow your brand to allocate budget and resources better \u2013 ultimately optimizing your business to maximize results.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/data-driven-attribution-google-387552\" target=\"_blank\">Data-driven attribution: How to think about Google\u2019s default attribution model<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Attribution has been the holy grail for advertisers since the beginning of time, especially for media platforms that typically sit further away from the conversion and play a role in branding (i.e., billboards, banner ads and videos). In September 2021, Google Ads announced its plans to move away from last-click attribution to a data-driven attribution (DDA) model. This change is intended to better allocate credit that search keywords play in a consumer\u2019s purchase decision.\u00a0 Last month, Google started letting advertisers know it will automatically switch conversion [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5761\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}