This article is related to attribution modelling in Google Adwords.

If you are brand new to attribution modelling then read this article first: Guide to Attribution Modelling in Google Ads (Google Adwords) to get familiar with the concept of attribution modelling.

In the present article, I will give you some general guidelines, for selecting an attribution model in Google Ads.

#1 When to use the Last Touch Attribution Model in Google Ads?

Use the last touch model, if the least amount of buying consideration is involved.

For example, if you are an FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) company, like Tesco or Walmart, and you sell products that involve the least amount of consideration by a buyer (like purchasing toothpaste), then you can use the last-click attribution model.

This is because you do not need to assign more conversion credit to the first and middle interactions in your conversion path.

#2 When to use the First Touch Attribution Model in Google Ads?

Use the first click model, if brand building/brand awareness is very important for you.

If you are a new player in your niche then you may need more brand awareness than your established competitors.

Consequently, your advertising goals should be more ‘brand building’ centric. 

So you may need to assign more conversion credit to ad clicks, which initiated the conversion process.

In that case, you use the first-click attribution model.  

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#3 When to use the Linear Attribution Model in Google Ads?

Use this attribution model, if you have a business model where each interaction with your customers is equally important for your conversions.

For example, if you provide customer support service then each interaction with your customers is equally important for you.

In that case, use the linear model.

#4 When to use the Time Decay Attribution Model in Google Ads?

Use the time decay model, if you are running time-sensitive promotional campaigns.

If you want to understand the buying behaviour of your customers during a promotional campaign then you would want to assign more credits to the ad clicks which occurred closest in time to conversions, as they are more relevant than the ad clicks which occurred further in the past.

In that case, use the time decay model.

In the absence of a data-driven attribution model, I prefer to use the time decay model.

#5 When to use the Position-Based Attribution Model in Google Ads?

If you have a business model or advertising objectives, which value first and last customer interactions more than the middle interactions, then use the position-based attribution model.

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#6 When to use the Data-Driven Attribution Model in Google Ads?

Use the data-driven attribution model, if your Google ads account is consistently getting:

• 15000 or more ad clicks each month on Google Search.
• 600 or more conversion actions each month.

If you are still not sure which attribution model to use then compare different attribution models to each other and then determine, how it affects your conversions and cost per conversion.

You can compare different attribution models to each other through the attribution modelling report in Google Ads.

Follow the steps below:

Step-1: In your Google Ads account, click on the ‘Tools’ tab and then click on the Search Attribution’ link under the ‘Measurement’ section:

Step-2: Click on the ‘Attribution Modelling’ link in the left-hand side navigation:

Step-3: Compare different attribution models to each other and then determine, how it affects your conversions and cost per conversion:

In the screenshot above, we are comparing the last click model to the data-driven model.

Look at the ‘% Change’ column to determine, whether a particular campaign/ad group/keyword is overvalued or undervalued under the last-click model (or whatever model you select).

As such, a traditional MMM model is not suitable for carrying out digital marketing mix modelling aka attribution modelling.

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• Understand the customer purchase journey across devices
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Other Articles Related to Attribution Modelling in Google Ads

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3. How to change Attribution Model in Google Ads (Google Adwords)
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