Did you know you could amend your attribution windows? For many, setting up tracking tags and custom conversions in ad platforms is a quick breeze through a set-up wizard, and voila! However, have you stopped to think about how the attribution windows could affect how you judge success?
Since I started in digital marketing over a decade ago, the default rule of thumb has been 30-day post click and 1-day post-view. This means when a tracking system counts a conversion it has permission to look-back 30 days to the last click, or 24 hours since the last impression to assign credit.
But is this the right time frame to assign credit?
In the table below is confirmation of how some of the popular ad platforms and tracking systems assign credit on a default-level but also the myriad of alternative windows to consider should you wish to tune the settings to how your business works.
Platform default conversion window settings
Platform | Default View | Default Click | Alternative Views | Alternative Clicks |
Google Analytics | N/A | 0 days | N/A | 0 - 90 days lookback window in MCF* |
Google Ads | 1 day | 30 days | 3 days 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 30 days Custom | 1 week 2 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks 45 days 90 days Custom |
1 day | 28 days | 7 days 28 days | 1 day 7 days | |
7 days | 30 days | 1 day 30 days 90 days | 1 day 7 days 90 days | |
1 day | 30 days | Off 2 days 3 days 5 days 7 days 14 days 60 days 90 days | 1 day 2 days 3 days 5 days 7 days 14 days 60 days 90 days |
*MCF: Multi-Channel Funnels report in Google Analytics
To determine what attribution window you should use I like to try and visualise the typical decision making process, and think about how long it would usually take or seem appropriate to take in order to assign credit back to exposure to an ad, and also how much of an impact do I think the ad should have on the decision.
- For someone shopping online is it fair to assign credit as far back as 30 days? I’d probably say no, as no doubt many other influences will have occurred far nearer to the decision. An online retailer probably benefits from high intensity ad exposure and repetition over a short period of time to persuade and these ads are unlikely to be hugely memorable. So something like 1 day for post view and <7 days for post click?
- For someone looking to buy a car, perhaps an online ad or search helped to narrow down the model or dealership, and that the visit to store occurred 14-30 days later. So perhaps in this instance, a 30 day lookback to the last ad they clicked could be credited for making an appointment online (but perhaps less than a week for post view)?
- For someone that requires a lot of decision making time before converting online (perhaps in B2B markets) a 60-90 day window, especially for clicks may be plausible to ensure that advertising exposure benefits from follow-on actions. But again, confidence in them taking action as a result of ad exposure should be sought via use of pages visited on-site aligned with campaign, brand search or direct visit from a new visitor or use of a code promoted within the ad.
The murky world of post view conversions
The post view debate is a tricky one. There has been lots written and debated about the ‘seeing’ of ads, and also the memorability of ads given we’re bombarded with messages (as many as 10k per day some would have us believe). So how fair is it really to say an ad someone ‘saw’ a month ago, a week ago, even yesterday or a few hours ago was the prompt for someone to take action on your site (having not even interacted with the ad)? An impression also doesn’t actually equate to attention being paid to an ad either.
In most (in fact, I’m sure it’s in all) tracking systems post click trumps post view, so if someone has clicked then at least you know your ad caused them to take some action which eventually led to a conversion. The world of post view on the other hand should be treated with extreme caution.
Luckily most ad platforms also get this, and they have very short post view defaults, so your risk of over-crediting, if you did nothing with your attribution windows is minimised. However LinkedIn is unusual with a 7-day default. Perhaps they believe less people take direct action from posts/ads, but due to the quantity of information that can be displayed within the text content, perhaps they can influence action even 7 days after exposure? I’ve already said B2B environments can have longer decision making journeys and maybe ads have a greater (or lasting) impact?
The other point to note is that each of these platforms is tracking independently from one another. They are all trying to claim a role in the conversion journey of a customer so if someone interacts with more than one platform’s ads then credit will be duplicated. You just have to feel confident that each claims credit where it’s due rather than taking advantage of another channel’s influence.
To track more accurate attribution across channels you will need to invest in a 3rd party tracking system that can offer that level of cross platform tracking, and different attribution models. Some examples include Ruler Analytics, QueryClick and Fospha.
Take post click attribution to the next level
Post click attribution windows probably need more careful thought. Yes we have become used to 30-day post click but just because we’re used to this, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do nor does it mean we should stick with this approach.
Some platforms like Facebook are really handy and you can compare conversion windows. So before committing to your new default, you can appreciate what impact this is going to have on your credited conversions.
For other platforms you could duplicate your conversion and adjust the conversion rules. On Google Ads, Twitter and LinkedIn you could set up additional conversions for the same goal and compare the results as the system will credit each goal with a conversion based on the associated rules.
Word of caution: To avoid the system (and you) from double counting make sure you only have one of each goal as the main KPI in your report (e.g. only have one version of your sale counted in the conversions column in Google Ads). For LinkedIn ads this is trickier - for reasons why read this blog: Things you didn’t know about LinkedIn ads.
Attribution windows and reporting considerations
The other thing to consider when selecting attribution conversion windows is how long you’ll give the data to mature. Ad impression and ad click data is reported daily in almost real-time but your conversion values will mature over time.
So whilst we’re all keen to assess performance at the end of a day/week/month if we’re being true to our conversion lookback windows we should wait until X days after the last day of the month before closing off the report calculations. Where X is the number of days in your attribution window for clicks and views.
Having an automated reporting system that pulls in these values for you without you having to remember to backfill or reconcile could play an important role here. Also when looking at data in the platform at different intervals also don’t be surprised if you see different results in the conversion column - taking note of how significantly these numbers change over time may be another good indicator of whether you have the right lookback windows in place.
I also think gut feel plays a role. If the numbers reported within a platform don’t feel right based on the volume of actual conversions you’re getting at any given point in time, then this is another trigger to investigate whether you have the right set-up.
Attribution windows and attribution models
Choosing attribution windows shouldn’t be confused with attribution models. One determines the lookback window to assign credit whereas the other determines how credit should be apportioned across contributing interactions (and often across marketing channels).
So, first you need to think about when a conversion should be counted, then how far back you want to award credit to an ad click or ad impression, and finally how you’d like that credit to be apportioned across marketing channels or campaigns or ads/keywords.
And, this is all before you have to consider the shake ups happening with cookies and 1st & 3rd party tracking technologies. I’m not about to disappear down that rabbit hole here now though, phew!!
