What is last-click attribution?
Last-click attribution is a model that gives 100% of the credit for a conversion to the last touchpoint a customer clicked before converting. Every earlier interaction on the path receives no credit.
Last reviewed .
Why teams use last-click
Last-click is simple. It's easy to explain and easy to calculate, though Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads now default to data-driven attribution. It also fits short, direct purchases, where the final click really is the main driver.
What last-click misses
It overcredits channels that sit near the end of the journey, such as branded search, direct visits, and email, and undercredits those that start it, like video and social.
Budgets guided only by last-click can drift toward capturing demand that already exists and away from creating new demand. Comparing it with other models, and testing with experiments, gives a fuller view.
Common questions
What is last non-direct click attribution?
It's a variation that ignores direct visits and credits the last non-direct channel the person used. It avoids giving credit to a visit where someone just typed in your address.
Is last-click attribution bad?
It isn't wrong, but it's incomplete. It shows what closed the sale and not what created interest, so use it with other views.
Which channels does last-click favor?
It favors channels that appear late in the journey, such as branded search, retargeting, and email.
How is last-click different from data-driven attribution?
Last-click uses one fixed rule. Data-driven attribution learns from your data how to split credit among several touchpoints.
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