Attribution and Tracking Problems in Modern Advertising

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A person in glasses working on a laptop in front of a red dashed line zigzagging up and down across the wall behind them, illustrating an uneven, non-linear path to conversion

A customer does not see one ad, click, and then become a customer. They may find a brand on social media, search for it a couple of days later, go back to the site, and then convert when seeing another ad.

Which campaign does the credit go to?

This may seem like a simple question, but it’s not quite so easy in today’s advertising world. Users switch between devices, platforms, browsers, and channels, and privacy changes and restrictions make sections of the journey less visible.

This is certainly one of the largest difficulties for marketers in a digital marketing campaign. If the numbers don’t add up, determining where to invest the next dollar is a lot more difficult.

The Customer Journey Isn’t Linear

The conversion process is not linear: people do not go from impression to conversion in a straight line.

A potential customer can view a video on their mobile phone at lunch, then search for the brand later that day from a laptop and finally come back later in the week via a paid search ad. Every interaction can be a part of the eventual decision.

The last click may, therefore, be a very misleading indication of what took place.

A good attribution model should take into consideration the broader path to conversion, not focusing solely on a single touchpoint.

A woman seated at a cafe table viewing content on her smartphone, with a salad, a glass of water and a laptop nearby, representing a customer moving between moments and devices

Data Doesn’t Always Agree

You’ll often see different figures when it comes to advertising metrics.

There may be a discrepancy between one platform and another, due to their different attribution models. Throw in CRM data, ecommerce data, and offline sales, and it can get even more difficult to reconcile.

This does not necessarily imply there is a problem with one system. The journey may be different for each platform, as it’s measuring from a different angle.

The key is to be aware of those differences before making significant budgetary decisions on the numbers.

A marketing professional at a desk comparing analytics dashboards across two monitors in a bright modern office, where the numbers on each screen tell a slightly different story

Tracking Has More Gaps

New privacy tools have affected the amount of user-level data that advertisers can gather.

There are various reasons why there can be gaps between what happens and what a reporting platform can actually claim. Browser restrictions, consent requirements, cookie limitations, and changing device tracking can all cause these gaps.

Measurement is not a waste, however. It implies that marketers must pay attention to what is reported as a conversion and not assume it is a true reflection of reality.

The first step in strong tracking is to know what can be reliably tracked and what can’t.

A person holding a magnifying glass over a laptop showing a line chart with a hollow data point, illustrating gaps in what tracking can actually capture

Measure More Than Last Click

Last-click attribution is straightforward: the last interaction that leads to a conversion gets all of the credit.

The issue is that it can forget all that has transpired before it.

A display ad can be used to introduce someone to a brand. They may come back if a social campaign is put together. Those earlier interactions can then be converted into a demand that’s captured by a search ad.

When reviewing several attribution perspectives, these relationships can become apparent and provide a more solid foundation for channel performance assessments for marketers.

A smiling professional reviewing results on a tablet beside a glass wall of sticky notes, a pie chart and a workflow diagram, weighing the full path instead of a single touchpoint

Make Better Decisions With Better Data

It’s not about trying to pinpoint one report that shows you which ad is credited. It’s all about the accumulation of sufficient data to make informed choices.

First, ensure that the conversion tracking is functioning correctly. When available, compare platform data with first-party business data and analytics. Don’t expect all systems to be exactly alike, but look for big differences.

Most importantly, use attribution as part of a decision-making process. The performance of the campaign, the quality of the customers generated, assisted conversions, revenue, and other business metrics should all be part of the discussion.

The more accurate the measurement, the less guesswork there is in the optimization process.