Term
Last-Click Attribution
Attribution model that gives full conversion credit to the last clicked touchpoint before the conversion — historically the default in Google Ads.
Last-Click Attribution — in more detail
With Last Click, the very last clicked ad touchpoint before the conversion gets 100 % of the credit. Earlier clicks (awareness banners, generic searches) get nothing. The model is easy to explain and compare across systems, but it consistently undervalues upper-funnel activity — it only shows who closed the deal, not who enabled it. Google replaced Last Click as the Google Ads default with Data-Driven Attribution (DDA) in 2023; it remains selectable manually, but new conversion actions start on DDA.
Example / In practice
A user sees a display banner, later clicks a generic search ad, returns via a brand ad, and buys. Last Click credits the entire sale to the brand ad — display and generic look like they contributed nothing, even though they built the funnel.
Distinction from similar terms
Data-Driven Attribution (DDA) distributes credit algorithmically across all touchpoints. Position-Based / Time-Decay / Linear are rule-based alternatives that Google largely deprecated in 2023. First Click is Last Click’s opposite, weighting the initial touch instead.
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Attribution Models
Attribution models are rules by which the value of a conversion is distributed across the touchpoints involved in a customer journey. They range from simple models such as last-click to data-driven approaches based on machine learning.
LexikonUnderstanding Attribution Models
How attribution splits conversion credit across touchpoints, why Google made data-driven the default and dropped rule-based models — plus the limits.
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