Attribution is everything when it comes to marketing, and funnily enough, like all good things, they don’t make it easy.
Most of the time, attribution is 30 days. So if someone clicks on your ad and comes back 31 days later, your ad won’t get any credit at all.
And that’s where it gets complicated: why not just make that window three months?
Six months?
A Year?
And so on.
The main reason it’s not as simple as that, in this question, is: where is the line drawn? If someone saw your ad 8 months ago, a lot can change in that time. While it could be due to brand awareness from the ad, if it was shown only once, it’s unlikely. It could be a coincidence that they clicked through, so why should the ad get credit? Or why shouldn’t it? As it could have been the reason.
No matter which side you argue for, you would have a valid argument, and that’s why people use all different types of conversions, different windows and definitions of a conversion.
Customer Life-time Value
What if someone’s first purchase came from ads and they only spent £50? The cost to acquire them was £15, and your operations cost £30. That leaves you £5 profit.
Based on the official ad data, this appears to be a one-off customer who barely broke even for the business and, for many, probably lost money.
But in reality, what if they end up returning every month and spend £500? Or come back and buy a high-ticket product for £10K.
Suddenly, that £50 first sale was the start of an immensely valuable customer.
The return would be substantial, even if the cost per acquisition appears high on the surface or barely profitable.
That’s why attribution is not just a technical setup.
It’s the foundation for understanding marketing performance and your business as a whole. Businesses often cut marketing when making cuts. They then learn how much that marketing was worth, even when the surface-level data was ‘profitable but not worth it’. And it doesn’t end there: some customers won’t return to your company directly; some may purchase and forget. They then see your display ad pop up and think – “oh, they were great last time, let’s try again”.
Shoppers Aren't Simple Anymore
Buying journeys are not instant anymore.
People might:
– Click an ad today
– Come back in two weeks through organic
– Come back again, but by searching your brand URL directly and buying.
The direct gets the final purhcase but your paid advertising and organic marketing made it happen. So why not give them credit?
Platforms do not always present the full story, especially when long-term value is involved, and everyone should be mindful of this.
Strategy & Attribution Matter More Than Ever
Google’s algorithm is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and while everyone is panicking, they fail to realise that this makes human expertise even more valuable.
Marketing is increasingly about strategy and creative direction. It can be the hardest part, but it is also the most valuable.
AI struggles with two key things here:
Feeling
Context
With good strategic direction, strong creativity, and a working conversion setup (and an understanding!), Google’s algorithm can learn what actually converts.
Once it knows what works, you can improve what doesn’t and iterate from your learnings in line with your goals.
This applies to all platforms, but on Meta, it can be especially powerful, where creative and visual resonance are key drivers of success.
If my campaign is showing low conversions, should I pause it?
Sometimes, yes. Some campaigns just don’t work.
But it depends on what the campaign is doing.
If your ad is clearly resonating with people with a strong click-through rate but no conversions, don’t blame the ad. It can point to:
An opportunity to improve the landing page
People clicking off and coming back later through other channels, and not being attributed
An offer that isn’t resonating with people.
This is why you need to be careful about cutting campaigns too quickly. Something that looks useless on the surface can be what is moving the needle in reality.
A common situation people see all of the time:
You spot an ‘underperforming’ campaign. You pause it.
Over the couple of weeks following:
– Less organic traffic
– Less direct traffic
– Lower phone calls
And you start to realise that the campaign may actually be really strong in driving awareness and consideration, even if conversions look lower on the surface. It’s not a performance issue; it’s an attribution issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is marketing attribution?
Attribution is how you identify where sales and conversions came from, whether it was ads, organic search, email, or another channel.
Why does GA4 sometimes undervalue ads?
Because many customers don’t convert immediately. They may return later via direct or organic channels, which means the ad’s impact is hidden.
What is an attribution window?
It’s the time period where a platform can still credit a conversion back to an ad click, often 30 days by default.
Should I pause campaigns with low conversions?
Not always. A high click-through rate can mean the ad is working, but the website or tracking may be the problem.
Why does customer lifetime value matter in attribution?
Because the first purchase might be small, but the long-term return can be massive, which platforms often fail to show clearly.
