> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.datalyr.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Attribution Models > How DATALYR attributes conversions to marketing touchpoints Attribution models determine which marketing touchpoints get credit for conversions. DATALYR uses session-based attribution with first-touch and last-touch tracking to give you complete visibility into customer journeys. ## How Attribution Works When a user converts (makes a purchase, signs up, etc.), DATALYR attributes the conversion to marketing sources based on their journey: **Example Journey:** ``` Day 1, 10:00 AM - User clicks Facebook ad (fbclid captured) Day 1, 10:05 AM - Views product page (anonymous) Day 1, 10:10 AM - Leaves site Day 3, 2:00 PM - Googles brand name (organic search) Day 3, 2:05 PM - Returns to site, creates account (identified) Day 3, 2:10 PM - Browses catalog Day 7, 8:00 AM - Types URL directly (direct traffic) Day 7, 8:05 AM - Completes purchase ``` **Attribution Question:** Which marketing source should get credit for the \$99 purchase? * Facebook ad (Day 1)? * Google organic search (Day 3)? * Direct traffic (Day 7)? Different attribution models answer this differently. ## Session-Based Attribution DATALYR tracks attribution at the **session level**, not the page level. ### What is a Session A session is a continuous period of user activity: * **Starts:** First page view or after 30 minutes of inactivity * **Duration:** Continues while user is active (clicks, scrolls, navigates) * **Ends:** 30 minutes of inactivity or browser close **Session Attribution Capture:** When a new session starts, DATALYR captures: * UTM parameters (utm\_source, utm\_medium, utm\_campaign) * Click IDs (fbclid, gclid, ttclid) * Referrer (where user came from) * Landing page (first page of session) * Source and medium (computed from above) **Important:** Attribution data persists for the entire session and is attached to all events in that session. ### Session Example **Session 1 (Facebook Ad Click):** ```javascript theme={null} { "session_id": "sess_1727634645123_a1b2c3d4", "utm_source": "facebook", "utm_medium": "cpc", "utm_campaign": "summer_sale", "fbclid": "IwAR...", "source": "facebook", "medium": "cpc", "landing_page": "https://example.com/products?utm_source=facebook", "session_start": "2025-09-29T10:00:00Z" } ``` All events in this session are attributed to Facebook. **Session 2 (Google Search - 3 days later):** ```javascript theme={null} { "session_id": "sess_1727894845123_e5f6g7h8", "utm_source": null, "fbclid": null, "referrer": "https://google.com/search?q=example+store", "source": "google", "medium": "organic", "landing_page": "https://example.com/", "session_start": "2025-10-02T14:00:00Z" } ``` All events in this session are attributed to Google Organic. ## Attribution Models DATALYR provides multiple attribution models: ### First-Touch Attribution Credits the **first touchpoint** in the customer journey. **Journey:** ``` Day 1: Facebook Ad (fbclid) → Product viewed Day 3: Google Search → Returned to site Day 7: Direct → Purchase ($99) ``` **First-Touch Result:** * **Facebook Ad** gets 100% credit * Purchase attributed to: `source: facebook`, `medium: cpc` **When to Use:** * Measure top-of-funnel performance * Understand initial discovery channels * Optimize awareness campaigns * Evaluate new customer acquisition sources **In DATALYR:** ```json theme={null} { "first_touch_source": "facebook", "first_touch_medium": "cpc", "first_touch_campaign": "summer_sale", "first_touch_timestamp": 1727634645123, "days_since_first_touch": 7 } ``` ### Last-Touch Attribution Credits the **last touchpoint** before conversion. **Journey:** ``` Day 1: Facebook Ad → Product viewed Day 3: Google Search → Returned to site Day 7: Direct → Purchase ($99) ``` **Last-Touch Result:** * **Direct traffic** gets 100% credit * Purchase attributed to: `source: direct`, `medium: direct` **When to Use:** * Measure bottom-of-funnel performance * Understand closing channels * Optimize conversion campaigns * Evaluate retargeting effectiveness **In DATALYR:** ```json theme={null} { "last_touch_source": "direct", "last_touch_medium": "direct", "last_touch_timestamp": 1728239245123, "source": "direct", "medium": "direct" } ``` ### Session-Based (Current Touch) Credits the **session where the conversion happened**. **Journey:** ``` Session 1: Facebook Ad → Browsed products Session 2: Google Search → Signed up Session 3: Direct → Purchased ($99) ``` **Session-Based Result:** * **Direct traffic** (Session 3) gets credit * Same as last-touch in most cases **When to Use:** * Accurate session tracking * Real-time conversion analysis * Understanding immediate conversion drivers **In DATALYR:** Every event includes the session's attribution data automatically. ### Hybrid (DATALYR Default) DATALYR tracks **both first-touch and last-touch** simultaneously, giving you flexibility in analysis. **Every Conversion Event Includes:** ```json theme={null} { "event_name": "purchase", "revenue": 99.99, // First-touch attribution "first_touch_source": "facebook", "first_touch_medium": "cpc", "first_touch_campaign": "summer_sale", "first_touch_timestamp": 1727634645123, // Last-touch attribution (current session) "source": "direct", "medium": "direct", "utm_source": null, "utm_campaign": null, // Journey metrics "touchpoint_count": 3, "days_since_first_touch": 7, "session_duration": 180000 } ``` **Benefits:** * View conversions from multiple perspectives * Compare acquisition vs. closing channels * Build custom attribution models * Understand full customer journey ## Click ID Attribution DATALYR uses click IDs for accurate cross-device attribution. ### What are Click IDs Click IDs are unique identifiers appended to ad URLs by platforms: * **fbclid** (Facebook): `?fbclid=IwAR...` * **gclid** (Google): `?gclid=Cj0KCQ...` * **ttclid** (TikTok): `?ttclid=123...` * **li\_fat\_id** (LinkedIn): `?li_fat_id=456...` * **epik** (Pinterest): `?epik=789...` ### Click ID Tracking When a user clicks an ad, DATALYR: 1. Captures click ID from URL 2. Stores in anonymous visitor profile 3. Links to user ID when they identify (login/signup) 4. Attributes conversion even on different device **Cross-Device Example:** **Mobile (Day 1):** ``` User clicks Facebook ad on phone URL: https://example.com/?fbclid=IwAR123 DATALYR captures: fbclid → anon_mobile_abc ``` **Desktop (Day 7):** ``` User purchases on desktop User ID: user_456 DATALYR links: anon_mobile_abc → user_456 Finds: fbclid from Day 1 Attributes purchase to Facebook ``` **Result:** Purchase correctly attributed to Facebook ad from 7 days ago on different device. ## Attribution Windows Attribution windows determine how far back to look for attribution data. ### Default Windows **DATALYR Default:** * **30-day attribution window** for all click IDs and UTM parameters * Configurable per workspace **Platform-Specific:** * **Meta Ads:** 7-day click, 1-day view (platform default) * **Google Ads:** 30-day click, 1-day view (platform default) * **TikTok Ads:** 28-day click, 1-day view (platform default) ### How Windows Work **Example: 30-Day Window** ``` Day 1: User clicks Facebook ad (fbclid captured) Day 10: User signs up (identified) Day 20: User browses (engaged) Day 35: User purchases Result: NOT attributed to Facebook (outside 30-day window) ``` **Example: Within Window** ``` Day 1: User clicks Facebook ad (fbclid captured) Day 10: User signs up (identified) Day 20: User browses (engaged) Day 25: User purchases Result: Attributed to Facebook (within 30-day window) ``` ### Configuring Windows Attribution windows can be customized in workspace settings: ```javascript theme={null} // DATALYR automatically respects configured attribution window { "attribution_window_days": 30, // Default "respect_platform_windows": true // Respect Meta/Google defaults } ``` ## UTM Parameter Attribution UTM parameters provide detailed campaign attribution. ### Standard UTM Parameters **Format:** ``` https://example.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale&utm_term=wireless+headphones&utm_content=carousel_ad ``` **Parameters:** * `utm_source`: Traffic source (facebook, google, newsletter) * `utm_medium`: Marketing medium (cpc, email, social) * `utm_campaign`: Campaign name (summer\_sale, black\_friday) * `utm_term`: Keyword (for paid search) * `utm_content`: Ad variation (carousel\_ad, video\_ad) ### UTM Attribution Priority DATALYR uses this priority for source/medium: **Priority 1: UTM Parameters** ``` ?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc → source: facebook, medium: cpc ``` **Priority 2: Click IDs** ``` ?fbclid=IwAR... → source: facebook, medium: cpc ``` **Priority 3: Referrer** ``` referrer: https://google.com/search → source: google, medium: organic ``` **Priority 4: Direct** ``` No UTM, click ID, or referrer → source: direct, medium: direct ``` ## Source and Medium Classification DATALYR automatically computes source and medium from available data. ### Computed Source **From Click IDs:** * `fbclid` → `facebook` * `gclid` → `google` * `ttclid` → `tiktok` * `li_fat_id` → `linkedin` * `epik` → `pinterest` **From Referrer:** * `google.com` → `google` * `facebook.com` → `facebook` * `youtube.com` → `youtube` * `twitter.com` → `twitter` * `linkedin.com` → `linkedin` **AI Tools:** * `chat.openai.com` → `chatgpt` * `claude.ai` → `claude` * `gemini.google.com` → `gemini` * `grok.x.ai` → `grok` * `perplexity.ai` → `perplexity` ### Computed Medium **From Click IDs:** * `fbclid`, `gclid`, `ttclid` → `cpc` (cost per click) **From Referrer:** * Search engines → `organic` * Social media → `social` * Same domain → `internal` * No referrer → `direct` ## Journey Tracking DATALYR tracks the complete customer journey across sessions. ### Journey Data Every event includes: ```json theme={null} { "touchpoint_count": 5, // Total sessions "days_since_first_touch": 14, // Days since first visit "session_duration": 240000, // Current session duration (ms) "session_page_views": 8, // Pages viewed this session "session_events": 45 // Events fired this session } ``` ### Journey Array DATALYR stores a journey array in localStorage: ```json theme={null} [ { "source": "facebook", "medium": "cpc", "timestamp": 1727634645123, "landing_page": "/products" }, { "source": "google", "medium": "organic", "timestamp": 1727808445123, "landing_page": "/signup" }, { "source": "direct", "medium": "direct", "timestamp": 1728239245123, "landing_page": "/checkout" } ] ``` This enables multi-touch attribution analysis. ## Platform-Specific Attribution ### Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) **Data Captured:** * `fbclid`: Facebook Click ID * `_fbp`: Facebook Browser Pixel (first-party cookie) * `_fbc`: Facebook Click cookie (contains fbclid) **Attribution:** * DATALYR sends conversions back to Meta with fbclid * Meta attributes based on their 7-day click, 1-day view window * Cross-device attribution via Meta's identity graph ### Google Ads **Data Captured:** * `gclid`: Google Click ID * `_gcl_aw`: Google Ads conversion cookie * `_gac`: Google Ads Click cookie **Attribution:** * DATALYR sends conversions to Google Ads API with gclid * Google attributes based on their 30-day click, 1-day view window * Cross-device via Google signed-in users ### TikTok Ads **Data Captured:** * `ttclid`: TikTok Click ID * `_ttp`: TikTok Pixel cookie **Attribution:** * DATALYR sends conversions to TikTok Events API with ttclid * TikTok attributes based on 28-day click, 1-day view window * Cross-device via TikTok's identity resolution ## Attribution Best Practices **Use UTM Parameters Consistently** ```javascript theme={null} // Good - Consistent naming utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale // Bad - Inconsistent utm_source=fb&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=Summer Sale 2024 utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer-sale ``` **Let Click IDs Flow** Don't strip click IDs from URLs. They're essential for attribution: ```javascript theme={null} // Good - Preserve click IDs https://example.com/products?fbclid=IwAR... // Bad - Stripped click ID https://example.com/products ``` **Call identify() Early** Link anonymous visitors to users ASAP for cross-device attribution: ```javascript theme={null} // After signup datalyr.identify(user.id, { email: user.email }); // After login datalyr.identify(user.id); ``` **Track Key Conversion Events** Define clear conversion events for attribution: ```javascript theme={null} datalyr.track('purchase', { order_id: 'ORDER_123', revenue: 99.99, currency: 'USD' }); datalyr.track('signup', { user_id: 'user_456', plan: 'pro' }); ``` ## Attribution Reports DATALYR provides multiple views of attribution data: **Dashboard:** * First-touch attribution (acquisition channels) * Last-touch attribution (conversion channels) * Journey length distribution * Source/medium breakdown **Customer Journeys:** * Visual timeline of touchpoints * Source/medium for each session * Conversion path analysis * Time to convert **Conversion Rules:** * Attribute conversions from Shopify, Stripe, webhooks * Link server-side conversions to marketing sources * Retroactive attribution via user/email matching ## Troubleshooting Attribution **Conversions Not Attributed?** Check: * Click IDs present in event data (fbclid, gclid, etc.) * Attribution window not exceeded (default 30 days) * User identified via `identify()` for cross-device * UTM parameters captured in session **Wrong Attribution Source?** Verify: * UTM parameters spelled correctly * Click IDs not stripped from URL * Referrer data available * Session started correctly **Missing Cross-Device Attribution?** Ensure: * `identify()` called on both devices with same user\_id * User logged in after clicking ad * Attribution window hasn't expired ## Next Steps How DATALYR identifies visitors Link users across devices View complete customer paths Attribute server-side conversions ## Need Help? Questions about attribution? Check our [troubleshooting guide](/troubleshooting/data-discrepancies) or contact support.