Attribution models
LeadJourney offers first-click and last-click attribution. Learn what each model does, when to use it, and how to switch between them in your reports – plus the window and date settings that shape the numbers.
Most leads touch more than one channel before they convert – they click a Google ad, come back through a Meta ad a few days later, then buy. Attribution is the rule that decides which of those touches gets the credit for the conversion. LeadJourney currently offers two models: Last Click and First Click.
In short
Pick Last Click to credit the final channel a lead clicked before converting, or First Click to credit the first one that brought them in. It's a report setting – switching it recalculates your numbers instantly and never changes the underlying data. Last Click is the default.
Where to find it
The attribution model is a report-level control, not a workspace-wide switch – so you can look at the same data through different models without changing anything permanently.
Open any report – Traffic, Campaigns, Affiliates, Ad Creatives or the Report Builder – or the Lead Overview, and use the Attribution dropdown in the toolbar (next to your date range and filters). Choose Last Click or First Click, and every figure in the report – leads, revenue, cost per lead, ROAS – recalculates for that model right away.
It's a view, not an edit
Changing the model only changes how credit is assigned in that report. Your clicks and conversions stay exactly as they were recorded – you can flip back and forth as often as you like with no effect on the data.
The two models
Last Click
Full credit goes to the last source the lead clicked before converting.
- Why use it – it reveals which channel directly drove the conversion. It also matches the default attribution model in Meta, Google Ads and most ad platforms, so your LeadJourney numbers line up with the dashboards you already know.
- When to use it – optimizing bottom-of-funnel campaigns, or judging what actually converts people at the final step.
- Example – a user sees a Google ad on May 1, a Meta ad on May 5, and converts on May 6 → Meta gets 100% of the credit.
Last Click is selected by default because it answers the most common question – "what closed this sale?" – and keeps your reports comparable with the ad platforms.
First Click
Full credit goes to the first source the lead ever clicked.
- Why use it – it reveals which channels are starting journeys and driving discovery – the ones doing the work to bring new people in, even if a different channel closes the deal.
- When to use it – top-of-funnel investment decisions, brand-awareness analysis, or measuring the impact of a new traffic source.
- Example – the same user (Google ad May 1, Meta ad May 5, converts May 6) → Google gets 100% of the credit.
First Click vs. Last Click at a glance
| First Click | Last Click | |
|---|---|---|
| Credits | The first channel the lead clicked | The last channel before converting |
| Answers | "What introduced this lead?" | "What closed this lead?" |
| Best for | Discovery, brand awareness, new channels | Conversion, bottom-of-funnel, closing |
| Matches ad platforms | No | Yes – the Meta/Google default |
| Same journey (Google → Meta → convert) | Google 100% | Meta 100% |
Same journey, different story
Run the same date range twice – once on each model – and compare. If a channel looks strong on First Click but weak on Last Click, it's an opener: great at bringing leads in, but rarely the final touch. The reverse marks a closer. Seeing both is how you avoid over- or under-funding a channel.
Two settings that shape the numbers alongside it
Right next to the attribution model, the report toolbar has two more controls. They don't change which click gets credit – they change which conversions count and what date they land on.
- Attribution window – how long after the click a conversion may still be attributed to it. Options run from 1 Day up to 180 Days, plus Lifetime (the default – every conversion ever tied to the original click). 28 Days matches Meta's default if you're reconciling with it.
- Attribution date – which day a conversion is counted on. Click Date (the default) counts it on the day of the ad click – how Meta and Google report. Conversion Date counts it on the day the deal actually closed, which lines up with sales and finance reporting.
Why your numbers might differ from Meta or Google
If LeadJourney and your ad platform disagree, it's usually one of these three settings. The platforms default to Last Click, a shorter window (often 7 or 28 days) and Click Date. Match those three and the figures move much closer together.
See both clicks for any single lead
You don't have to choose just one model to inspect a lead. Open a lead in the Lead Overview and go to the Attribution tab – it shows a First Click Attribution and a Last Click Attribution card side by side, each with the channel, campaign, ad set, ad and device behind that touch. It's the quickest way to see a single lead's full path from first contact to conversion.
Common questions
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Every lead in one table, with first- and last-touch source, CRM status, tags, revenue and full journey. Click any lead to see its complete timeline of clicks, conversions and sales – the person behind the numbers.
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