Attribution Logic
How does first-touch attribution work?
The first touch captures the first non-direct visit. If a visitor’s first visit is direct (no referrer, no UTMs), the first touch is set to null. Once a non-direct visit occurs, the first touch is locked permanently and never overwritten.
What counts as a “direct” visit?
A visit is classified as Direct when there is no referrer (or the referrer is the same domain), no UTM parameters, and no ad click IDs. This typically means the visitor typed the URL, used a bookmark, or the referrer was stripped.
Why does “latest non-direct” exist?
The latest non-direct touch preserves the most recent external marketing source even when a visitor returns via direct visits. It gives you the best view of which marketing effort influenced the most recent conversion.
How accurate is the attribution?
AttributionHub captures what’s available in the browser: URL parameters, referrer headers, and click IDs. Accuracy depends on:
- Consistent UTM tagging across your campaigns
- Referrer headers not being stripped (some browsers and privacy extensions strip referrers)
- Users not manually modifying URLs
For most marketing use cases, this provides highly actionable attribution data.