Measurement
Data-driven attribution
An attribution model that uses an account's own data to estimate how much each touchpoint contributed to conversions; the default in Google Ads and GA4.
What it is
It compares the paths of people who converted with those who did not and assigns credit accordingly.
Why it matters
For lead generation and e-commerceIt credits earlier touches that last click ignores, which changes how budgets look.
In practice
It runs inside the platform; advertisers choose it and read the results, but cannot see the model.
A common mistake
Treating it as proof of cause. It is still built on the touches one platform can see, and that platform is also selling the ads.
All terms