Attribution is the question: "which channel deserves credit for a conversion?" There's no single correct answer — different attribution models give different channels the credit. Zenovay lets you switch between five attribution models, including first-touch and last-touch, so you can compare.
First-touch — "who introduced the user?"
First-touch credits the very first traffic source that brought the visitor to your site, regardless of how many subsequent visits happened before they converted.
Example: a user finds you via a Google search → comes back two days later via Twitter → converts. First-touch credit: Google organic.
Use first-touch when you want to evaluate acquisition channels — the ones that fill the top of your funnel. It's the right model for measuring the impact of SEO content, paid acquisition campaigns, or referral programs.
Last-touch — "who closed the deal?"
Last-touch credits the source of the final session before conversion.
Same example as above: Last-touch credit: Twitter.
Use last-touch when you want to evaluate conversion channels — the ones that get visitors over the line. It's the right model for retargeting campaigns, sales-led nudges, and email-driven offers.
Last-touch is the default model in the attribution view.
Why both can be misleading on their own
- First-touch only flatters acquisition channels and ignores everything that happened in between. A campaign that brings in tons of high-intent visitors who never come back will look amazing.
- Last-touch only flatters retargeting channels and ignores how the visitor got into the funnel. A retargeting ad that closes a sale wasn't the reason that sale was possible.
The honest pattern: look at both. Switch between the two models and watch which channels move. If a channel scores high on first-touch but low on last-touch, it's a great top-of-funnel channel that needs better closers. The opposite means a great closer that's living off another channel's acquisition work.
Where to find both numbers
In your dashboard:
- Open your website's dashboard and select the Revenue tab.
- Scroll past the revenue chart and source breakdown to the Attribution card.
- The model toggle at the top of the card defaults to Last Touch.
- Click First Touch in the toggle to recompute the same channels under first-touch.
The toggle switches the whole breakdown in place, so flip between the two to compare which channels each model rewards.
What about multi-touch attribution?
Beyond first-touch and last-touch, Zenovay also computes three multi-touch models you can pick from the same toggle:
- Linear — splits credit evenly across every channel the visitor used on the way to converting. A balanced, neutral view.
- Position-Based — gives 40% to the first channel, 40% to the last, and splits the remaining 20% across everything in between. Rewards both discovery and closing.
- Time-Decay — gives more credit to channels closer to the conversion and less to earlier ones, on a 7-day half-life. Good for shorter sales cycles.
There's no separate side-by-side comparison view — you compare by switching the toggle between models.
Plan availability
The attribution model toggle is available on every plan, including Free. You'll only see channels once you have revenue events flowing in, so set up revenue tracking first.