Definition
Multi-touch attribution spreads conversion credit across multiple touchpoints (first, last, and middle touches).
How to use it
- MTA can improve visibility into upper-funnel touches versus last-click.
- It's still attribution, not causality; validate with experiments for big bets.
Common mistakes
- Assuming MTA is incrementality (it is still model-based attribution).
- Using complex models without validating against experiments.
Why this matters
This term matters because it affects how you interpret performance and make budget decisions. If you use inconsistent definitions or windows, ROAS/CPA can look "better" while profit gets worse.
Practical checklist
- Write a 1-line definition for "Multi-touch Attribution (MTA)" that your team will use consistently.
- Keep the time window consistent (weekly/monthly/quarterly) when comparing trends.
- Segment results (channel/plan/cohort) before drawing big conclusions from blended averages.
- Sanity-check with a related calculator from the same category on MetricKit.
- Read the related guide (e.g., Attribution vs incrementality: what to trust, when, and how to test) for context and common pitfalls.
Where to use this on MetricKit
Calculators
- CPL to CAC Calculator: Convert cost per lead (CPL) into CAC using lead-to-customer rate (and compute targets).
- Break-even CVR Calculator: Compute the CVR required to break even (and hit a target) given CPM, CTR, AOV, and contribution margin.
- Click-through Conversion Rate Calculator: Calculate click-through conversion rate (click-to-conversion CVR) and estimate required clicks for target conversions.
- ROAS Calculator: Calculate Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and estimate contribution profit after ad spend.
- Break-even ROAS Calculator: Estimate the break-even ROAS based on contribution margin assumptions.
Guides
- Attribution vs incrementality: what to trust, when, and how to test: A practical guide to attribution vs incrementality: common attribution models, window pitfalls, how MER/marginal ROAS fit in, and how to run holdout/geo tests.
- UTM + GA4 attribution: practical tracking for paid ads (without lying to yourself): A practical guide to UTMs and GA4: consistent source/medium/campaign tagging, conversion deduplication, and common attribution traps.