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 computes both first-touch and last-touch for every conversion 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.
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 side by side. If a channel has high first-touch but low 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 Revenue → Attribution.
- The default chart shows last-touch by source.
- Toggle the model selector at the top to switch to first-touch.
- Use the comparison view (icon next to the toggle) to see both side by side.
What about multi-touch attribution?
Models like linear, time-decay, U-shaped, and W-shaped attribution distribute credit across multiple touchpoints. Zenovay does not currently compute these. If you need them, export your raw events via the data-export endpoint and run the model offline.
Plan availability
Revenue attribution requires the Pro plan or higher. Free plan tracks revenue but only at the goal level (no source breakdown).