What Attribution means
Conventional attribution requires a click. Last-click gives all credit to the final touchpoint; multi-touch distributes it across a recorded journey.
Both assume the journey is observable. AI research isn't — a buyer reads a summary naming you, then arrives days later by typing your brand into a browser.
Why it matters for AI search
That gets recorded as direct traffic and credited to nothing. Meanwhile non-branded clicks fall and SEO looks like it's failing.
The result is systematic under-crediting of exactly the channel that's growing in influence.
See it in action
The same conversion, seen three ways.
Same conversion, opposite conclusions.
Last-click doesn't just under-report AI influence — it actively points budget in the wrong direction. Triangulation isn't precise, but it stops you optimizing against yourself.
How to get it right
Attributing AI influence honestly
- Accept that clean attribution isn't available and stop pretending otherwise
- Track branded search lift alongside non-branded clicks — they move together
- Add a self-reported source field at conversion with a free-text option
- Report citation share as a leading indicator rather than a revenue proxy
- State confidence levels; modelled estimates presented as measured facts erode trust fast
Common questions
Can you attribute revenue to AI search?
Not cleanly, and anyone claiming otherwise is overstating what's possible. AI-assisted research returns as direct or branded traffic.
Triangulation — branded lift, self-reported source, citation share — is directional and genuinely decision-useful.
What's the single best thing to add?
A 'how did you hear about us' field at conversion, with free text. A meaningful share of respondents name an AI assistant directly.
It costs almost nothing and reveals what no platform configuration can.
Should we abandon last-click entirely?
No — it's still useful for channels where clicks genuinely precede conversion. The problem is treating it as complete.
Run it alongside the proxy signals rather than instead of them.
Related concepts
These come up alongside Attribution constantly.