[UA] About MCF Data-Driven Attribution

Assign the right value to your marketing touchpoints.
This feature is only available in Google Analytics 360, part of Google Marketing Platform.
Learn more about Google Marketing Platform.

Unlike standard position- or rules-based attribution models, Multi-Channel Funnels (MCF) Data-Driven Attribution uses actual data from your Analytics account to generate a custom model for assigning conversion credit to marketing touchpoints throughout the entire customer journey. Your custom Data-Driven model provides a more complete and actionable view of which digital channels and keywords are performing best, so you can make better decisions about where to invest marketing resources.

In this article:

What data is analyzed

In addition to data from organic search, direct, and referral traffic, MCF Data-Driven Attribution analyzes data from all of the Google products that you've linked to Analytics, such as Google Ads, the Google Display Network, and Campaign Manager 360. It also incorporates data that you import via the Cost Data Upload feature. MCF Data-Driven Attribution leverages the conversion path data from Multi-Channel Funnels, as well as path data from users who don't convert.

How it works

MCF Data-Driven Attribution uses the Shapley Value solution concept from cooperative game theory to provide algorithmic attribution recommendations for each of the channels defined in your Default Channel Grouping. It assigns partial credit to marketing touchpoints based on the impact of your marketing efforts on the relevant success metric you've set up.

Learn more

See your custom model

The Model Explorer report allows you to explore the specific weights your Data-Driven model sets based on channel and position. Models are refreshed weekly, and each week of conversion data is given its own model, so models are updated automatically as time progresses to reflect changes in your marketing.

MCF Data-Driven Attribution and the Custom Model Builder

You can use Data-Driven Attribution as the baseline model when you use the the Analytics Custom Model builder. This lets you add custom rules to the Data-Driven Attribution Model.

Analytics computes the Data-Driven Attribution model based on a defined set of your data. Custom rules do not affect the data made available to the model processing. In addition, when you choose Data-Driven Attribution as the baseline model, then the Lookback Window option in the Custom Model Builder has no effect.

Requirements for using MCF Data-Driven Attribution

To be eligible for MCF Data-Driven Attribution, you must:

  • Be a Google Analytics 360 customer
  • Have either Ecommerce Tracking or Goals set up
  • Have a Google Ads account with at least 15,000 clicks on Google Search and a conversion action with at least 600 conversions within 30 days

To continue using the model, you need to meet the current minimum conversion threshold for the past 28 days:

  • 400 conversions per conversion type with a path length of 2+ interactions
    AND
  • 10,000 paths in the selected reporting view (roughly equivalent to 10,000 users, although a single user may generate multiple paths)

Set up MCF Data-Driven Attribution

If you're a Google Analytics 360 user with the Editor role, here's how you enable MCF Data-Driven Attribution for one of your account views:

  1. Sign in to Google Analytics.
  2. Click Admin, and navigate to the view for which you want to enable MCF Data-Driven Attribution Modeling.
  3. Click View Settings.
  4. Under Modeling Settings, turn on Enable Data-Driven Models.
    If you are participating in the Campaign Manager 360 integration, you should also select the Floodlight conversion types you wish to model. You can select up to 20.
    Select Floodlight conversions
  5. Click Save.

MCF Data-Driven Attribution immediately begins analyzing your data. Your first Data-Driven attribution model will be available in your Attribution reports within 7 days.

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