How does attribution work

The number of days elapsed is called the attribution window and depends on the relevant ad network. Usually, you can configure the length of the window yourself within your chosen attribution tool.

If you want to see the same numbers in both your ad network dashboard and also in your attribution dashboard, you need to check whether your attribution tool is set to the right length of the window. For Facebook it is 28 days; Google Ads uses 30 days; and Twitter counts installs up to 14 days from the click.

Another scenario that you may experience is a user having seen your ad, but having installed the app without clicking on it.

The credit for the install here goes to the last ad serving network. At this stage, it depends on which attribution model is chosen and how the attribution windows are set up in determine to whom the attribution will be assigned. Also, UA managers measure additional activities within that app to evaluate the quality of the traffic, including whether a user has finished onboarding or completed a purchase.

Right now, there is no industry standard for the best methodology for measurement, but some methods have become universal. Device Fingerprinting: This method works by collecting publicly available data on a mobile device, which then creates a unique fingerprint.

The conversion to the advertisement source is then associated with the click to the advertisement source. Unified Attribution Solution: This integrates various methods of a mobile app download tracking. This creates a unified solution for attributing app-to-app installs and mobile web-to-app installs.

Not only does attribution modeling supports marketing efforts on the advertiser side, it also ensures accurate and fair install crediting and payment on the network side. Having an unbiased, 3rd party attribution provider is key for establishing trustworthy transaction-based attribution reporting system, and giving both credit and responsibility to networks when due.

In short, attribution modeling is the structure in which attribution for mobile installs can take place, leaving the mobile ecosystem, for both advertisers and media sources alike, balanced and dynamic in the long run. Analyze Marketing analytics Turn insights on campaign performance into action Incrementality Prove the real value of your marketing campaigns Predictive analytics Know what to do right from the start.

Protect Fraud protection Protect your marketing budget from mobile ad fraud. How we help Explore our solutions for teams and companies of all sizes, across every industry. For partners Integrated partners Agencies. Zero budget marketing AppsFlyer for iOS. The link takes you to the app in the iTunes store, but briefly redirects you through Adjust. By clicking the link, going to the app store, downloading the app and opening it for the first time, the attribution provider will receive the following data points:.

With this information, the attribution provider can determine whether the user is new or existing. This creates a line of communication between the app and us through which we can provide attribution data in real time.

You can take a look at our SDK on Github here. It's also important to understand that Adjust won't look at every past engagement - only the ones that fall within the attribution window. An attribution window or conversion window is the period of time in which a publisher can claim that a click or a view led to an install. For example: if a window of seven days is agreed upon between an advertiser and publisher, and it can be proved that a user interacting with an ad from a publisher installs the app within the window, then that publisher is credited with the install and would receive payment.

Attribution windows are an essential tool for helping advertisers and publishers to understand when a conversion takes place. Setting an attribution window creates the ability to include users who are technically brought in from an advertisement, just not directly in the instance of seeing it. Adjust works backwards, looking for the data point within the attribution window with the most robust information, before heading down the waterfall to find the data point with the least amount of information necessary in order to make a confirmation:.

Those are the basics of how Adjust goes about attributing data points. Now you know how essential it is to incorporate an attribution provider that follows the user from first engagement to their very last in-app purchase, as well as what kind of data you can gather from that first attributed install. Attribution creates an understanding of what happens when a user interacts with a mobile ad.

Successful mobile app attribution covers the entirety of the conversion funnel. It identifies and reports whether a user reacts upon seeing an advertisement, whether a user installs an app after seeing an ad, and how a user behaves after installing the app.

Attribution figures out the number of ad dollars spent on the number of conversions gained, and is important to determining the success of advertising campaigns. Furthermore, mobile app attribution is essential for optimization of all kinds.

By tracking user events, and understanding how users behave when faced with paid activity, you can change and improve almost every aspect of your app, your creatives, and your ad spend. Attribution affects the entire mobile ad ecosystem, from determining how much ad space costs to how well a campaign has performed — another reason attribution is a fundamental component of mobile marketing.

Temporary attribution is a time-sensitive model used to give UA managers flexibility with how their data is presented. It can also be useful for implementing tests and campaign management.