Affiliate Partnerships

Google’s Attribution Models are Changing: Will This Cause Data Clashes or Clarity for Affiliate Networks?

Google will remove all rules-based attribution models, including first click, by the end of the year, in order to replace them with its data-driven attribution model. How is this going to affect the affiliate space?

Sol Wilkinson April 14, 2023 — 2 minutes read

Starting from July 2023, Google will begin phasing out rules-based attribution models, and you can expect them to disappear altogether by September. These include first click, linear, time decay, and position-based attribution models, and they will be replaced by data-driven attribution models. Last click and external attribution models will not be affected.

Google’s data-driven attribution model will be powered by proprietary AI technology to understand the impact of each touchpoint on a conversion. When combined with auto-bidding, Google argues, data-driven attribution will improve performance.