Overview

Realize reports conversions based on clicks and views, using both click-through and view-through attribution. Understanding how attribution works helps you accurately measure campaign performance.

Attribution model

Realize uses post-click attribution, meaning every conversion that occurs within the attribution window is reported.

How post-click attribution works

With post-click attribution, Realize tracks and reports all conversions that happen within the attribution window after a user interaction (click or view).

This differs from other attribution models:

• Last-click attribution - Only the most recent click receives credit for the conversion.
• Data-driven attribution - Uses machine learning to distribute credit across multiple touchpoints based on their contribution to the conversion.
• Post-click attribution (Realize) - Reports all conversions that occur within the attribution window, regardless of other touchpoints.

Impact on reporting

Because Realize reports all conversions within the attribution window, you may see higher conversion counts compared to platforms that use last-click attribution. This provides more data for campaign optimization and shows the full impact of your Realize campaigns across the entire user journey—not just final-click conversions.

Attribution windows

Realize uses different attribution windows for clicks and views:

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Attribution window

The attribution window is the time period during which a conversion can be linked back to a click or impression. For example, with a 30-day click-through window, a purchase made 25 days after clicking an ad will be attributed to that click.

Example

Consider a user journey with the following events:

1. Day 1 - User sees your ad (impression).
2. Day 3 - User clicks on your ad.
3. Day 10 - User completes a purchase.

With Realize's post-click attribution:

• The conversion on Day 10 is reported because it occurred within the 30-day click-through window.
• If there had been no click, the conversion would still be reported as view-through (since it occurred within 7 days of the impression).

Related docs

• Conversion deduplication
• Track dynamic values