Understanding which touchpoints deserve credit when a customer converts is crucial for Australian SMEs. It’s easy to get lost in the details of attribution, but focusing on the right ‘attribution window’ – the period after a customer interaction that we consider when assigning credit – will give you the clearest picture of what’s working and where to invest.

Many businesses default to a 30-day attribution window, meaning any interaction within 30 days of a conversion gets some credit. While a good starting point, we’ve found this is often too broad, especially with increasingly complex customer journeys. Here’s what matters most, based on what we’re seeing with our clients:

• 7-Day Click Attribution: For many direct-response campaigns – think Google Ads or Facebook ads driving website traffic – a 7-day click window is incredibly effective. It captures the immediate impact of your ads and avoids giving credit to unrelated interactions further down the line.
• 1-Day View Attribution: Don’t underestimate the power of view-through conversions, particularly for display advertising. Someone might see your banner ad and then convert later the same day. A 1-day view window helps capture this valuable impact.
• Time Decay Modelling: This isn’t a single window, but a way of weighting interactions. More recent interactions get more credit than older ones. This reflects the reality that the last few touchpoints usually have the biggest influence. We’re seeing more businesses adopt this as data privacy changes impact traditional tracking.
• First-Touch & Last-Touch Blended: A 50/50 split between first and last touch can provide a balanced view. First-touch shows you what initially sparked interest, while last-touch reveals what closed the deal.

The ‘best’ window isn’t universal. It depends on your industry, average sales cycle, and marketing channels. For example, a business selling high-value equipment will likely need a longer window than one selling impulse items. As privacy regulations evolve, and with the anticipated changes in 2026, relying solely on last-click attribution will become increasingly inaccurate.

To get the most out of your conversion tracking, we recommend starting with a 7-day click and 1-day view window for your paid campaigns. Then, explore time decay modelling and blended attribution to gain a more holistic understanding. Regularly analyse your data and adjust your attribution windows based on what you learn. A small investment in refining your attribution will deliver significant returns by ensuring you’re optimising the right marketing activities.