Glossary · Attribution
What is linear attribution?
Linear attribution is a multi-touch attribution model that splits the credit for a conversion equally across every touchpoint in the customer's path.
Updated
How is linear attribution calculated?
Credit per touch = conversion value ÷ number of touches
Every recorded touch before the conversion — usually every session with a source — gets the same share. A source that appears twice in the path gets two shares.
Linear attribution example
A $60 subscription follows five sessions: Google, Google, newsletter, X, direct. Each touch gets $12. Google, appearing twice, gets $24; the newsletter, X and direct get $12 each. Over a month, summing these shares per source gives a revenue-by-channel table that adds up exactly to total revenue.
Why linear attribution matters
It's the most neutral multi-touch model: no assumptions about which stage matters more. That makes it a useful middle view between first-touch and last-touch, and a good way to spot channels that keep showing up mid-journey — newsletters, docs, comparison pages — that both single-touch models ignore.
Weaknesses of linear attribution
- Every touch is not equal. A two-second accidental visit gets as much credit as the demo that closed the deal.
- Long paths dilute credit. A visitor with 20 sessions spreads credit so thin that no channel looks important.
- Frequent channels win. Channels people pass through often (direct, branded search) collect many shares.
How VisitTrack computes linear attribution
In VisitTrack's Revenue tab, linear is one of five models shown side by side. Each paying visitor's sessions started at or before the purchase are the touches, each gets an equal share of the payment, and the shares are summed per source. Because sessions (not pageviews) are the touches, a single visit that viewed ten pages counts once. See revenue attribution.
Frequently asked questions
When should I use linear attribution?
Use it when you want a neutral view of every channel that contributed, especially for longer journeys where neither the first nor last touch tells the whole story.
What is the difference between linear and position-based attribution?
Linear splits credit equally across all touches; position-based gives 40% each to the first and last touch and splits the remaining 20% across the middle.
Related terms
- Multi-touch attributionMulti-touch attribution is any attribution approach that divides the credit for a conversion across several of the touchpoints that preceded it, instead of giving it all to the first or last one.
- Position-based attributionPosition-based attribution, also called U-shaped attribution, is a multi-touch model that gives 40% of the credit to the first touch, 40% to the last touch and splits the remaining 20% evenly across the touches in between.
- Time-decay attributionTime-decay attribution is a multi-touch attribution model that gives every touchpoint some credit for a conversion, but more to touches that happened closer in time to the conversion.
- First-touch attributionFirst-touch attribution is an attribution model that gives 100% of the credit for a conversion or payment to the source of the visitor's very first visit, ignoring every visit that came after it.
- Revenue attributionRevenue attribution is the practice of connecting each payment to the visitor who made it and the marketing sources — referrer, campaign, landing page — that brought that visitor, so you can see how much money each channel actually produced.
Tools and guides
See which channels actually bring paying customers
VisitTrack is cookie-free analytics with revenue attribution built in. One script tag, no consent banner, live in two minutes. 14 days free, no card required.