Linear Attribution Model: What It Is, When to Use It, and When to Skip It

Your paid ad brought someone to your site. A week later, they clicked an email link. Then they searched your brand name and converted. Which channel gets the credit?

If you’re using last-click attribution, the answer is “branded search” — and your paid ads look like a waste of money. That’s a problem. Linear attribution offers a different approach: split the credit equally across every touchpoint. Simple, fair, and surprisingly useful in the right context.

In this guide, I’ll explain how linear attribution works, when it makes sense, and when you should pick a different model instead.

What Is a Linear Attribution Model?

A linear attribution model is a multi-touch attribution approach that distributes conversion credit equally across all touchpoints in the customer journey. If a user interacts with four channels before converting, each channel receives 25% of the credit.

Here’s the formula:

Credit per touchpoint = 100% ÷ Number of touchpoints

For example, imagine this journey:

1. Facebook Ad → First click, discovers your product
2. Blog post (SEO) → Returns via organic search, reads a guide
3. Email newsletter → Clicks a promo link
4. Direct visit → Types your URL and converts

With linear attribution, each touchpoint receives 25% credit for the conversion. No channel is ignored. No channel is overvalued.

Linear Attribution vs. Other Models

Linear is one of several attribution models. Here’s how it compares:

Model	How Credit Is Distributed	Best For
Last-Click	100% to final touchpoint	Short sales cycles, direct response
First-Click	100% to first touchpoint	Brand awareness campaigns
Linear	Equal credit to all touchpoints	Balanced view, content marketing
Time Decay	More credit to recent touchpoints	Short consideration periods
Position-Based (U-Shaped)	40% first, 40% last, 20% middle	Lead generation with nurturing
Data-Driven	ML-based, varies by journey	Large datasets, complex funnels

Linear sits in the middle — it’s more nuanced than single-touch models but simpler than algorithmic approaches. That’s both its strength and its limitation.

How Linear Attribution Works: A Practical Example

Let’s say you run an online store selling productivity software. A customer named Alex converts after this journey:

Touchpoint	Channel	Cost	Linear Credit (25%)
Day 1	Google Ads (non-brand)	$2.50 CPC	$24.75
Day 4	Retargeting Ad	$0.80 CPC	$24.75
Day 7	Email (nurture sequence)	~$0.02	$24.75
Day 10	Direct visit → Purchase ($99)	$0	$24.75

With linear attribution, you can calculate true ROAS per channel:

• Google Ads: $24.75 revenue ÷ $2.50 cost = 9.9x ROAS
• Retargeting: $24.75 ÷ $0.80 = 30.9x ROAS
• Email: $24.75 ÷ $0.02 = 1,237x ROAS
• Direct: $24.75 ÷ $0 = ∞ (but required prior touchpoints)

Compare this to last-click attribution, which would give 100% credit ($99) to “Direct” — making your paid campaigns look worthless.

When to Use Linear Attribution

Linear attribution works best in specific scenarios. Here’s when it makes sense:

1. Content Marketing and SEO

If you invest heavily in blog content, linear attribution ensures those top-of-funnel articles get credit. Last-click models systematically undervalue content that introduces users to your brand but doesn’t directly convert them.

2. Long Sales Cycles

B2B products, SaaS subscriptions, and high-ticket items often involve 5-15+ touchpoints over weeks or months. Linear attribution prevents any single touchpoint from dominating the narrative.

3. Omnichannel Campaigns

Running ads on Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and email simultaneously? Linear helps you see how each channel contributes without overweighting the final click.

4. Early-Stage Analysis

If you’re just starting with multi-touch attribution, linear is a solid baseline. It’s easy to understand, easy to explain to stakeholders, and provides a more balanced view than single-touch models.

5. Equal Budget Allocation

When you want to maintain balanced investment across channels rather than chasing the “last click winner,” linear supports that strategy.

When NOT to Use Linear Attribution

Linear attribution isn’t always the right choice. Avoid it in these situations:

1. Short, Impulse-Driven Sales Cycles

If customers typically convert in one or two sessions (e.g., low-cost e-commerce), linear adds complexity without much insight. Last-click or first-click may be sufficient.

2. When Touchpoints Clearly Have Different Impact

Sometimes a specific touchpoint — like a product demo or a phone call with sales — is obviously more influential. Linear would undervalue that critical moment by giving it equal weight to a banner ad impression.

3. Large Datasets with Quality Data

If you have enough conversion data (typically 300+ conversions per month), data-driven attribution will outperform linear by learning actual touchpoint influence from your specific data.

4. Google Ads Campaigns

Note: Google deprecated linear attribution in Google Ads in 2023, moving to data-driven attribution as the default. You can still use linear in Google Analytics 4 and other platforms, but not for Google Ads conversion tracking.

Linear Attribution by Business Type

Here’s how linear attribution applies to different business models:

Business Type	Typical Journey Length	Linear Attribution Fit	Alternative to Consider
SaaS / B2B	10-20+ touchpoints	Good	Position-based or data-driven
E-commerce (high-ticket)	5-10 touchpoints	Good	Time decay
E-commerce (low-ticket)	1-3 touchpoints	Overkill	Last-click
Lead Generation	3-8 touchpoints	Good	Position-based
Mobile Apps	2-5 touchpoints	Moderate	First-click for install campaigns
Subscription Services	5-15 touchpoints	Good	Data-driven if enough volume

Pros and Cons of Linear Attribution

Advantages

• Fair representation: Every channel gets recognized for its role
• Easy to understand: No complex algorithms or black boxes
• Reveals the full funnel: Shows how awareness channels contribute to conversions
• Good for team alignment: No channel “loses” in the attribution game
• Platform agnostic: Works across any analytics tool

Disadvantages

• Oversimplification: Not all touchpoints are equally influential
• Ignores timing: A touchpoint 30 days ago gets same credit as yesterday
• Can mask poor performers: Weak channels still get equal credit
• Not data-driven: Doesn’t learn from your actual conversion patterns
• Deprecated in Google Ads: No longer available for Ads conversion tracking

How to Set Up Linear Attribution

Here’s how to implement linear attribution in popular platforms:

Google Analytics 4

GA4 supports linear attribution in its attribution settings.

1. Go to Admin → Attribution Settings
2. Under “Reporting attribution model,” select Linear
3. Choose your lookback window (default: 30 days for acquisition, 90 days for other events)
4. View results in Advertising → Attribution → Model Comparison

Tip: Use GA4’s Model Comparison report to see how linear differs from last-click and data-driven models for your data.

Matomo

1. Navigate to Goals → Attribution
2. Select the goal you want to analyze
3. Choose Linear from the attribution model dropdown
4. Review channel credit distribution

Other Platforms

Most analytics and marketing platforms support linear attribution:

• Adobe Analytics: Attribution panel → Linear model
• HubSpot: Attribution reports → Linear model option
• Ruler Analytics: Built-in multi-touch models including linear

Comparing Your Results: Linear vs. Last-Click

Once you’ve set up linear attribution, compare it to your existing model. Here’s what to look for:

If Linear Shows…	It Means…	Action
SEO/Content gets more credit	Top-of-funnel is undervalued	Consider increasing content investment
Paid social gets more credit	Awareness campaigns drive conversions	Don’t cut social based on last-click data
Email gets less credit	Email may be a “closer” not “introducer”	Test position-based for comparison
Results are similar to last-click	Short journeys with few touchpoints	Last-click may be sufficient for you

Linear Attribution: The Bottom Line

Linear attribution is the “equal opportunity” model — every touchpoint gets the same credit, no questions asked. That fairness is both its greatest strength and its biggest weakness.

Use linear attribution when:

• You want a balanced view across all channels
• Your sales cycle involves multiple touchpoints over time
• You’re starting with multi-touch attribution and need a simple baseline
• You invest heavily in content marketing or brand awareness

Skip linear attribution when:

• Your conversions happen in one or two sessions
• You have enough data for data-driven attribution (300+ monthly conversions)
• Certain touchpoints are clearly more influential than others

No attribution model is perfect. Linear gives you a clearer picture than last-click, but it’s still a simplification. The best approach? Compare multiple models, understand their trade-offs, and pick the one that aligns with how your customers actually buy.