The concept of "conversion" in digital advertising may seem very clear from the outside: A user sees an ad, clicks, makes a purchase, and the conversion occurs…

If only the entire process were really that simple.

Today, users encounter dozens of touchpoints on their purchasing journey. Some happen completely organically, some are triggered by ads, and some may not convert despite the advertising. To be able to accurately interpret this complex process, advertising platforms now offer two different attribution approaches:

Standard Attribution and Incremental Attribution.

Since both approaches directly determine how conversions are counted, they actually become one of the cornerstones of advertising strategy.

Why is the Attribution Model Important?

Whether an ad triggers a conversion or not, when the wrong attribution model is chosen:

• Some campaigns appear unnecessarily successful,

• Some valuable campaigns are perceived as less successful than they are,

• The budget is misallocated,

• The quality of optimization decreases.

In short; the fate of advertising is determined by understanding how the attribution model works.

Standard Attribution Model

Standard Attribution is a traditional attribution method that evaluates user behavior based on a specific time window.

The logic is quite clear:
If a user interacts with the ad and converts within the chosen timeframe, the conversion is attributed to that ad.
What is critical here is the duo of “time” and “interaction.”

Where is it Strong?

• It produces more stable results in newly created ad accounts.

• It shows quick conversions in retargeting campaigns.

• It provides balanced reporting in scenarios where click rates are high.

• It produces practical solutions when quick optimization is needed.

Where Does it Struggle?

• It tends to link conversions that could happen without advertising to the ad.

• It struggles to distinguish between organic effects and ad effects.

• It can create "non-existent" conversion shares in large-scale campaigns.

• The fundamental character of Standard Attribution is as follows:

• If something has happened and it fits the time window, it attributes it to the ad.

Incremental Attribution Model

Incremental Attribution does not evaluate user behavior based solely on time.

What it primarily focuses on is:
“Did this conversion really happen because of the ad, or would it have happened anyway?”

To understand this, it uses advanced behavioral modeling. It measures how much the conversion was influenced by the ad by comparing users' natural tendencies, previous activities, and whether they were exposed to the ad or not.

So, Incremental Attribution tries to find the real "incremental value."

Strengths

• It cleans up inflated conversion numbers.

• It clarifies the points where the ad really adds value.

• It highlights the actual impact in cold audience campaigns.

• It reallocates the budget from unnecessary campaigns to those that truly create value.

• It provides more accurate strategic decisions in large volume ad accounts.

  
  

Challenges

• Data may appear “lower” in the short term (but is actually more realistic).

• Contribution may appear low in retargeting campaigns — as users are already inclined to convert.

• Model maturity may take time in accounts with low data volume.

  
  

Standard Attribution vs Incremental Attribution: When to Use Which?

Both models serve different purposes and provide excellent results when used in the right scenarios.

The Attribution Model is the Most Critical Step in Measuring Performance

Today, ad success can no longer be measured by clicks or impressions.
Understanding whether the ad truly makes a difference in user behavior has become a next-generation approach.
Standard Attribution offers a fast, easy, and classic evaluation.
Incremental Attribution, on the other hand, is more realistic, more precise, and focused on long-term optimization.

The model you choose largely determines how your budget will work, which campaigns will be scaled, and which will be stopped.
The correct attribution model = the correct advertising strategy.