First-Touch vs Last-Touch Attribution
First-touch and last-touch are the two simplest attribution models. First-touch gives 100% of the credit to the interaction that first introduced a contact; last-touch gives 100% to the final interaction before they converted. Each tells a partial story — discovery versus closing.
Key takeaways
- First-touch credits the first interaction; last-touch credits the last.
- First-touch values discovery channels; last-touch values closing channels.
- Both are single-touch — they ignore everything in between.
First-touch vs last-touch
| Model | Credits | Best for understanding |
|---|---|---|
| First-touch | The first interaction | Which channels create awareness |
| Last-touch | The final interaction | Which channels close conversions |
When to use each
If you want to know what's filling the top of the funnel, first-touch helps. If you want to know what's pushing people over the line, last-touch helps. For anything in between — the long middle of a B2B journey — you need multi-touch attribution.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between first-touch and last-touch attribution?
First-touch credits the interaction that first introduced a contact; last-touch credits the final interaction before they converted.
Which is better, first-touch or last-touch?
Neither alone — they answer different questions (discovery vs closing). For a full picture of a multi-step journey, use multi-touch attribution.
What about everything in between?
Single-touch models ignore the middle touches. Multi-touch attribution distributes credit across the whole journey to capture them.
Related service: Set up attribution in HubSpot