What’s the difference between assisted conversions and last-click conversions?

TLDR: Assisted conversions highlight the channels that guide users along their journey, while last-click conversions show the final step that seals the deal—both are essential for a complete marketing strategy.

Assisted conversions vs. Last-click conversions

In the world of digital marketing, understanding how your efforts contribute to conversions is crucial. Two important metrics that often confuse marketers are assisted conversions and last-click conversions. Let's break down these concepts and explore why they matter for your marketing strategy.

What Are Assisted Conversions?

Imagine you're planning a road trip. You might use a map app, ask friends for recommendations, and check weather forecasts before finally hitting the road. In this analogy, all those preparatory steps are like assisted conversions in your marketing journey.

Assisted conversions are the touchpoints that help guide a user towards making a purchase or completing a desired action, but they're not the final step in the process. These could be social media posts, blog articles, email campaigns, or even display ads that a user interacts with before converting.

What Are Last-Click Conversions?

Continuing our road trip analogy, the last-click conversion is like the final turn you make to reach your destination. It's the last interaction a user has with your marketing efforts before they convert.

Last-click conversions, also known as direct conversions, are attributed to the final marketing channel that led the user to complete the desired action. This could be a Google search, a retargeting ad, or even someone directly typing your website URL into their browser.

The Key Differences

1. Timing in the Customer Journey:
   • Assisted conversions occur earlier in the customer journey, helping to build awareness and consideration.
   • Last-click conversions happen at the end of the journey, directly leading to the conversion.
2. Attribution:
   • Assisted conversions share credit for the conversion across multiple touchpoints.
   • Last-click conversions give full credit to the final interaction before conversion.
3. Insights Provided:
   • Assisted conversions help you understand which channels are effective in nurturing leads.
   • Last-click conversions show you which channels are most effective at closing the deal.

Why Both Matter

Understanding both assisted and last-click conversions is crucial for several reasons:

1. Complete Customer Journey: It helps you see the entire path a customer takes before converting, not just the final step.
2. Channel Effectiveness: You can identify which channels are great at introducing your brand (assisted) and which are best at closing sales (last-click).
3. Budget Allocation: With this information, you can more effectively distribute your marketing budget across different channels.
4. Improved ROI: By optimizing both assisted and last-click conversions, you can improve your overall return on investment.

How to Use This Information

1. Look Beyond Last-Click: Don't ignore channels that aren't directly leading to conversions. They might be playing a crucial role in the customer journey.
2. Analyze the Assisted/Last Click Ratio: This ratio helps you understand a channel's primary role. A ratio close to 0 means the channel primarily completes conversions, while a ratio greater than 1 indicates it mainly assists conversions.
3. Optimize Your Funnel: Use insights from both metrics to improve your entire marketing funnel, from awareness to conversion.
4. Test and Adjust: Regularly review your assisted and last-click conversion data to refine your marketing strategy.

In conclusion, both assisted conversions and last-click conversions provide valuable insights into your marketing effectiveness. By understanding and optimizing for both, you can create a more holistic and effective marketing strategy that nurtures leads and drives conversions.

Remember, in the digital marketing world, it's not just about the destination (last-click), but also the journey (assisted conversions) that gets your customers there. Happy marketing!