View-Through Attribution

View-through attribution measures the influence of ad impressions on conversions that do not follow a direct click path. In a standard click-based model, attribution only occurs when a user clicks an ad and then converts. View-through attribution extends this by tracking users who were served an impression -- a display banner, video ad, or programmatic placement -- and then independently navigated to the advertiser's site and converted within a specified window, typically ranging from 24 hours to 30 days.

The mechanism works by placing a cookie or device identifier when an ad impression is served. If that same user later visits the advertiser's site and completes a qualifying action such as registration or deposit, the system checks whether an impression was served within the lookback window. If it was, the conversion is recorded as a view-through conversion. This provides operators with data on how display and video campaigns contribute to conversions beyond what click-through metrics alone can show.

View-through attribution is valuable but requires careful configuration to avoid over-crediting. Because many users are served impressions without paying attention to them, a short attribution window -- often 24 to 72 hours -- is typically used to reduce false attribution. Operators also need to establish clear rules about how view-through conversions interact with click-based attribution: in most setups, a click-based conversion takes priority if both a click and an impression are present in the user's path. Without these controls, view-through data can inflate the perceived performance of display campaigns.