Conversion Tracking vs Attribution: What’s the Difference?
Conversion tracking and attribution are often used as if they mean the same thing. They solve adjacent problems: first record the outcome, then decide which marketing interaction deserves credit.
Conversion tracking answers “what happened?”
The system records a defined outcome such as a lead or purchase, along with whatever campaign or user context is available.
Attribution answers “who gets credit?”
When more than one marketing interaction is involved, attribution rules decide how credit is assigned.
Why the distinction matters
You can have clean conversion events and still disagree about attribution. You can also have a sophisticated attribution model built on incomplete event data.
A practical sequence
First make conversion events reliable. Then choose attribution logic that matches the business question you are trying to answer.