Post-view attribution eagerly claims credit for anything and everything, whether it truly deserves it or not.
As CEO of SegmentStream, Constantine Yurevich explains in his newsletter, here’s how it works: a user glances at a banner ad, doesn’t click, but later visits the website directly and makes a purchase. Voilà! The banner magically gets the credit for the conversion.
But this model raises some serious questions:
1. Post-View Attribution and the Retargeting Illusion
Ads shown after a user’s first visit to a website are often just retargeting, not a sudden inspiration to purchase. For example, someone visits your site via Google Search and later sees your banner on Facebook. Even if they were already ready to buy, the ad conveniently claims the conversion.
2. Platforms Keep the Data Hidden
Most ad platforms don’t disclose detailed data on when users viewed ads, or they only share it with select partners. This makes independently verifying post-view conversions nearly impossible.
3. Why Facebook Limits Post-View Attribution to One Day?
Longer attribution windows (like 7 or 30 days) would reveal the truth: most "post-view" conversions happen on the same day as the ad view, exposing the illusion of long-term impact.
4. The True Value Lies in Meaningful Interactions
Constantine Yurevich advises focusing less on views—or even clicks—and more on real user behavior on your site. Are visitors engaging with your content, exploring your product, or completing key actions? These signals matter far more than the noise of post-view attribution.
Post-view attribution isn’t a reliable way to measure the real effectiveness of your ads—it’s a convenient tool for inflating metrics.
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