I know why you’re here. You want to take and pass the Google Ads Measurement Certification exam, right? No worries! You’re in the right place. I will now provide a passing guide with one real question and more questions and answers in the link below. Let’s begin. If you’ve ever tried to find out which part of your marketing led to a sale, you’ve already thought about attribution, even if you didn’t know the term.
Attribution is one of the most important things to understand in digital marketing. It helps marketers and business owners make smart decisions based on how customers interact with ads, websites, and content.
Let’s explore what attribution means, why it matters, and how it works in simple terms.
Table of Contents
Question
In terms of advertising, what’s attribution?
A) Determining how much cost each channel requires
B) Determining the cost of each asset used in a marketing campaign
C) Determining how much credit each step of a process should receive
D) Determining how much credit to award a client for their referral
The correct answer
✅ C) Determining how much credit each step of a process should receive
This is the correct answer because attribution is all about giving credit, but not just to one thing. It helps you understand how much each marketing activity helped move the customer toward a purchase or conversion.
Why this answer is right
Now, let me explain why this is the correct answer. So, follow along without delay.
In advertising, attribution means figuring out what made someone take action, like buying a product, signing up for a service, or filling out a form.
But here’s the thing: Most people don’t just see one ad and make a decision right away. They usually go through a few steps before they finally act. Maybe they:
- See a video ad on YouTube
- Visit your website through a Google Search
- Get a reminder email
- Then click a retargeting ad and make a purchase
Attribution asks: Which of those steps deserves credit for the conversion? Should it all go to the last click? Or should the video ad get some credit too?
That’s why the right answer is:
“Determining how much credit each step of a process should receive.”
Let’s break that down even more:
- “How much credit” means you’re trying to measure the value or impact of something.
- “Each step of a process” means all the actions a person takes before converting — like clicking ads, visiting your site, or opening emails.
- “Should receive” means you’re assigning value based on how important each step was in leading to the final goal.
Attribution helps advertisers see the full customer journey instead of focusing on just one moment. Without this kind of thinking, you might waste money on ads that look good but don’t actually help drive results.
For example:
If you only give credit to the last click, you might think retargeting ads are doing all the work. But in reality, the first ad or the search ad may have started the journey and played an equally important role.
So, attribution helps you make smarter marketing decisions by showing what really works across the entire path to conversion.
Why the other options are wrong
I know you’ve picked the right answer, but here’s why the other options don’t work: Let’s begin.
A) Determining how much cost each channel requires
This option explains how much money you spend on each marketing channel like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or email marketing. This is called budgeting or cost management, not attribution.
- Budgeting answers: “How much will we spend on this platform?”
- Attribution answers: “Which part of our marketing helped us get a result?”
Attribution is not about how much you spend — it’s about how much impact each channel or touchpoint had in the customer journey.
So, while cost is important in marketing, it’s not the same thing as giving credit for conversions. That’s why this answer is incorrect.
B) Determining the cost of each asset used in a marketing campaign
This option is about finding out how much you spent to create or use marketing materials like banner ads, landing pages, videos, or graphics. It focuses on production costs or campaign planning, not attribution.
Attribution doesn’t focus on how much an asset costs to make. It focuses on what helped get results.
For example, you might spend $500 on a video ad and only $50 on a search ad, but the search ad could bring in more conversions. Attribution shows you which ad really worked, not just which cost more.
So this option is also incorrect because it confuses cost-tracking with performance-tracking.
D) Determining how much credit to award a client for their referral
This one is about referral tracking, which is something different from attribution.
Referral programs reward customers for telling friends about your business when those friends make a purchase. This is called a referral, but it’s different from attribution.
- Attribution looks at your marketing touchpoints — like ads, clicks, and site visits.
- Referrals look at person-to-person sharing — like a customer recommending your product.
So, referrals are part of your marketing strategy, but they aren’t considered attribution. Attribution focuses on channels and marketing actions, not on people referring others.
Summary of why they’re wrong:
| Option | Why It’s Wrong |
|---|---|
| A | Talks about ad spend, not performance credit |
| B | Focuses on production cost, not user actions |
| D | Refers to customer referrals, not marketing touchpoints |
Each wrong option covers a different part of marketing budgeting, production, or referrals, but none focuses on giving credit to different marketing steps, which is what attribution means.
What Attribution Really Means vs. Common Misunderstandings
| Option | Description | Focus Area | Why It’s Wrong or Right |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✅ C) Determining how much credit each step of a process should receive | This describes how attribution works: it gives value to different parts of a customer’s journey toward conversion. | Attribution (Correct) | ✔ This is the true definition of attribution in digital advertising. |
| ❌ A) Determining how much cost each channel requires | Talks about budgeting and how much money is spent per channel (like Facebook or Google). | Budget Management | ✘ Not about performance or conversions — just spending. |
| ❌ B) Determining the cost of each asset used in a marketing campaign | Refers to how much you spend to create things like ads, videos, or landing pages. | Campaign Production Costs | ✘ Deals with content creation cost, not conversion tracking. |
| ❌ D) Determining how much credit to award a client for their referral | Involves rewarding customers for bringing in new clients through word of mouth. | Referral Program | ✘ About client referrals, not ad channels or user paths. |
Key Takeaway:
Only Option C explains attribution correctly. It tracks how marketing steps lead to conversions and gives each step the right credit.
Real-life example
Let’s say you’re selling custom t-shirts online. Here’s what happens with one customer:
- They see your Instagram ad on Monday.
- On Tuesday, they search your brand name on Google and click a Search ad.
- On Wednesday, they visit your website again by typing the URL directly.
- On Thursday, they buy a t-shirt.
So, who or what deserves the credit?
- Instagram?
- Google Search ad?
- Direct visit?
Here’s how attribution answers that:
- Last-click attribution gives full credit to the last step: the direct visit.
- First-click attribution gives all credit to the Instagram ad.
- Linear attribution splits credit equally across all steps.
- Data-driven attribution (used in Google Ads) uses real data to figure out which step influenced the conversion most.
Each model gives you a different view, and understanding these models helps you spend money wisely on what works best.
Why attribution matters
Attribution helps you answer big questions like:
- Which ad campaigns are actually working?
- Should I spend more on search ads or display ads?
- How are people discovering my business?
- Is email or social media bringing more value?
Without attribution, you’re just guessing.
Useful resources to learn
- Google Ads Help – About Attribution
- Google Analytics Help – Compare Attribution Models
- Think with Google – Understanding Attribution
These resources go deeper into the topic and can help you get certified.
Conclusion
Attribution in advertising means giving credit to the right sources. It shows the full path a customer takes before buying and identifies which marketing actions are effective.
The correct answer to the question was:
✅ C) Determining how much credit each step of a process should receive
With a clear understanding of attribution, you can stop guessing and make decisions based on data for your business or clients.
I hope you understand the question and how to choose the right option. Now, if you are ready, you can take the exam on Skillshop – Google Ads Measurement Certification. If you want more real exam questions and answers like this one, which have already been covered, follow along. I’ll be breaking down more Google Ads Measurement Certification exam questions with full solutions in the next posts on Google Ads!
FAQs
What is attribution in simple words?
Attribution is the process of deciding which marketing actions helped a customer take an action, like making a purchase or filling out a form.
Why does attribution matter in advertising?
It shows which ads, channels, or content work, so you can focus your time and money on what delivers results.
Is attribution only for digital ads?
No. Attribution works for all types of marketing, like email, video, paid ads, and offline campaigns. But it’s mainly used in digital marketing because user actions are easier to track.
What does attribution help me do?
It shows which parts of your marketing funnel work best. This leads to better choices, smarter ad spending, and higher ROI (return on investment).
- About the Author
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Bhupati Barman is a Co-founder of Mite Art, as well as an Entrepreneur, SEO Optimizer, and Blog Writer, covering a variety of interesting topics.