Introduction
Marketing teams often struggle to understand which channels drive revenue. Paid search, organic traffic, social media, and email campaigns—all play a role, but isolating the impact of each channel can feel like a mystery.
This case study explores how Looker Studio’s multi-channel attribution dashboards make it simple to see exactly which marketing efforts are working—and which aren’t. By connecting data from multiple sources and visualizing it clearly, our client was able to optimize spend, improve ROI, and make informed strategic decisions.
Key Takeaways
Unified Data: Combine Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, email platforms, and social media channels into one dashboard.
Actionable Insights: Quickly identify high-performing campaigns and underperforming channels.
Multi-Channel Attribution Models: Compare last-click, first-click, and linear attribution to understand impact.
Client Example: A real SMB client improved ROAS by 35% after implementing multi-channel attribution insights.
Looker Studio Integration: Automate reporting, blend data, and visualize channel performance in real-time.
Why Multi-Channel Attribution Matters
Most marketers rely on single-channel metrics, often overlooking the broader customer journey. For example:
Paid search may get the credit for a sale, even if the user was influenced by email and organic search earlier.
Social campaigns might appear underperforming if only last-click conversions are counted.
A multi-channel attribution model accounts for the full journey, assigning value to all interactions and helping marketers allocate budgets wisely.
Step 1: Connect Your Marketing Data Sources
To analyze multi-channel performance, you need to consolidate all your marketing data. Common sources include:
Google Analytics 4: Tracks website traffic, conversions, and user behavior.
Google Ads: Provides cost, clicks, impressions, and campaign-level metrics.
Facebook / Meta Ads Manager: Paid social campaigns.
Email Platforms (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, HubSpot): Opens, clicks, conversions.
Other Channels: Organic search, affiliate networks, referral traffic.
In Looker Studio:
Click “Create → Data Source” for each platform.
Authorize accounts and select metrics: clicks, impressions, cost, conversions, revenue.
Use data blending to merge multiple sources by common dimensions (e.g., Campaign Name, Date).
Step 2: Define Attribution Metrics
Focus on metrics that tell a complete story of customer journeys:
Metric | Why It Matters | Visualization Idea |
Revenue | Tracks financial impact per channel | Scorecard or bar chart |
Conversions | Measures goal completions | Line chart over time |
Cost | Marketing spend per channel | Stacked bar chart |
ROAS | Revenue ÷ Cost for ROI analysis | Scorecard or KPI row |
Assisted Conversions | Shows channels that influenced conversions indirectly | Table or heatmap |
Conversion Path Length | Average steps before conversion | Line chart or histogram |
Step 3: Build Visualizations in Looker Studio
Here’s an example layout for a multi-channel attribution dashboard:
KPI Row: Total Conversions, Total Revenue, Total Cost, ROAS.
Revenue by Channel: Horizontal bar chart ranking channels by revenue.
Conversions Over Time: Line chart showing trends by channel.
Assisted Conversions Table: Identify channels that contributed to conversions but weren’t the last click.
Path Analysis Chart: Visualize common sequences leading to conversions.
Cost vs Revenue Scatterplot: Determine channels delivering the highest ROI.
Visual Mockup Prompt for Image Generation
Multi-Channel Attribution Dashboard Prompt:
Top KPI row: Conversions 1,250, Revenue $75,000, Cost $22,500, ROAS 3.33
Horizontal bar chart: Revenue by Channel (Paid Search, Organic Search, Social, Email, Referral)
Line chart: Conversions by Channel over the last 90 days
Table: Assisted Conversions showing contribution by channel
Scatterplot: Cost vs Revenue per channel
Clean white background, Roboto font, color-coded metrics (#28A745 green for high ROI, -#DC3545 red for low ROI, -#0073E6 blue neutral)
Modern flat design, subtle gridlines, professional multi-channel attribution style
Step 4: Example
Client Profile:
Industry: E-commerce SMB
Goal: Increase revenue and understand which channels drive the most impact
Challenges: Marketing spend across multiple platforms without clear insight into ROI
Implementation:
Data sources connected: GA4, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Klaviyo
Built a blended Looker Studio dashboard using last-click and linear attribution models
Added filters for date range, campaign, and channel
Results After 3 Months:
ROAS Improvement: 35% increase
Budget Reallocation: Reduced spend on underperforming social campaigns and increased email and paid search budgets
Decision-Making: The Marketing team could immediately see which campaigns drove revenue versus assisted conversions
Step 5: Multi-Channel Attribution Models Explained
Looker Studio allows you to visualize multiple attribution models:
Last-Click Attribution: Gives full credit to the final touchpoint. Simple, but ignores previous interactions.
First-Click Attribution: Credits the first touchpoint, highlighting channels that introduce users.
Linear Attribution: Distributes credit equally across all touchpoints. Best for understanding overall influence.
Time-Decay Attribution: Gives more credit to touchpoints closer to conversion. Useful for longer sales cycles.
By comparing models side by side, you can adjust marketing spend strategically.
Step 6: Maintain Your Attribution Dashboard
Weekly Updates: Track campaign performance in near real-time.
Monthly Analysis: Adjust marketing budgets based on performance trends.
Iterate: Add new channels or campaigns as marketing expands.
Share Insights: Schedule reports for the team and stakeholders to ensure everyone is aligned.
FAQ
Q1: Can Looker Studio handle multiple attribution models?
A1: Yes. Use blended tables or calculated fields to compare last-click, first-click, linear, or custom attribution models.
Q2: Do I need to track all channels in one dashboard?
A2: It’s ideal, but start with your top 3–5 channels. You can add others over time as data sources are connected.
Q3: How do I handle email campaigns from platforms without native Looker Studio connectors?
A3: Export data to Google Sheets or BigQuery and then connect it to Looker Studio.
Q4: Can I track assisted conversions?
A4: Yes, GA4 and blended dashboards enable you to calculate assisted conversions, allowing you to see channel influence beyond the last-click.
Q5: What’s the best way to visualize ROI by channel?
A5: Use a scatterplot or bar chart comparing cost vs. revenue, with color-coded performance metrics for quick insights.
Conclusion
Multi-channel attribution doesn’t have to be complex. Looker Studio dashboards simplify the process by connecting your data, visualizing performance, and providing actionable insights.
By tracking revenue, conversions, assisted conversions, and ROAS, teams can make informed marketing decisions, optimize budgets, and see real results—as demonstrated in our SMB client example.
With a clean dashboard, strategic attribution models, and regular updates, your marketing team can finally understand the full impact of every channel and improve ROI with confidence.