GA4 Ultimate Stack
Standardise GA4 attribution settings across brands
Compare the reporting attribution model, both conversion lookback windows and the Google Ads export scope on every property, then align them knowing which changes re-credit past data.
The four attribution settings
The Attribution category holds four settings, and all four can be changed here:
- Reporting attribution model: Paid and organic channels data-driven, Paid and organic channels last click, or Google paid channels last click.
- Acquisition conversion event lookback window: 7 or 30 days, for first_visit and first_open.
- Other conversion events lookback window: 30, 60 or 90 days, for every other key event.
- Conversion export scope for linked Google Ads: Paid and organic channels, or Google paid channels.
A grid of the four attribution settings with their possible values and a note on each.
Why brands drift apart
Properties created in different years started with different defaults. Someone switched one brand's model for a test and never switched it back. An agency inherits a client whose properties were set up by three different people.
When the models differ, a cross-brand report of conversions by channel compares different maths, not different performance. Load the Attribution category for every brand and the mismatch is one highlighted cell.
A settings table of five properties showing the reporting attribution model, with two properties highlighted because they differ from the most common value.
Changing the model re-credits history
The reporting attribution model applies to past and future data in reports. Change it, and last month's conversions by channel are re-credited: a report you sent last week no longer matches GA4.
Before applying, tell whoever reads those reports, and note the date. Treat a lookback window change the same way: record when it was applied, so a shift in conversion credit has an explanation.
Two panels showing one brand's conversion share by channel under a data-driven model and under last click, with every channel's share changed.
The Google Ads export scope is one-way
A property that has never chosen an export scope reads Not selected yet. Once a scope is set, GA4 doesn't allow it to go back to Not selected yet, so that value is never offered as a target.
The scope decides which channels' credit is exported to linked Google Ads accounts, and Ads bidding uses what it receives. Agree the choice with whoever runs the Ads accounts before you roll it out.
A checklist of the export scope values, with Not selected yet marked as never a target.
A safe rollout
Load the Attribution category for every brand. Pick the standard as a baseline or a reference brand, stage the changes, and preview them against live GA4. Tell report owners the date history will change, apply to one brand, check its reports the next day, then apply the rest. The mechanics are in Change settings in one reviewed batch.
A five-step attribution rollout ending in your confirmation.
Questions about attribution settings
Does changing the model affect past data?
Yes. The reporting attribution model re-credits conversions in reports for past and future data.
Why can't I set the export scope back to Not selected yet?
GA4 doesn't allow it. Once a scope is chosen, you can switch between the two scopes, but not back to Not selected yet.
Which model should every brand use?
That's a reporting decision for you and your clients. ODDVX makes sure that whatever you choose is the same everywhere you intend it to be.
ODDVX for Windows
Every property, one screen.
Start free on one GA4 brand per run. Premium adds every brand in one run, batch writes, exports and scheduled checks.