Menu
Attribution is how marketers track which ad, keyword, or campaign drives a conversion. It answers the big question: Which part of my marketing spend is actually working?
But here’s the catch—many agencies don’t want you to fully understand it. Why? Because once you do, you might see that not every dollar they’re charging you is returning value.
According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2024, only 35% of businesses feel confident in their marketing ROI tracking. That leaves a big blind spot—and agencies sometimes benefit from keeping that blind spot open.
Agencies are often paid on metrics like clicks, impressions, or spend—not necessarily results. If you knew that half of your conversions were actually coming from organic search or word-of-mouth, you might ask, “Why am I spending $10,000 on ads every month?”
Attribution reports can be overwhelming. Multi-touch, first-click, last-click, data-driven models—it’s alphabet soup for most business owners. Agencies sometimes lean into this complexity, presenting data in ways that confuse instead of clarify.
A 2023 MarketingProfs study found that 62% of SME owners don’t understand attribution models. When you don’t understand, you rely more on your agency—exactly what they want.
Let’s look at an example from Singapore’s education sector (a high-CPC industry):
Here’s the kicker: under a last-click model, generic keywords looked like the hero. But under a data-driven model, school-proximity targeting was the real driver of enrolments. Without proper attribution, the school would have doubled down on the wrong campaign.
A tuition centre in Singapore worked with an agency that ran both Google Ads and Meta Ads. The agency claimed Meta was generating 70% of the leads. But when the centre brought in an independent audit with Google Analytics 4, they discovered:
• 50% of the leads came from organic search
• 30% from Google Ads (search campaigns)
• Only 20% from Meta Ads
The tuition centre had been overspending on Meta for 8 months. The agency wasn’t lying—but by using a simplistic attribution model, they made Meta look like the hero.
Connect with our expert team to transform your sales process with proven digital marketing strategies that deliver real results.
Connect with us! →Singapore SMEs in education, finance, and real estate face CPCs as high as $15–$25 per click. With such steep costs, agencies push aggressive ad spend to hit vanity metrics—without always proving ROI.
In Southeast Asia, buyers often research extensively across multiple platforms before committing. That means a parent might click your Google ad, visit your website, see your Facebook post later, then finally enquire via WhatsApp. Without proper attribution, agencies may credit only the final click, ignoring the actual customer journey.
Many SMEs rely on regional agencies that use U.S. or Europe-focused benchmarks. But local behavior differs.
For example, Mothership.sg reports that Singaporeans are far more likely to trust peer recommendations and local review sites like The Smart Local before converting. Agencies that ignore these touchpoints under-attribute crucial parts of the journey.
• You only see last-click reports.
• The agency avoids setting up GA4 or CRM tracking.
• Reports highlight ad spend, not profit or cost-per-enrolment.
• No transparency on cross-channel attribution.
• Request data-driven attribution in Google Ads and GA4.
• Cross-check agency reports with independent tools.
• Track conversions tied to real outcomes (enrolments, not just form fills).
• Benchmark against Forbes-reported industry averages for CPL and ROI.
Your business deserves more. Let ThriveMediaSG help your business Increase Sales through digital marketing.
Understand hidden risks in attribution and reporting models that may mislead business owners.
Yes. By using last-click or first-click attribution models, agencies can over-credit certain campaigns while hiding underperformers.
No. Use GA4, CRM integrations, and independent audits to validate results beyond what the agency dashboard shows you.
Not always. Simpler, transparent models (like linear or time decay) are often better than overly complex multi-touch setups designed to obscure results.
Compare your cost-per-enrolment with local benchmarks. In Singapore, tuition centres report CPLs between $25–$40 on Google Ads when optimized properly.
Our team consists of seasoned digital marketers, bringing years of hands-on expertise driving results for SMEs and enterprises throughout the APAC region.
from first click to final sale—across Meta, Google, TikTok, YouTube, and your CRM so you can see what’s working and what’s not.
Your videos, landing pages, ads, and data are aligned under one strategy no more juggling vendors.
Budgets shift based on real-time performance, not monthly meetings.
Leads and traffic you already have get optimized for higher ROI and less waste.
Clear reports, honest feedback, and no jargon—even when results aren’t perfect.
Digital Marketing isn’t just about running ads—it’s about turning data into visible growth.
Building Brands Since 2001
©2025. ThriveMediaSG. All Rights Reserved.
