Definition
Attribution is the work of assigning a result (a lead, an appointment, a sale) to the marketing touchpoint that produced it. In medical tourism it answers the question: which ad did this patient click, from which campaign, after which search?
It's built from data such as UTM parameters, click IDs like the GCLID, the campaign details on ad lead forms and the channel of the first message. There are different models, such as first touch and last touch; for clinics, the most practical approach is to record the source a lead first came from and keep it all the way to treatment.
Why it matters for clinics
Without attribution, ad budgets are run on gut feeling. A clinic that doesn't know which campaign brings patients may switch off the one that works and keep funding the one that doesn't. Good attribution connects the click in your ad manager with the deposit and revenue in your CRM.
Example
A patient searches Google for "veneers cost Turkey", clicks your ad and messages you on WhatsApp. The lead record stores Google Ads and the campaign as the source. Three weeks later, when the patient pays a deposit, that revenue is credited straight to the campaign.