Fundamentals
What do “measured” and “attributed” mean?
Measured means directly observed: an impression, a viewable impression, a click, a conversion. Attributed means a share distributed by a model; the product keeps both layers apart and never blends them. Alongside them are values you decide yourself (“set”), answers from your customers (“self-reported”) and figures an ad platform reports about itself (“reported”); there is no “estimated” layer.
Why does Metrunio separate measured from attributed figures?
| Layer | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Measured | directly observed signal with timestamp and origin | 1,240 viewable impressions |
| Attributed | share from a disclosed model | 18.4 conversions under “position based” |
| Set | a value you decided yourself | acquisition value of €20 per sign-up |
| Self-reported | what a customer said themselves | 31 answers “podcast or radio” to the post-purchase question |
| Reported | what an ad platform says about its own ads | 42 conversions according to the ad account, in the platform reconciliation |
| Estimated | modelled effect without evidence | does not exist here |
The “estimated” layer is missing on purpose. As soon as an interface shows measured and extrapolated values in the same column, it is no longer possible to tell which part of a figure rests on a signal. That blending is exactly what makes platform reports hard to audit.
One figure comes from you: the acquisition value, meaning what a reached funnel step is worth to you. Whether a customer reached the step is measured; what that is worth, you decided in the portal. That is why this figure is called “set”. It has columns of its own and never appears in revenue or ROAS. When a model distributes it across channels, the share is attributed, but it remains a share of a set value.
One figure comes from your customers: the answer to the post-purchase question “How did you hear about us?”. That someone answered is measured; what they say is their own account. This figure is therefore called “self-reported”. It sits next to what is measured, never in revenue and never in an attribution, and it is not extrapolated to the customers who did not answer.
One figure comes from the ad platforms: what Meta, Google and others report about their own ads, such as the conversions in the ad account. This figure is called “reported”. It follows the platform’s rules, sits next to what is measured under “Platform reconciliation” and never replaces it.
Note
Attributed shares are decimals. If a model finds matching touchpoints, it distributes the conversion across them in full; if it finds none, the conversion stays “unattributed”. Attributed and unattributed together add up to all conversions the model calculates. This is verified automatically. The same holds for revenue after refunds; the chat, MCP and the read API state the unattributed part as a figure of its own.
Last reviewed on 12 Oct 2026
Also asked
- What is the difference between measurement and attribution?
- Why are there no estimated figures?
- What is the “estimated” layer?
- What does “set” mean?
- What does “self-reported” mean?
- What does “reported” mean?
Related articles
- How do the attribution models calculate?
Which models exist and how do they distribute the share?
There are seven models: six distribute a conversion by a fixed, disclosed rule, and the seventh reads the rule from your own paths. If a model finds matching touchpoints, it distributes the conversion’s full value across them; if it finds none, the conversion stays “unattributed” and is shown separately. Attributed and unattributed together add up to all conversions it calculates.
- Why is a conversion not attributed?
What does “unattributed” mean, and how do I improve coverage?
“Unattributed” means the model found no touchpoint for this conversion that it considers. Either none falls inside the attribution window and is linked by a shared identifier, or there are only touchpoints of a kind the model does not distribute. Metrunio does not invent a contact in that case.
- Where does measurement end?
What are the limits of Metrunio’s measurement?
Post-view is only measurable where your own tags may be served and the browser returns the view identifier: not every served ad is viewable, and not every viewable one can be linked to the purchase. Without consent, gaps arise deliberately, and a gap stays a gap, not a zero. Attribution describes assignment, not causal advertising effect.
- What is a funnel step worth?
What is the acquisition value of a step, and does it count as revenue?
Every step can carry an acquisition value in the portal: what a customer who reached this step is worth to you. You set this value, so reports show it separately and never in revenue or ROAS. If an event brings its own value, such as the amount of the first payment, that is measured revenue.
- How do I ask customers after a purchase how they found me?
Can Metrunio ask after a purchase how someone heard about us?
With the post-purchase question, on every plan. You switch it on under “Settings → Measurement rules” and call
metrunio.renderSurvey()with the order number on your thank-you page. The answers appear as “self-reported” under “Channels & attribution”: next to what is measured, never in revenue and never in an attribution.