Attribution Window

An attribution window (also called a lookback or cookie window) is the deadline for a conversion to count. If a visitor clicks an affiliate link on the 1st and buys on the 10th, a 30-day window credits the affiliate; a 7-day window does not. The window exists because affiliate influence fades over time — a click from three months ago probably did not cause today's purchase — and because advertisers only want to pay for conversions their partners genuinely drove.

Why the length matters

Set the window too short and you strand legitimate conversions as unattributed, underpaying affiliates and undercounting your program. Set it too long and you risk crediting clicks that had nothing to do with the sale. The right length depends on the buying cycle: an impulse purchase converts in hours, so a short window is fine; a considered B2B lead or a high-ticket sale can take weeks, so it needs a longer one.

A worked example

Your default window is 30 days. An affiliate sends a click on March 1. The visitor converts on March 20 — 19 days later, inside the window — so the affiliate is credited and paid. A second visitor from the same affiliate clicks on March 1 but does not convert until April 5, 35 days later. That conversion falls outside the window: unless the conversion pixel explicitly carries the original click ID, it records as unattributed with zero revenue and payout, and nobody is paid.

Notice the escape hatch: an explicit click ID on the conversion always anchors the match regardless of age. The window only governs the cookie fallback — the case where the pixel fires without a click ID and the platform reaches for the first-party cookie it set at click time.

Conversion lag and the window

Watch your conversion lag — how long clicks take to convert. If the p90 lag (nine in ten conversions happen faster) creeps toward your window length, late conversions are starting to arrive unattributed and the window is too short for that offer.

How this works in LimeliJourney

In LimeliJourney, the attribution window is set per offer on the offer card's Attribution tab. It defaults to 30 days and can be raised to 90 or 365 days for longer sales cycles. The window governs cookie-based attribution: a click older than the window no longer attributes via its cookie, and a cookie from another account is never honored. An explicit ll_cid on the pixel always wins, whatever its age — which is why passing the click ID through your funnel is the most robust setup. If you see a rising share of unattributed conversions from real affiliate traffic, the usual fixes are to pass the click ID reliably or to extend the offer's window.