What is attribution window?

How do attribution windows work?

When a conversion happens, the tool looks back over the window for eligible touches. Anything older is ignored. Ad platforms usually set separate windows for clicks and for views (impressions without a click).

Attribution window example

Someone clicks your Meta ad on March 1 and buys on March 12. With Meta's default 7-day click window, Meta reports no conversion; with a 28-day window it would. Your analytics, crediting first touch with no window, still credits the purchase to the paid social visit on March 1. The same sale shows up in one report and not the other — neither is broken.

Why attribution windows matter

Windows decide how many conversions each platform claims. Short windows under-credit channels with long consideration; long ones let platforms claim conversions they barely influenced. When totals across ad platforms add up to more than your actual sales, overlapping windows are usually why.

Common attribution window pitfalls

• Comparing platforms with different windows as if they measured the same thing.
• Changing a window mid-campaign and reading the jump as performance.
• Ignoring time to convert: if half your customers pay after 20 days, a 7-day window misses half the story.
• Counting view-through conversions at face value.

How VisitTrack handles attribution windows

VisitTrack doesn't cut off old touches: a payment is credited to the visitor's first touch however long ago it was, as long as the visitor can be recognized. In standard mode that's via a first-party id; in cookieless mode visitors are linked within the same day only, unless your app sends the stored first touch back at sign-up (first touches older than two years are ignored). Each payment records days to convert, so the Revenue tab shows your real buying cycle — the number to compare with your ad platforms' windows.