An attribution window is the broader time period during which a conversion can still be linked back to a publisher's referral, encompassing both click-based cookie windows and other tracking signals like view-through or cross-device matching. It's the umbrella term for how long a program considers a publisher's influence still valid.
A program sets a 30-day click attribution window and a separate 1-day view-through window for banner impressions. A sale seven days after a click still qualifies; a sale two days after only seeing (not clicking) the banner does not.
They overlap but aren't identical. Cookie window specifically refers to click-based cookie tracking duration. Attribution window is the broader umbrella that can include cookie windows plus other tracking methods, like server-to-server postbacks or cross-device matching, that don't rely on a browser cookie at all.
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