What is a tracking window (cookie duration)?

When someone clicks an affiliate link, the referral is stored. If that person buys within the agreed period, the publisher receives the commission, even if the purchase happens days later.

If the window expires before a purchase is made, the attribution lapses and no commission goes to that publisher.

Thirty days is a widely used standard. Impulse-driven, lower-priced products sometimes choose 7 to 14 days, while expensive or complex purchases often use 60 to 90 days.

The right duration depends on how long your customers take on average to decide. Measure that in your own data before choosing a term.

For publishers, the tracking window is a significant part of their earnings. A high commission with a one-day window can yield less than a lower commission with thirty days.

Always compare programmes on the combination of commission, cookie duration and conversion rate — never on a single number.

Browsers increasingly block third-party cookies. Modern programmes therefore use first-party and server-side tracking to keep the window reliable.

DIKKE KASSA checks per market whether the tracking setup actually covers the agreed window, so publishers receive what they are entitled to.