What are Attribution Windows?

An attribution window is the length of time between a customer’s interaction with a marketing touchpoint—like clicking an ad or seeing an impression—and when they complete a conversion, such as making a purchase. It defines the timeframe in which credit for that conversion can be assigned to the touchpoint.

For example, if your attribution window is set to 7 days, only conversions that happen within 7 days of an ad click will be attributed to that ad.

Why Attribution Windows Matter

Attribution windows have a major influence on how marketing performance is measured and how credit is assigned. Short windows may undercount impact from slow-converting channels; long windows may overcount passive exposure.

The size of the window affects:

• Which campaigns look like they’re “working”

• How much credit each channel gets

• Budgeting, ROAS, and optimization decisions

Understanding and adjusting your attribution window helps ensure your performance reporting aligns with your actual buying journey.

Common Attribution Window Types

1. Click-Based Attribution Windows

Most common in platforms like Meta and Google Ads. Only conversions that occur after a click and within a defined time period (e.g. 7-day or 28-day click) are attributed.

2. View-Through Attribution Windows

Used for display and video ads. Credit is assigned if a user viewed an ad (but didn’t click), then converted within the window.

3. Custom Attribution Windows

Some platforms allow brands to define their own windows (e.g. 1-day, 7-day, 30-day) based on buying cycle length or business goals.

4. Post-Purchase Survey Attribution (Fairing)

No predefined window—ask customers what influenced them regardless of when or where they saw it.

How Attribution Window Length Affects Reporting

When to Adjust Your Attribution Window

• Shorten it if you're optimizing for high-intent, bottom-of-funnel traffic (e.g. branded search).

• Lengthen it for products with long consideration cycles (e.g. mattresses, luxury goods, subscription services).

• Supplement it with survey data when click-based windows don’t capture key influences—like podcasts, influencers, or offline media.

Why Attribution Windows Fall Short in a Cookieless World

Browser privacy changes, ad blockers, and cross-device behavior all erode the reliability of attribution windows:

• iOS 14+ limits data tracking beyond 24 hours in many cases

• View-through windows can be inflated or easily gamed

• Offline or non-click journeys are invisible in most analytics tools

That’s why fixed attribution windows are increasingly insufficient for full-funnel measurement.

Why Fairing Helps

Fairing sidesteps attribution windows entirely by asking customers directly: “How did you hear about us?”

• Capture attribution with no time limits—whether the customer heard about you today or 3 months ago.

• Quantify long-consideration channels like influencer marketing, CTV, and podcast ads.

• Reveal top-of-funnel influence that clickstream tools never capture.

• Build channel benchmarks based on customer-reported influence, not arbitrary timeframes.

Fairing provides a durable, zero-party data layer that works even when attribution windows break down.

How Brands Use Fairing + Attribution Windows Together

1. Use platform data for short-term performance metrics.

2. Add Fairing post-purchase surveys to uncover the long tail of influence.

3. Compare conversion patterns across attribution windows and self-reported data.

4. Rebalance budgets toward channels that drive awareness—regardless of click recency.

This gives you a more complete, time-agnostic view of marketing impact.

FAQs

What’s the default attribution window in Meta Ads?

Typically 7-day click and 1-day view. It can be customized, but privacy changes have shortened actual attribution reliability.

Can Fairing replace click-based windows?

Fairing isn’t a replacement—it’s a complement. It captures influence that click-based models (and their windows) often miss.

How do I know what window is right for my business?

Look at your average conversion lag time in analytics, and compare it to survey data from Fairing to spot gaps or over-crediting.

TL;DR: Attribution Windows Are Arbitrary—Customer Feedback Isn’t

Attribution windows help platforms assign credit, but they’re often disconnected from real purchase behavior. Fairing lets you go beyond timeboxed tracking by capturing what actually influenced the buyer—regardless of when or how it happened.

👉 Capture influence—no matter when it happened. Start with Fairing