An attribution window is the length of time after a marketing or sales touchpoint during which a conversion can be credited to that touchpoint. It defines how far back or forward measurement systems look when assigning credit for outcomes like a purchase, signup, demo request, or opportunity created, and it affects reported ROI, channel performance, and budget decisions.
How Attribution Windows Work
Attribution windows are applied when connecting touchpoints to conversions:
- A user clicks an ad or email on day 1.
- The user converts on day 10.
- If the attribution window is 7 days, the click is not credited.
- If the window is 30 days, the click can be credited, depending on the attribution model.
Windows can be based on clicks, views (impressions), or both, and are enforced by analytics tools, ad platforms, and CRM attribution logic.
Common Types of Attribution Windows
Attribution windows are usually defined by both direction and touch type:
- Click-through window: credit given if a conversion happens within X days after a click (for example, 7-day click)
- View-through window: credit given if a conversion happens within X days after an impression, even without a click (for example, 1-day view)
- Post-engagement window: credit after a non-ad event like webinar attendance or sales outreach
- Lookback window: how far back from the conversion date the system searches for eligible touches
- Reporting window: the date range used for reporting results, which can differ from the attribution window
B2B teams often use longer windows for high-consideration deals and shorter windows for fast purchase cycles.
Why the Attribution Window Matters
The chosen window changes what gets credit and can shift investment decisions:
- Channel ROI: longer windows usually increase credited conversions for upper-funnel channels
- Pipeline reporting: affects what is labeled marketing-sourced, sales-sourced, or influenced
- Experiment results: inconsistent windows can distort lift tests and holdouts
- AI and automation quality: models trained on attributed conversions depend on consistent window rules, identity resolution, and de-duplication
- Compliance and privacy constraints: measurement limits (like cookie lifetimes and platform rules) can restrict practical window length
To reduce confusion, teams document windows by channel and conversion type and keep them consistent across dashboards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a typical attribution window?
It depends on the sales cycle. Common defaults include 7 or 28 days for click-through, and 1 day for view-through, but B2B often uses longer CRM lookbacks.
What is the difference between an attribution window and an attribution model?
The window defines which touchpoints are eligible by time. The model defines how credit is split among eligible touchpoints (first-touch, last-touch, multi-touch, and so on).
Can different channels have different attribution windows?
Yes. Many teams set different windows for ads, email, events, and sales touches based on buying cycle length and signal strength.
Why do ad platforms and analytics tools disagree on attribution?
They may use different windows, different identity methods, and different definitions of conversions, leading to different credited totals.
How should an attribution window be chosen?
Match it to typical time-to-conversion, test sensitivity with shorter and longer windows, and keep the rule consistent for performance comparisons.
