Attribution windows: why the same campaign shows different numbers
The same campaign can show 40 sales or 90 depending on one setting: the attribution window. Here is what it is, why click and view windows differ, and how to choose.
An attribution window is the length of time after a click, or a view, during which a later conversion still gets credited to that touch. A 7-day window and a 30-day window will report different numbers for the exact same campaign, so the window you pick decides how much credit each channel appears to earn.
Two dashboards, same campaign, same week, and two different sale counts. Before you assume one is broken, check the attribution window. It is one of the quietest settings in any ad platform and one of the most decisive, because it changes the numbers without changing a single real sale.
The window is simply how long a click keeps its claim. Set it to 7 days and a sale on day 8 credits nobody. Set it to 30 and that same sale credits the campaign. Same reality, different report.
What the window actually covers
When someone clicks your ad and buys later, the platform has to decide whether that click still deserves the credit. The attribution window is the deadline. Inside it, the conversion is attributed to the click; outside it, the conversion is counted but not credited to that touch.
Longer windows capture more of the slow buyers who mull a purchase for weeks. They also scoop up sales the campaign may not have truly caused, because a lot can happen in 30 days. Shorter windows are stricter and more conservative, at the cost of missing genuine slow conversions.
Click-through vs view-through
There are two kinds of window, and mixing them up is where most double-counting starts. A click-through window credits a conversion to someone who clicked. A view-through window credits a conversion to someone who merely saw the ad and did not click.
View-through attribution is far more generous and far less reliable: it will claim a sale from a person who scrolled past your ad and bought for entirely unrelated reasons. When a platform reports a suspiciously high number, a long view-through window is often the reason. Lead with click-through; treat view-through as a soft signal, the way you would treat an email open.
The same campaign, three windows
| Window | Reports | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| 1-day click | Only fast, obvious sales | Misses genuine slow buyers |
| 7-day click | A sensible middle ground | Balanced for most stores |
| 30-day view | The biggest, softest number | Claims sales it did not cause |
How to choose, and how to compare
Match the window to your buying cycle. An impulse product bought in minutes does not need 30 days; a considered purchase people research for a fortnight does. For most small stores a 7-day click window is a fair default, honest without being stingy.
The one rule that matters more than the number: use the same window everywhere. Comparing a channel on a 30-day view window against another on a 1-day click window is not a comparison at all. Fix the window, then judge the channels against each other on level ground.
A window you can trust
directinapp attributes on the click, not the impression, and ties each conversion to the exact click id that earned it, so the number does not balloon on view-through guesses. You still choose how long a click keeps its claim, but every credited sale traces back to a real tap. That is the honest version of conversion tracking: a window you set on purpose, over sales you can actually point to.
Found this useful? Tell Google to show you more of it.
Add us as a preferred sourceRelated guides
Put this into practice
Create smart short links that open the right app, with analytics built in. No credit card required.
Start free