Attribution Window
The time period after a marketing touchpoint during which a subsequent conversion is credited to that touchpoint. Outside the window, the touchpoint receives no credit.
Default windows by channel
Every channel ships an opinionated default. Google Ads attribution windows default to 30 days for clicks and 1 day for view-through. Meta Ads defaults to 7 days click + 1 day view. GA4 defaults vary by attribution model — 30 days for paid search and social, 90 days for organic. These defaults are configuration choices, not facts; the “real” window depends on your customer’s actual decision cycle.
Why the window collapses on Safari
Cookie-based attribution windows assume the cookie that recorded the original touchpoint survives until the conversion. Safari ITP caps first-party analytics cookies at 7 days. Any window longer than that is fictional on Safari: the conversion fires after the cookie is gone, the channel attribution defaults to “direct”, and your dashboard under-counts the original source. Firefox ETP applies the same cap.
Last-click on observed events
SealMetrics applies last-click at the event level: each conversion is attributed to the channel observed on the pageview where it happened, not to a touchpoint days earlier. There is no window to collapse and no cookie to expire. This produces a different number than a 30-day window — typically simpler and closer to the channel that actually drove the action.
Related concepts
- Attribution ModelA rule or algorithm that determines how credit for conversions is distributed across marketing touchpoints. Common models include first-touch, last-touch, linear, time-decay, and data-driven attribution.
- Last-Click AttributionAn attribution model where 100% of the conversion credit goes to the final marketing touchpoint observed before the conversion event. SealMetrics applies last-click on 100% of data — aggregate, anonymous, at channel level.
- Multi-Touch AttributionAn analytics model that distributes conversion credit across multiple touchpoints observed for the same identified visitor. Requires per-user tracking and is not part of SealMetrics' last-click, anonymous architecture.
- Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP)Apple Safari's privacy feature that limits cookie lifespan and blocks cross-site tracking. ITP reduces first-party cookie life to 7 days (or 24 hours for some) and blocks all third-party cookies.
Learn more: Complete Data Pillar · SealMetrics vs GA4