Attribution Window
The period during which a click or interaction remains eligible for attribution to a downstream booking.
Why it matters
Measurement terms are unreliable without explicit numerator, denominator, attribution window and booking-lifecycle definitions. The same 'conversion rate' can mean search-to-booking, click-to-booking or stayed-booking across teams. KPI contracts should be explicit from event collection through financial reconciliation.
What does it look like in practice?
A 3% conversion rate is only meaningful if the denominator and booking lifecycle state are explicit. Metric contracts belong together with event and reconciliation rules.
Implementation questions
- What are the numerator and denominator?
- What is the attribution window?
- How are cancellations and modifications applied?
- Is the metric reconciled with commercial reports?
Common mistakes
- Omitting numerator/denominator
- Treating recent gross bookings as matured revenue
- Hiding attribution-window rules
Where does it appear in the travel stack?
Attribution Window commonly appears across measurement layers. Its implementation should make source-of-truth, identity, freshness and transaction-ownership boundaries explicit.
Related terms
Related technical guides
Missing Conversion Attribution Playbook
Investigate bookings that cannot be matched to clicks through click IDs, attribution windows, callbacks, consent and reconciliation.
Explore →Affiliate Click → Booking Reconciliation Playbook
Reconcile affiliate clicks with provider bookings using stable click IDs, booking references, attribution windows and settlement states.
Explore →CPC vs CPA: How Metasearch Commercial Models Differ
Compare CPC and CPA in travel metasearch through risk, conversion, attribution and unit economics.
Explore →Click Attribution and Post-click Tracking
Design click IDs, deeplink attribution, booking-event matching, idempotency and reconciliation so metasearch traffic can be connected reliably to downstream conversions.
Explore →Conversion Tracking in Metasearch
Learn how metasearch tracks clicks through bookings, cancellations, attribution, click IDs and reconciliation.
Explore →Metasearch vs Affiliate: Product Pattern vs Commercial Relationship
Separate metasearch and affiliate models across discovery, traffic ownership, deeplinks, attribution, booking ownership and monetization.
Explore →