Attribution model and cookies
An attribution model is a principle under which an advertiser chooses which publisher is eligible for a reward. Before making a purchase, a customer can visit the advertiser's website through several links of different publishers. In this case, the question is who gets paid.
Almost all advertisers use the Last Cookie Wins model. This means the reward goes to a publisher whose link was the last to lead the customer to the purchase.
Almost all advertisers use the Last Cookie Wins model. This means the reward goes to a publisher whose link was the last to lead the customer to the purchase.
What is a cookie?
A cookie is kind of a publisher's ID; a tag that identifies a user when they click through an affiliate link. It helps the affiliate network and advertiser see which publisher led the customer to the website. What does matter is which publisher is the last to lead the customer. It's them who will receive the reward.
A cookie is kind of a publisher's ID; a tag that identifies a user when they click through an affiliate link. It helps the affiliate network and advertiser see which publisher led the customer to the website. What does matter is which publisher is the last to lead the customer. It's them who will receive the reward.
Example
While watching smartphone reviews on YouTube, a user finds themselves interested in a model. In the video description they see an affiliate link and click on it. While being redirected, they are tagged by a YouTube blogger's cookie (the blogger is also a publisher).
After that, the user gets to the coupon store whose owner is also a publisher. Then they choose the store about which they learned from the YouTube review, activate a coupon, go to the store through the second publisher's link, and make a purchase. At this moment, the user is tagged by the second publisher's cookies.
A phone store where the user made a purchase is the advertiser. They saw that the last step before the purchase was a visit to the coupon store; under the Last Cookie Wins model, the second publisher gets the reward.
After that, the user gets to the coupon store whose owner is also a publisher. Then they choose the store about which they learned from the YouTube review, activate a coupon, go to the store through the second publisher's link, and make a purchase. At this moment, the user is tagged by the second publisher's cookies.
A phone store where the user made a purchase is the advertiser. They saw that the last step before the purchase was a visit to the coupon store; under the Last Cookie Wins model, the second publisher gets the reward.
Cookie files have limited lifetime as set by the advertiser.
This lifetime differs from one affiliate program to another. Cookie files may remain valid for 1-365 days: from a click through an affiliate link to a purchase, click through another affiliate link, or expiration. What does it affect?
This lifetime differs from one affiliate program to another. Cookie files may remain valid for 1-365 days: from a click through an affiliate link to a purchase, click through another affiliate link, or expiration. What does it affect?
Cookie files have limited lifetime as set by the advertiser. This lifetime differs from one affiliate program to another. Cookie files may remain valid for 1-365 days: from a click through an affiliate link to a purchase, click through another affiliate link, or expiration. What does it affect?
Example
Cookie files of Store X's affiliate program remain valid for 10 days. On Monday, a user visits Store X's website by clicking an affiliate link (at this moment, the user is tagged by a publisher's cookie). But, something distracts the user and they leave the website (close a tab, go to another website, or close the browser). On Sunday, they recall they wanted to buy something, get backed to website X, finish their purchase. With that, advertiser X sees which publisher led the customer as the cookie is still alive. If the customer returned to the website in two weeks, the publisher couldn't get the reward. As we remember, the program's cookies only live for 10 days. Thus, after 10 days pass, the advertiser wouldn't see which publisher led the customer.
Under the Last Cookie Wins model, the publisher will keep attribution if during the successive visits, the user clicks the link from their browser history, finds the website in search, or clicks the ad published by the advertiser.
Check yourself!
Find out if you have learned everything correctly
| Start |
Who gets paid if the advertiser uses the Last Cookie Wins model?
Incorrect. The reward goes to the publisher whose affiliate link was last to lead a customer to a purchase.
Correct! The reward goes to the publisher whose affiliate link was last to lead a customer to a purchase.
Incorrect. The reward goes to the publisher whose affiliate link was last to lead a customer to a purchase.
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In most affiliate programs, cookie lifetime is measured in...
Wrong! A cookie may live for 1 to 365 days, as set by an advertiser.
Wrong! A cookie may live for 1 to 365 days, as set by an advertiser.
Bingo! A cookie may live for 1 to 365 days, as set by an advertiser.
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Which of these statements is correct?
Correct! The longer the cookie lifetime, the higher a publisher's chance to get a reward in case if a user, after clicking through an affiliate link, left an advertiser's website and didn't finish their purchase.
Incorrect! The longer the cookie lifetime, the higher a publisher's chance to get a reward in case if a user, after clicking through an affiliate link, left an advertiser's website and didn't finish their purchase.
Incorrect! The longer the cookie lifetime, the higher a publisher's chance to get a reward in case if a user, after clicking through an affiliate link, left an advertiser's website and didn't finish their purchase.
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Searching for a product, a user visited Website X three times by clicking the links in the following order: Telegram channel (affiliate link), post in a Facebook community (affiliate link), Google search results (search by store name, clicked the first organic link). Who will get rewarded if the user makes a purchase?
Incorrect. The last paid channel was a post in a Facebook community, so a publisher who posted it will get the reward.
Right! The last paid channel was a post in a Facebook community, so a publisher who posted it will get the reward.
Incorrect. The last paid channel was a post in a Facebook community, so a publisher who posted it will get the reward.
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Publisher's cookies "stick" to a user if they visit an advertiser's website...
Wrong! A user is tagged by a publisher's cookie only if they click through an affiliate link.
Wrong! A user is tagged by a publisher's cookie only if they click through an affiliate link.
Right! A user is tagged by a publisher's cookie only if they click through an affiliate link.
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You might have been distracted when reading the text. Brew some coffee, relax, dismiss everything unwanted from your mind, and try again.
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Fair take-off. Get back to those questions where you made a mistake, and then proceed to the next lesson.
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Well done!
Lesson accomplished. Let's move further!
Lesson accomplished. Let's move further!
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Well done!
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