Wish to set your online marketing cookie period?
Cookies are an important a part of online marketing, and you might want to have management over how lengthy they final.
So, we’re going to indicate you precisely the best way to handle your affiliate cookie period in WordPress.
What’s Cookie Period in Affiliate Advertising
Cookie period in online marketing is the time window you give associates to earn a fee after somebody clicks their hyperlink. When somebody clicks an affiliate hyperlink, a small textual content file (known as a cookie) will get saved on their system. This cookie incorporates the affiliate’s ID, letting your system know which affiliate ought to get credit score for the sale.
For instance, let’s say you set a 30-day cookie period. If somebody clicks your affiliate’s hyperlink at this time however comes again and buys two weeks later, that affiliate nonetheless will get the fee. This monitoring works even when the client doesn’t click on the affiliate’s hyperlink once more when making the acquisition.
Nevertheless, there are some vital issues that may have an effect on cookie monitoring. The system solely works if the client makes the acquisition on the identical system they initially clicked the hyperlink on.
In the event that they click on on their telephone however purchase on their laptop computer, the affiliate gained’t get credit score.
The cookie additionally must be accepted by the client’s browser, and it gained’t work in the event that they’ve cleared their cookies or clicked one other affiliate’s hyperlink on your product.
What’s the Finest Cookie Period for Your Affiliate Program
Whereas 30-day cookie period is most typical, it’s not essentially the very best. Some applications provide lifetime cookies that by no means expire until manually cleared.
Nevertheless, these are uncommon as a result of corporations usually pay commissions increased than their product margins, balancing it with income from purchases made exterior the cookie window.
Most affiliate applications set durations between 1-30 days. The best period on your program depends upon your corporation mannequin. Contemplate that gross sales not often occur on the primary go to – clients usually want time to suppose earlier than buying. That’s why most associates search for applications providing at the least 15-30 days.
Additionally think about your remarketing efforts. In case you make investments closely in retargeting campaigns, a shorter cookie period may make extra sense financially.
Finally, select a period that balances attracting high quality associates with your corporation wants and revenue margins.
Steps to Set Your Affiliate Cookie Period
Okay, so actually, you’ll be able to set your affiliate cookie period in 2 steps, however we’ve bought some further little suggestions which can be going to make your cookie coverage simpler.
Let’s check out how one can set your affiliate cookies in WordPress.
Step 1: Set up AffiliateWP

AffiliateWP is the very best WordPress affiliate administration plugin and it’s going to provide you full management over your affiliate cookies.
Earlier than you begin monitoring affiliate hyperlinks, you’ve bought to have the correct software program in place, and in case your web site runs on WordPress, that software program is AffiliateWP. It’s going to assist you to arrange your associates program in below 10 minutes, and it’s additionally bought some extremely highly effective affiliate administration instruments.
Simply head to the pricing web page and select the plan that most closely fits your wants.
When you’ve accomplished your buy, you’ll be capable to combine your associates program with an entire host of functions in only a click on by opening the setup wizard:
WooCommerce
Straightforward Digital Downloads
PayPal
Stripe
Limit Content material Professional
MemberPress
WPForms
And lots of extra…
This gives you the proper platform to develop your corporation by online marketing, and the highly effective development instruments will assist you to appeal to the perfect associates.
Step 2: Edit Your Cookie Expiration
To edit your online marketing cookie period, all it’s a must to do is open the AffiliateWP Settings web page out of your WordPress admin.
Now, head to the Commissions tab and scroll down till you see the Cookie Expiration field.


Merely enter the variety of days you want to your cookies to final after which click on Save Modifications on the backside of the web page.
That’s it, you’ve now set your affiliate cookie period.
Step 3: Talk Your Affiliate Cookie Coverage
Together with affiliate commissions, your cookie coverage is likely one of the key particulars potential associates are going to be interested by.
The longer your cookies final, the better it’s for an affiliate to make a sale, in order that they’re going to be in search of readability on this subject.
It’s vital you make this info available in your affiliate signup web page and in your phrases of use web page. Your affiliate phrases of use element all of the vital info associates must know, so it’s the proper place to stipulate your cookie coverage.
You possibly can effortlessly add an affiliate phrases of use to your program utilizing AffiliateWP’s Phrases of Use Generator.
Simply go to the AffiliateWP Instruments web page and click on on the Phrases of Use Generator tab. This may convey up a draft phrases of use the place you’ll be able to mechanically add in your organization particulars.


While you click on Create Phrases of Use Web page, a brand new WordPress web page can be drafted, prepared so that you can edit. When you’ve determined in your cookie coverage, you’ll be able to then manually add a bit that highlights your cookie expiration.
Step 4: Begin Signing Up Associates
An Affiliate Space web page can be created as quickly as you full the AffiliateWP setup wizard, and potential associates can use this web page to enroll in your associates program.
To edit the Affiliate Space web page, merely go to Pages, and seek for Affiliate Space. You should use the blocks to edit your affiliate registration type and ensure you’re gathering all the data you want.


As quickly because the affiliate has signed up and been permitted, this web page will then flip into their log-in space and affiliate dashboard.
As soon as once more, there’s lots you are able to do to customise this web page, so make sure that to construct it in your model’s picture and add related info utilizing Affiliate Space Tabs.
Does Affiliate Advertising Use third Get together Cookies – I Hear They’re Being Phased Out?
Let’s begin with a query we generally get requested, “does online marketing use third-party cookies?”
The reply isn’t any. While you’re utilizing high quality hyperlink monitoring software program like AffiliateWP, it depends on 1st social gathering cookies versus third social gathering cookies. So, what’s the distinction?
third social gathering cookies are cookies which can be added to your browser by web sites aside from the one you might be at present on. As an illustration, you is likely to be studying your favourite weblog, and a third social gathering cookie from an promoting company is added to your browser.
This third social gathering cookie is used to trace your habits throughout totally different web sites so the promoting company can give you tailor-made show advertisements.
These third social gathering cookies are being clamped down on and are routinely interrupted by privateness updates from main corporations like Apple. Because of this they might be very unreliable to be used in affiliate hyperlink monitoring.
As an alternative, online marketing makes use of first-party cookies, that are cookies which can be added to your browser by the web site you’re visiting. They’re used to trace your journey between the pages on the web site usually for analytics functions or to recollect cookie preferences, or save a purchasing cart.
These 1st social gathering cookies don’t characterize the identical affront to folks’s privateness, and so they’re rather more dependable, making them splendid for affiliate hyperlink monitoring.
So, in abstract, sure, large modifications are being made to cookies, nevertheless it’s third social gathering cookies which can be the goal. 1st social gathering cookies are nonetheless an important a part of how the web works, and these are the cookies that type the idea of affiliate hyperlink monitoring.
FAQs: Affiliate Advertising Cookies
How lengthy does an affiliate cookie final?
An affiliate cookie lasts so long as the associates program supervisor decides it ought to final. Mostly this tends to be between 1 and 30 days, though there isn’t any restrict to how lengthy an affiliate cookie can final.
How do cookies work for affiliate hyperlinks?
Affiliate hyperlinks work by including a cookie to folks’s browsers once they click on the hyperlink. Affiliate software program can then acknowledge the cookie in an individual’s browser once they land on the service provider’s web site and make a purchase order. The affiliate software program can then facilitate a fee fee to the profitable affiliate.
Will cookies have an effect on online marketing?
Modifications to cookies are usually centered on third social gathering cookies which aren’t an vital think about online marketing. As an alternative, online marketing makes use of 1st social gathering cookies that are rather more dependable and permit for correct affiliate monitoring.
Is there a typical cookie period most affiliate applications use?
Probably not—30 days is a well-liked alternative as a result of it balances service provider prices and affiliate attraction, nevertheless it varies. Quick-term merchandise (like occasion tickets) may use 7 days, whereas big-ticket objects (like software program subscriptions) may go for 60 or 90 days. It’s all about matching your gross sales cycle.
Does an extended cookie period imply extra commissions?
Not at all times. An extended period—like 90 days—can seize extra gross sales from gradual deciders, nevertheless it may also credit score associates for purchases they didn’t closely affect. A shorter window, like 7 days, retains commissions tied to direct efforts however may miss delayed consumers. Check and tweak to search out your candy spot!
How do I inform associates about my cookie period?
Communication is vital! After setting your period in AffiliateWP, share it in your associates program phrases, welcome emails, or a fast dashboard notice. Transparency builds belief—associates love figuring out a 30-day cookie provides them a good shot at commissions.
Now, Begin Your Personal Affiliate Program
Now that every little thing there’s to find out about online marketing cookies, it’s time to arrange your individual associates program.
It’s extremely simple to get began, and, because you solely pay associates once they make a sale, it’s very low danger.
Need extra sources that will help you get began? We’ve bought you sorted!
Now there’s just one factor left to do.