When one of your website visitors clicks on your affiliate link to learn more about the specific product you recommended, a cookie is saved on their computer. This small file includes your unique affiliate ID, ensuring that you get a commission if the visitor makes a purchase.
The cookie expiration refers to how long that cookie stays on their browser. As long as that cookie is still on the user’s browser when they ultimately do finalize a purchase, you’ll get credit as an affiliate. Cookies will be deleted automatically once they’ve reached the expiration date.
Cookies typically expire somewhere between 30 and 90 days. Though, some companies do implement shorter cookie expiration dates. It’s also important to note that cookies can be deleted manually by the user or through third-party security programs.
The cookie expiration time is very important. Not everyone is going to make a purchase right away. The cookie ensures that you get credit, even if the user doesn’t use your affiliate link to get back to the merchant’s site.