How attribution works

The attribution flow#

Dub uses a multi-stage attribution model that tracks the complete customer journey from initial click to final purchase:

• Stage 1: Click tracking
• Stage 2: Lead tracking
• Stage 3: Sale tracking

Stage 1: Click tracking#

When a visitor clicks a partner's referral link, Dub captures the click server-side before redirecting to your website. This happens automatically and cannot be blocked by ad blockers.

Data captured at click:

• Unique click ID
• Timestamp
• Geographic location (country, city, continent)
• Device type (mobile, desktop, tablet)
• Browser and operating system
• Referrer URL
• UTM parameters
• Whether the click came from a QR code or a short link

The click is appended to your destination URL as a dub_id query parameter:

https://yoursite.com?dub_id=cm3w8x2...

Then, the Dub Analytics script detects the dub_id parameter and stores it as a first-party cookie.

// The SDK automatically handles this when installed// Cookie: dub_id=xyz... (expires in 90 days by default)

Why first-party cookies?

• Persist across page navigation and sessions
• Not blocked by ad blockers (unlike third-party cookies)
• Compliant with privacy regulations
• Work reliably across all browsers

The default cookie lifetime is 90 days, meaning conversions within this window are attributed to the original click. You can customize this with the expiresInDays parameter.

Stage 2: Lead tracking#

When the visitor takes a qualifying action (signup, booking, form submission), you track a lead event. This links the customer to the original click.

await dub.track.lead({  clickId: cookies.get("dub_id"), // From the cookie  eventName: "Sign Up",  customerExternalId: user.id, // Your user ID  customerEmail: user.email,  customerName: user.name,});

The lead event is automatically deduplicated based on customerExternalId + eventName. Only the first event for each combination is recorded, preventing duplicate attribution.

Stage 3: Sale tracking#

When the customer makes a purchase, you track a sale event. Dub automatically links this to the customer's previous lead event.

await dub.track.sale({  customerExternalId: user.id, // Same ID from lead event  amount: 9900, // Amount in cents ($99.00)  paymentProcessor: "stripe",  invoiceId: "inv_123", // For idempotency});

The sale is attributed to the partner who drove the original click, and a commission record is automatically created based on your program's reward rules.

Attribution models#

Dub supports two attribution models:

1. Last-click attribution (default)
2. First-click attribution

Last-click attribution (default)#

All credit goes to the most recent partner link the customer clicked before converting.

// include this script tag in your HTML Head tag<script  src="https://www.dubcdn.com/analytics/script.js"  data-attribution-model="last-click" // can be omitted since it's the default  defer></script>

First-click attribution#

All credit goes to the first partner who introduced the customer, regardless of subsequent clicks.

// include this script tag in your HTML Head tag<script  src="https://www.dubcdn.com/analytics/script.js"  data-attribution-model="first-click"  defer></script>

When a customer clicks multiple partner links:

Each click is still recorded in analytics, so you can see the full customer journey even if only one partner receives the commission.

Attribution window#

The attribution window is the timeframe during which a conversion can be credited to a click. In Dub, this is controlled by the cookie lifetime:

// Set a 30-day attribution window<script  src="https://www.dubcdn.com/analytics/script.js"  data-cookie-options='{"expiresInDays": 30}'></script>

If the customer converts after the cookie expires, the conversion event will not be attributed to the original click.

Cross-domain attribution#

If your customer journey spans multiple domains, Dub supports cross-domain tracking as well:

• yoursite.com → app.yoursite.com
• app.yoursite.com → checkout.yoursite.com
• yoursite.com → anothersite.com

Learn more in the cross-domain tracking guide.

Partner commission flow#

When a sale is attributed, Dub automatically calculates and records the partner's commission:

1. Sale event received with customerExternalId
2. Customer lookup finds the associated lead and original click
3. Partner identified from the click's referral link
4. Commission calculated based on the reward rules for the partner's group
5. Commission created with pending status

Direct sale attribution#

For scenarios without a signup flow (e.g., one-time purchases), you can track sales directly with the click ID:

await dub.track.sale({  clickId: cookies.get("dub_id"), // Directly from cookie  customerExternalId: order.email,  customerName: order.name,  customerEmail: order.email,  amount: 4900,  invoiceId: order.id,});

Learn more about direct sale tracking.

Deferred lead tracking#

For products with qualification periods (trials, approvals), Dub supports deferred lead tracking:

// Track initial signup (deferred)await dub.track.lead({  clickId: cookies.get("dub_id"),  eventName: "Sign Up",  customerExternalId: user.id,  mode: "deferred", // Creates customer link but defers reward});// Later, when qualifiedawait dub.track.lead({  clickId: "", // Empty - uses existing customer record  eventName: "Qualified Lead",  customerExternalId: user.id, // Same customer ID});

This ensures partners are only rewarded when customers reach a meaningful milestone.

Learn more about deferred lead tracking.

Troubleshooting attribution#

Common issues#

Verifying attribution#

1. Check the cookie: Inspect browser cookies for dub_id
2. Test the flow: Click a partner link, sign up, and verify the lead appears in your dashboard
3. Review analytics: Check the Events tab for click → lead → sale progression