Welcome to our Travelpayouts 101 series, where we help you take off in the field of travel affiliate marketing. This tutorial explains what cookies are and why they are important in affiliate marketing.

Wondering what cookies are and what role they play in affiliate marketing? If so, you’re in the right place. In this video, we’ll break it all down for you. Let’s jump straight in!

What exactly are cookies in affiliate marketing? In a nutshell, cookies are files that are created and stored on your visitors’ computers after they click on your affiliate links, banners, or widgets.

In affiliate marketing, cookies are super important. Why? Because they help brands determine where visitors and sales come from.

For you, as a partner, cookies are also of great importance because they ensure all your sales are tracked and attributed to you. Let’s run through an example so everything is crystal clear. Imagine you write a review about a five-star hotel in New York and add an affiliate link to a brand’s website where travelers can book this hotel.

Sara, who is planning a trip to New York, discovers your post and clicks on your affiliate link. Immediately, a cookie is dropped onto Sara’s computer. Once Sara determines that the hotel is the right fit for her and books it, you get credit for the sale. Cool, isn’t it?

What happens if Sara keeps browsing and picks a different hotel? Don’t worry, you’ll still be rewarded for the sale because the cookies are good across all pages of the brand’s website.

What if Sara doesn’t book the hotel right away? Don’t lose heart! That’s where cookie lifetime comes into play. Cookie lifetime (also known as cookie duration or cookie window) is how long a cookie will last from the first click on your affiliate link. In Travelpayouts, cookie lifetimes range from one session to 365 days, but most brands have a cookie lifetime of 30 days. You can see which cookie lifetime each brand offers in that brand’s description.

Let’s return to our example. If you’ve chosen a brand with a 30-day cookie lifetime and Sara books at any point within this period, you’ll get paid. That’s good news, right?

Does this mean that you always need to opt for programs with long cookie lifetimes? Not necessarily. If you know that your visitors are ready to make a purchase, even a one-session cookie lifetime might work for you.

Let’s quickly recap:

• In affiliate marketing, cookies are used to track sales.
• In Travelpayouts, brands have different cookie lifetimes (from one session to 365 days).

This is the end of our Travelpayouts 101 series. Now, it’s time to put everything you’ve learned into practice and implement all the strategies and tips we’ve shared with you. Good luck and stay tuned because more useful videos are coming soon!