{"id":300263,"date":"2025-06-18T06:18:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T06:18:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/analytics\/common-mistakes-when-working-with-click-identifiers\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T06:18:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T06:18:58","slug":"common-mistakes-when-working-with-click-identifiers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=300263","title":{"rendered":"Common Mistakes When Working With Click Identifiers"},"content":{"rendered":"


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This is a guest post by Jude Nwachukwu Onyejekwe<\/strong><\/a>. He is a prolific content creator, and he curates the DumbData<\/a> portal, which is full of great, free resources for measurement enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

In this article, he shares some useful learnings for working with click identifiers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Click IDs are URL parameters used by ad platforms. They are attached to outgoing links (ad clicks), so that when the user lands on a website, the URL would include this identifier. Pixels and scripts that then run on the landing page can take this identifier and forward it to the vendor, who can then correlate behavior on the landing page with the ad that was clicked.<\/p>\n

Read carefully through these tips, as incorrectly managed click IDs can lead to attribution loss or general decline in data quality.<\/p>\n


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What are click identifiers?<\/h2>\n

When a user clicks on your ads, whether from Google Ads<\/strong>, TikTok Ads<\/strong>, or X<\/strong> (formerly Twitter), a unique click identifier is often generated by the media platform and added as a query parameter to the landing page URL.<\/p>\n

These identifiers, such as gclid<\/code> for Google or ttclid<\/code> for TikTok, play a crucial role in accurately attributing conversions, especially offline ones that happen after a form submission, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Click ID Parameter<\/th>\nPlatform \/ vendor<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
gclid<\/code><\/td>\nGoogle Ads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
gclsrc<\/code><\/td>\nGoogle Ads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wbraid<\/code><\/td>\nGoogle Ads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
gbraid<\/code><\/td>\nGoogle Ads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
li_fat_id<\/code><\/td>\nLinkedIn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
fbclid<\/code><\/td>\nMeta<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
msclkid<\/code><\/td>\nMicrosoft Ads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ttclid<\/code><\/td>\nTikTok<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
twclid<\/code><\/td>\nX<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ScCid<\/code><\/td>\nSnapChat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Obclid<\/code><\/td>\nTaboola<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
dclid<\/code><\/td>\nFloodlight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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Note! This is not an exhaustive list. However, it is a decent sample of the most common click identifiers you might come across.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Capturing these identifiers correctly is essential for a reliable measurement setup. However, there are a few common pitfalls that can cause you to lose valuable data or misattribute conversions.<\/p>\n

In this guide, I\u2019ll walk you through the top mistakes marketers, analysts, and developers make when working with click identifiers, regardless of the ad platform, and how to avoid them.<\/p>\n

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  1. Altering the click identifier during URL transformation<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Click identifiers stripped by the website<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Only relying on URL parameters<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Misconfiguring click identifier cookies<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Using the wrong case format for query parameters<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Not using a secondary storage backup (beyond cookies)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Altering the click identifier during URL transformation<\/h2>\n

    Click identifier values are case-sensitive<\/strong>. Case-sensitivity means that values that differ solely by case are treated as differently as if they\u2019d differ by actual values, too. In a case-sensitive context, abc123XYZ<\/code> is not the same as abc123xyz<\/code>.<\/p>\n

    When working with gclid<\/code>, for example, Google\u2019s documentation clearly states that the gclid<\/code> query parameter value should not be normalized at any point of data capture. If you change it to all-lowercase or all-uppercase, the value will change and attribution will be broken.<\/p>\n

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    <\/p>\n

    \"gclid<\/p>\n

    <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    Image source: https:\/\/support.google.com\/analytics\/answer\/2938246<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    This principle is likely to apply most advertising platforms. It\u2019s a good rule of thumb to keep the identifier value as it was in the original request.<\/p>\n

    Click identifiers stripped by the website<\/h2>\n

    Sometimes, the problem isn\u2019t in your tags and scripts in Google Tag Manager, but with how your website<\/strong> handles unfamiliar parameters in the page URLs.<\/p>\n

    Even if you\u2019ve correctly implemented click identifier value retrieval tracking in Google Tag Manager (or hardcoded it), your website might automatically strip out click identifiers from the URL unless they have been allowlisted first<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    This can prevent the generated click identifier\u2019s value from being captured at the moment of conversion (e.g. form submission).<\/p>\n

    To prevent this, always test your landing pages. Simulate a typical ad click with a final destination URL that contains a click identifier for the ad platform you are working on, and then reload the page. If the identifier disappears from the URL, it will create a problem for your offline conversion tracking or click identifier value capturing, and this is something your engineering team should address.<\/p>\n

    Only relying on URL parameters<\/h2>\n

    Grabbing the click identifier directly from the URL and auto-filling a hidden form field at the point of user form submission is a valid approach, but only in certain situations.<\/p>\n

    This works well if the form is on the same landing page where the user first arrives after clicking the ad<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    But what if the user browses to other pages before submitting the form? In that case, the click identifier URL parameter is no longer available, and you lose the attribution.<\/p>\n

    Browser cookies<\/strong> are the standard in these scenarios, even though modern browsers are working to reduce their longevity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Storing the click identifier in a cookie ensures it persists as users navigate your site.<\/p>\n

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    It\u2019s important to note that most advertising vendor libraries automatically store the click ID in a cookie as long as their native pixel is running on the landing page that the user visits. However, do note that these cookies are still subject to browsers\u2019 tracking protection mechanisms.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Misconfiguring click identifier cookies<\/h2>\n

    Before discussing cookie misconfiguration issues, it\u2019s essential to note that in the European Union, website visitors must provide consent<\/strong> before you can store any (non-essential) information in their browsers, and this includes click identifiers.<\/p>\n

    Make sure you have a functioning consent banner and a well-configured consent management system in place.<\/p>\n

    Here are the most common misconfigurations when it comes to storing click identifiers in browser cookies.<\/p>\n