google analytics attribution tracking spec

7/29/2019 Google Analytics Attribution Tracking Spec

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AttributionTracking

This spec explains how to use the GoogleAnalytics cookie to track and attribute

users to their referral source (keyword,

banner ad, etc)


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ContentsProblem / Solution

Solution Overview

Solution Specs


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The ProblemWhen we drive a new user to somesite.com we cannot track the users action

beyond the form submit (sign up) using standard Google Analytics tracking.

The prevents us from identifying where the user came from. Ie, the keyword,

or ad unit that referred them to somesite.com.

We call this attribution tracking.


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The SolutionA custom tracking system that utilizes the Google Analytics cookie to pass

campaign variables into the somesite.com database.

Once we correlate a transaction with a referring ad ID we can attribute the

user to a specific ad source (keyword, banner ad, email, etc).

Once we have attribution tracking in place, we can measure ROI for our media

campaigns (paid search, email, SEO, social media, etc).


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Customer completes sign

up form at somesite.com

Prospective customer

clicks an ad or organic

listing

1

On ad click Google writes a

cookie to users browser

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3

Tracker reads Google cookie,

extracts specific campaign

variables, and passes them

through the registration form as

hidden fields

4

ExecSight

database

Form data , including Analytics

variables, posted to database

5

Registration

Data

Solution Overview


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Solution SpecsWrite a custom script that extracts the following campaign variables from the

Google Analytics cookie and passes it through the lead form as a hidden field:

Utmcsr

Utmccn

Utmcmd

utmctr

Where:

utmcsr = campaign source

Utmccn = campaign name

utmcmd = campaign medium

utmctr = campaign terms


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Step 1 : Read CookieTo read out a cookie, call this function and pass the name of the cookie. Put the

name in a variable. First check if this variable has a value (if the cookie does not

exist the variable becomes null, which might upset the rest of your function),then do whatever is necessary.

The function receives the argument and starts.

We're going to search for the name of the cookie, followed by an =. So create

this new string and put it in nameEQ:

var x = readCookie('ppkcookie1') if (x) { [do something with x] }

function readCookie(name) {

var nameEQ = name + "=";


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Read Cookie ContThen split document.cookie on semicolons. ca becomes an array containing all

cookies that are set for this domain and path.

Then we go through the array (so through all cookies):

Set c to the cookie to be checked

var ca = document.cookie.split(';');

for(var i=0;i < ca.length;i++) {

while (c.charAt(0)==' ') c = c.substring(1,c.length);


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Read Cookie ContNow string c begins with the name of the current cookie. If this is the name of

the desired cookie

We've found what we were looking for. We now only need to return the value ofthe cookie, which is the part of c that comes after nameEQ. By returning thisvalue we also end the function: mission accomplished.

If, after having gone through all cookies, we haven't found the name we're

looking for, the cookie is not present. We return null.

if (c.indexOf(nameEQ) == 0)

if (c.indexOf(nameEQ) == 0) return c.substring(nameEQ.length,c.length);

}

return null; }


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Step 2: ExtractVariablesNext we need to extract the variables from the Google Analytics cookie

var utmz = readCookie('__utmz'); //using a cookie reading function

var vals = (function() {

var pairs = utmz.split('.').slice(4).join('.').split('|');

var ga = {};

for (var i = 0; i < pairs.length; i++) {

var temp = pairs[i].split('=');

ga[temp[0]] = temp[1];

}return ga;

})();

//vals.utmcmd: medium (organic, referral, direct, etc)

//vals.utmcsr: source (google, facebook.com, etc)

//vals.utmcct: content (index.html, etc)

//vals.utmccn: campaign

//vals.utmctr: term (search term)


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Step 3 : Pass Variablesto DatabaseModify the lead form located on the product pages to include 4 hidden fields:-

Utmcsr

Utmccn

Utmcmd

Utmctr

These fields should be alphanumeric and should not require validation. The above

fields are not required. Insert the extracted variables into their respective fields and

submit the form as normal. The hidden fields will ne captured in the registration form

and passed through to the ExecSight database.


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Your Contact

Dylan Touhey

CMO / Principal

[email protected]

250.483.7411 x 101

google analytics attribution tracking spec

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