Universal Analytics - Cross Domain Tracking on multiple eCommerce sites with shared checkout - google-analytics

I manage multiple e-commerce sites that all share the same checkout process but have individual google-analytics accounts. Under the old google analytics for cross-domain tracking we used:
['_setDomainName', 'none']
When on the SSL checkout part of the process.
Under universal analytics I understand you can use linker plugin for cross-domain tracking but I don't see an equivalent to the 'none' configuration above. What is the correct way to achieve this?

I hope I understand your problem correctly. The best explanation is on the Google Documentation page but I'll try to make a summary.
The _setDomainName configuration, on ga.js, sets the domain name for the Google Analytics cookies:
_gaq.push(['_setDomainName', 'mywebsite.com']);
On analytics.js, the new way to do this is:
ga('create', 'UA-XXXXX-Y', {
cookieDomain: 'mywebsite.com'
});
And if you'd like to use the legacy cookies (from ga.js), you also should populate the legacyCookieDomain setting:
ga('create', 'UA-XXXXX-Y', {
cookieDomain: 'mywebsite.com',
legacyCookieDomain: 'mywebsite.com'
});
There are two ways to have an equivalent to the 'none' configuration. The first one is:
ga('create', 'UA-XXXX-Y', {
'cookieDomain': 'none'
});
But Google suggests to use this solution to set cookies on localhost. The second solution is sending data directly to Google Analytics without the use of cookies.
ga('create', 'UA-XXXX-Y', {
'storage': 'none',
'clientId': '35009a79-1a05-49d7-b876-2b884d0f825b'
});
Here you'll have to supply your own clientId parameter.

Related

Cross Domain Tracking script into Google Tag Manager settings?

I am trying to set up my website to have cross domain tracking with the online store Gumroad.com, inside my Google Analytics. So that I can follow the user events from one site onto the next.
Gumroad has instructions at this link, but they are in the format of a script to be pasted into the site.
I use Tag Manager and am wanting to input these parameters into my Google Analytics Settings variable (which is how Google recommends doing Cross domain tracking with Tag Manager)
I'll attach the script that they provided, as well as my Google Analytics Settings variable in Tag Manager. If anyone knows how to set up the rest of the parameters that would be greatly appreciated!
Script:
<script>
// mystorefront.com is your site's domain.
ga('create', 'UA-XXXXX-Y', 'mystorefront.com;, {'name': 'sampleTracker', 'allowLinker': true, ';cookieDomain': 'mystorefront.com'});
ga('sampleTracker.require', 'linker');
ga('sampleTracker.linker:autoLink', ['mystorefront.com']);
ga('sampleTracker.send', 'pageview');
</script>
My Tag Manager (Google Analytics Settings variable) setup so far:
[]
Set domains in list without protocol.
It also does not make sense that you use cookieDomain as Field to set when it is already defined in the field below the tracking ID.

Custom Campaign tracking Cross-Domain Google Analytics

I have successfully implemented Cross-Domain tracking with Google Analytics (1 session as user jumps across domain, same _ga cookie on both domains, etc.) However, when the user jumps to the second domain and completes a purchase, the eCommerce transaction is not getting attributed to the utm custom campaign from the first page. It seems you can't pass the utm custom campaign information cross-domain. Is this true? Has anyone ran into this before?
I found my issue, cache. I have done hard refreshes before every test, but I went into Chrome tools and clear EVERYTHING. Cookie, cache, everything. And Cross-Domain tracking for Custom Campaigns started working! For reference here are the scripts for the two sites:
Site 1:
ga('create','UA-xxxxxxx-x'','auto', { 'allowLinker': true });
ga('require', 'linker');
ga('linker:autoLink', ['site2.com']);
ga('require','ecommerce','ecommerce.js');
ga('send','pageview');
Site2:
ga('create', 'UA-xxxxxxx-x', 'auto', { 'name': 'client', 'allowLinker': true });
ga('client.require', 'linker');
ga('client.linker:autoLink', ['site1.com']);
ga('client.require', 'ecommerce', 'ecommerce.js');
ga('client.send', 'pageview');
Also, I added site1.com and site2.com to the Referral Exclusion List in GA and the UA key for site 1 and site 2 are the same.

cross domain tracking goals go to direct

I have an issue with cross domain tracking for one of my clients.
When people go from one site to the the other they go to a different domain. There they finnish a servey and they convert on that site.
I have analytics set up and the data comes in from both websites, but the conversions are registered for direct en referral. I want to know what keywords in Adwords turned into the conversion.
can someone help me with this issue?
You'll need to set up cross domain tracking as described in this support article.
If you use Google Tag Manager, you can use the "Auto Link Domains" functionality that will take care of the details.
Otherwise, you'll essentially have to change the intialization of your tracking snippet from
ga('create', 'UA-XXXXX-Y', 'auto');
to
ga('create', 'UA-XXXXXXX-Y', 'auto', {'allowLinker': true});
ga('require', 'linker');
ga('linker:autoLink', ['your-second-domain.com'] );
Note that these solutions always require that you use the same Analytics property ID on both sites.

collecting google analytics data on localhost

According to the Google Analytics docs if you want to collect analytics data when running an app on localhost you should replace
ga('create', 'UA-XXXX-Y', 'auto');
with
ga('create', 'UA-XXXX-Y', 'none');
When using the latter, will analytics data also be collected on "normal" domains, e.g. www.example.com, or will it only work on localhost?
You should pretty much always be using auto, even when running on localhost. The section you linked to in the docs was written prior to the auto feature (automatic cookie domain configuration) being added to analytics.js
You can confirm that auto works on regular domains as well as on localhost by using your developer tools to see that a _ga cookie is successfully written.

Google Analytics Cross-Domain Conversion Tracking and Attribution to AdWords Campaign

Background
We have a number of websites that we maintain and we have Google AdWords Campaigns running to drive traffic to these sites.
For Example:
www.example1.co.uk
www.example2.co.uk
www.example3.co.uk
After browsing these sites, a customer will be redirected to our E-Commerce platform if they decide to make a purchase (this is where the conversion happens):
www.example-checkout.com
Current Google Analytics Setup
Our current Google Analytics Setup looks like this:
www.example1.co.uk, www.example2.co.uk, www.example3.co.uk
ga('create', 'UA-12345678-1', 'auto', {'name': 'globalTracker'});
ga('globalTracker.send', 'pageview');
ga('globalTracker.require', 'linker');
ga('globalTracker.linker:autoLink', ['example-checkout.com'], true);
www.example-checkout.com
All Pages
ga('create', 'UA-12345678-1', 'auto', {'allowLinker': true, 'name' : 'globalTracker'});
ga('globalTracker.send', 'pageview');
Checkout Page Only
The checkout/confirmation/thank you page contains additional calls to load the Google Analytics E-Commerce plugin and post the details of the transaction that has occurred.
ga('create', 'UA-12345678-1', 'auto', {'allowLinker': true, 'name' : 'globalTracker'});
ga('globalTracker.send', 'pageview');
ga('globalTracker.require', 'ecommerce', 'ecommerce.js');
ga('globalTracker.ecommerce:addTransaction', {
'id': '${transactionID}',
'affiliation': '${affiliation}',
'revenue': '${revenue}',
'shipping': '${shipping}',
'tax': '${tax}'
});
ga('globalTracker.ecommerce:send');
What Works
The E-Commerce tracking code appears to work and conversions are recorded. In Google Analytics we can see that we received traffic/clicks from our AdWords campaigns which suggests that the _ga cookie is being correctly passed cross-domain from www.example1.co.uk to www.example-checkout.com (in fact I have verified this using the Chrome Developer Tools / Google Analytics Debugger Plugin).
Problem
The problem is that the conversions are never attributed to the AdWords Campaign & AdGroup. The source of the conversion is always a referral (E.g. from www.example1.co.uk).
What am I missing? I want to see the conversions attributed to the AdWords campaign. I.e. in the "Acquisition -> Campaigns" section of Google Analytics.
Any pointers are greatly appreciated.
You do not mention that you use any decorator functions (i.e. functions that add the ga parameter to outgoing links, forms etc.) and allowLinker does not do this automatically. So it should be not possible that cross domain tracking works at all (i.e. both domains will be tracked but on changing the domain the user will start a new tracking session). (UPDATE: Sorry, I did not see the autolinker plugin in the code, so ignore this paragraph).
Plus you need to add both domains to the referrer exclusion list in the property settings (this will remove the referrer no matter what, so make sure that the client id is passed on before you do that).
Unless you have used decorators without saying so in the question this is most likely your problem. Look into the outgoing urls if the ga parameter is appended when switching domains and make sure that the ga code on the other domain does actually receive the parameter (i.e. if there are redirects make sure they retain the parameter).

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