Analysing Traffic by Tracking Visitors
The site's configuration and choice of domain will have an impact on how and what data is collected.
In this chapter, we present a matrix of features and how their combination impacts the tracking performance.
Default settings with Wide Angle Analytics domain
Default set-up. Works out of the box.
A visitor's uniqueness is determined by a temporary session identifier derived from a request. This temporary, weak identifier will be further augmented by Wide Angle services and stored obfuscated. As it is dependent on the IP address, browser used and even timezone address, it will change and thus yield a new session if the user switches location, network, or a browser.
Susceptible to being blocked by Adblockers because this approach uses a well-known domain which can be blocked.
Changes in a URL fragment are treated as a separate location and count as a page view.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Use tracking cookie | ❌ |
| Propagate unique visitor ID | ❌ |
| Support hash-based paths | ✔️ |
| Custom Domain | ❌ |
Weak session identifier with custom domain
Balanced approach requiring advanced domain set-up.
A visitor's uniqueness is determined by a temporary session identifier derived from a request. This temporary, weak identifier will be further augmented by Wide Angle services and stored obfuscated. As it is dependent on the IP address, browser used and even timezone address, it will change and thus yield a new session if the user switches location, network, or a browser.
If the custom domain matches the SameSite rule (it is a subdomain of the domain used by the site), it will not be blocked by most Adblockers. Blocking extensions in Firefox can leverage CNAME uncloaking and detect such a tracker.
Changes in a URL fragment are treated as a separate location and count as a page view.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Use tracking cookie | ❌ |
| Propagate unique visitor ID | ❌ |
| Support hash-based paths | ✔️ |
| Custom Domain | ✔️ |
Client-side fingerprint with custom domain
Balanced approach requiring advanced domain set-up.
A visitor's uniqueness is determined by a temporary fingerprint using in browser code. This temporary, weak identifier will be further augmented by Wide Angle services and stored obfuscated. As it is dependent on the IP address, browser used and even timezone address, it will change and thus yield a new session if the user switches location, network, or a browser.
Client-side fingerprint is a more reliable approach to generating session identifier, however, depending on jurisdiction, will require collecting visitor consent.
If the custom domain matches the SameSite rule (it is a subdomain of the domain used by the site), it will not be blocked by most Adblockers. Blocking extensions in Firefox can leverage CNAME uncloaking and detect such a tracker.
Changes in a URL fragment are treated as a separate location and count as a page view.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Use tracking cookie | ❌ |
| Propagate unique visitor ID | ❌ |
| Support hash-based paths | ✔️ |
| Custom Domain | ✔️ |
Cookie tracking with service-based ID and custom domain
Reliable and accurate if not blocked.
Tracking service will respond with a unique visitor ID if not provided in the request. The generated ID will be stored on the client in a browser cookie and used for subsequent tracking requests.
Tracking requests can be blocked if the browser is configured to block third-party cookies.
If the custom domain matches the SameSite rule (it is a subdomain of the domain used by the site), it will not be blocked by most Adblockers. Blocking extensions in Firefox can leverage CNAME uncloaking and detect such a tracker.
More advanced Adblockers, looking for fingerprinting behaviour, will not detect this approach as the service generates the fingerprint.
Changes in a URL fragment are treated as a separate location and count as a page view.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Use tracking cookie | ✔️ |
| Propagate unique visitor ID | ✔️ |
| Support hash-based paths | ✔️ |
| Custom Domain | ✔️ |
Cookie tracking with Wide Angle Analytics domain
Aimed at visitors who are likely not to modify their browser settings.
The visitor's uniqueness is determined by browser fingerprint and stored in the browser cookie. As it persisted on the client, it will be repeated even if the user logs in from a different location.
Susceptible to being blocked by Adblockers because this approach uses a well-known domain which can be blocked.
Tracking requests can be blocked if the browser is configured to block third-party cookies.
Changes in a URL fragment are treated as a separate location and count as a page view.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Use tracking cookie | ✔️ |
| Propagate unique visitor ID | ❌ |
| Support hash-based paths | ✔️ |
| Custom Domain | ❌ |
Cookie tracking with service-based ID and Wide Angle Analytics domain
Aimed at visitors who are likely not to modify their browser settings. Works even with older browsers.
Tracking service will respond with a unique visitor ID if not provided in the request. The generated ID will be stored on the client in a browser cookie and used for subsequent tracking requests.
Tracking requests can be blocked if the browser is configured to block third-party cookies.
Susceptible to being blocked by Adblockers because this approach uses a well-known domain which can be blocked.
More advanced Adblockers, looking for fingerprinting behaviour, will not detect this approach as the service generates the fingerprint.
Changes in a URL fragment are treated as a separate location and count as a page view.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Use tracking cookie | ✔️ |
| Propagate unique visitor ID | ✔️ |
| Support hash-based paths | ✔️ |
| Custom Domain | ❌ |
Still need help? In that case please contact our support via, email or chat.