Permalinks to Shopify Cart or Checkout: Best Practices

If your Shopify funnel involves directing visitors from an external website (e.g., WordPress) to a preloaded Shopify cart or checkout via links or buttons, adjustments are necessary to maintain accurate tracking. Without these adjustments, visitors bypass the normal event flow on your Shopify store, leading to unrecognized events.

Example Scenario

A WordPress button linking to https://myshopify.com/cart/44568549196023:1 allows visitors to land directly in a preloaded Shopify cart. However, since they haven't first landed on Shopify, they won't be identified as tracked users and their conversion events won't be attributed (reflected as errors in the Events Log).

Solution

1. Modify Your Permalinks: Add &attributes[__atclid]=--CLICK-ID-- to your permalinks. For example:

Original: https://myshopify.com/cart/44568549196023:1

Updated: https://myshopify.com/cart/44568549196023:1&attributes[__atclid]=--CLICK-ID-
This ensures user recognition by passing the tracking click ID from the external website to Shopify.

2. Install the AnyTrack Tag: Ensure the website hosting these links has the AnyTrack Tag installed for proper attribution and event tracking.
3. Follow Shopify Permalink Guidelines: Use Shopify’s recommended permalink structure instead of the "Buy Now" button, which Shopify advises against. Refer to Shopify’s permalink documentation for details.

By implementing these changes, you maintain proper user tracking and attribution throughout your funnel.