Cross-Domain Tracking Setup Guide

Complete step-by-step instructions for implementing cross-domain tracking between your properties.

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Before You Start

This guide assumes you understand why you need cross-domain tracking. If you need background information, see our Cross-Domain Tracking Overview.

Real-World Setup Examples

Example 1: Advertorial to Product (Most Common)

Source: health-news.com (advertorial about weight loss)
Destination: slimfit-shop.com (actual product sales)
Configuration:

• Source property: Add slimfit-shop.com to cross-domain field
• Destination property: Enable "Sync Conversions"

Example 2: Blog to E-commerce

Source: cooking-tips.com (recipe blog)
Destination: kitchen-tools.com (product shop)
Configuration:

• Source property: Add kitchen-tools.com to cross-domain field
• Destination property: Enable "Sync Conversions"

Example 3: Landing Page to Separate Checkout

Source: product-landing.com (sales page)
Destination: secure-checkout.com (payment processing)
Configuration:

• Source property: Add secure-checkout.com to cross-domain field
• Destination property: Enable "Sync Conversions"

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Prerequisites Checklist

Before beginning setup, ensure you have:

• AnyTrack Personal subscription or higher
• Two separate properties created in AnyTrack (one for each domain)
• Tracking tags installed on both domains
• Conversion integration configured on destination property (e.g., Shopify, ClickFunnels)
• Admin access to both domain property settings

⚠️

Important: Create separate properties for each domain. Do not use the same property for multiple domains.

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Setup Overview

We'll configure two properties with these roles:

• Source Property: Where traffic originates (e.g., blog, landing page, advertorial)
• Destination Property: Where conversions happen (e.g., shop, checkout, product page)

The setup requires configuring both properties to work together.

Common Use Case: Advertorial to Product Site

Scenario: You run Facebook/Google ads promoting an advertorial on review-site.com that looks like editorial content. The advertorial includes "Buy Now" buttons linking to your actual product site myproduct.com where the sale happens.

Without Cross-Domain: The sale gets attributed to "review-site.com / referral" instead of your Facebook ad.

With Cross-Domain: The sale is properly attributed to the original Facebook ad campaign that drove traffic to the advertorial.

Setup:

• Source Property: review-site.com (advertorial domain)
• Destination Property: myproduct.com (product/checkout domain)

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Step 1: Configure Source Property

The source property needs to know which domain to pass tracking data to.

Access Cross-Domain Settings

1. Navigate to Properties in your AnyTrack dashboard
2. Select your source property (e.g., blog.com)
3. Click Settings tab
4. Scroll down to Cross-Domain Tracking section

Configure Domain Forwarding

1. In the Cross-Domain field, enter your destination domain

   • ✅ Correct: shop.com
   • ✅ Correct: myproduct.com (for advertorial setup)
   • ✅ Correct: checkout.example.com
   • ❌ Wrong: https://shop.com
   • ❌ Wrong: shop.com/checkout

2. Click Save

Verify Configuration

After saving, all links from your source domain pointing to the destination domain will be automatically tagged with tracking parameters.

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Expected Result: Links will show parameters like ?atclid=iVObG39NSjt34OZlBzUye

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Step 2: Configure Destination Property

The destination property needs to accept cross-domain data and sync conversions back to the source.

Access Destination Settings

1. Navigate to Properties in your AnyTrack dashboard
2. Select your destination property (e.g., shop.com)
3. Click Settings tab
4. Scroll down to Cross-Domain Tracking section

Configure Conversion Syncing

1. Enable "Sync Conversions with cross-domain property"

   • Toggle this setting ON
   • This forwards conversions back to the source property for attribution

2. Optional: Enable "UTM Parameters"

   • Toggle ON if you want campaign data visible in destination URLs
   • Useful for additional tracking in destination analytics

3. Click Save

✅

Expected Result: Conversions on destination will be attributed to original source traffic

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Step 3: Validation & Testing

Test Auto-Tagging

1. Visit your source domain (e.g., blog.com)
2. Hover over links pointing to your destination domain
3. Check URL preview - you should see tracking parameters added:
   • With Sync Conversions OFF: ?atclid=xxx
   • With Sync Conversions ON: ?atrefid=xxx

Test Complete Journey

1. Start on source domain with a fresh browser session (incognito recommended)
   • For advertorial setup: Start on your advertorial page (review-site.com)
2. Click link to destination domain
   • For advertorial setup: Click "Buy Now" or product link going to myproduct.com
3. Complete a test conversion on destination
4. Check both properties for the conversion event

Verify AutoScan Detection

AnyTrack's AutoScan feature will automatically identify cross-domain links:

• Links should show "crossdomain" tracking group
• If Sync Conversions is enabled, may show "AnyTrack" tracking group

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Step 4: Verify Data Flow

Check Source Property

1. Navigate to Conversions → Event Report
2. Look for conversions with source matching your destination domain
3. Verify attribution shows original traffic source (not referral)

Check Destination Property

1. Navigate to Conversions → Event Report
2. Confirm conversions are being recorded
3. Check that sessions include cross-domain parameters

External Platform Verification

• Google Analytics: Real-time conversions should show proper attribution
• Facebook Event Manager: Allow 15-20 minutes for conversion data
• Other Ad Platforms: Check according to their typical data processing times

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Advanced Configurations

Multiple Destination Domains

If your source property needs to track to multiple destinations:

1. In the Cross-Domain field, enter domains separated by commas:

   shop.com, checkout.example.com, app.mysite.com

2. Configure each destination property separately with "Sync Conversions" enabled

Cross-Account Setup

For tracking between different AnyTrack accounts:

1. Destination Account:

   • Install AnyTrack MultiAccount Integration from catalog
   • Copy the webhook URL provided

2. Source Account:

   • Create Outbound Webhook pointing to destination webhook URL
   • Add destination domain to cross-domain settings

3. Test the connection by triggering a conversion and checking both accounts

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

Links Not Auto-Tagging

Problem: Hover over links shows no tracking parameters

Solutions:

• Clear browser cache and try incognito mode
• Verify domain format (use shop.com, not https://shop.com)
• Check that source property settings were saved
• Ensure you're testing from the correct source domain

Conversions Not Syncing

Problem: Conversions appear on destination but not source property

Solutions:

• Verify "Sync Conversions" is enabled on destination property
• Check that destination property has working conversion integration
• Confirm test traffic included cross-domain parameters (atclid or atrefid)
• Wait 5-10 minutes for data processing

Missing Attribution Data

Problem: Conversions show as direct/referral instead of original source

Solutions:

• Verify source property captured original traffic source (check UTMs)
• Confirm cross-domain parameters made it to destination
• Check that both properties have same timezone settings
• Ensure conversion happened within reasonable timeframe (24-48 hours)

Performance Issues

Problem: Page load seems slower after enabling cross-domain tracking

Solutions:

• Cross-domain tracking adds minimal overhead (~50ms)
• Auto-tagging happens after page load
• Check for other factors affecting performance
• Contact support if issues persist

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Settings Reference

Source Property Settings

Destination Property Settings

AutoTag Parameters

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Final Verification Checklist

After completing setup, verify:

• Links between domains show tracking parameters when hovered
• Test conversion appears in both properties
• Attribution shows original traffic source, not referral
• AutoScan identifies cross-domain links correctly
• External platforms (GA, Facebook) show proper attribution
• No duplicate conversions in destination property

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Setup Complete

Your cross-domain tracking is now active. Conversions will be properly attributed to original traffic sources instead of appearing as referral traffic.

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Quick Reference

Most Common Setup

1. Source: Add destination domain to cross-domain field
2. Destination: Enable "Sync Conversions"
3. Test: Verify auto-tagging and complete test conversion

Need Help?

• Support: Contact via dashboard messenger or [email protected]
• Documentation: Cross-Domain Overview
• Integration Issues: Check your Integration Catalog setup guide