# Click ID

> The 34-character identifier AnyTrack generates for a specific action or server-side event — the value that travels between platforms and ties every conversion back to the original ad click.

The Click ID is the thread that connects every touchpoint in a customer journey. AnyTrack generates it automatically when a visitor acts on your site, and it follows them through page views, form submissions, affiliate offers, and the final purchase — so every conversion attributes back to the right ad.

Without a Click ID, a conversion recorded on a third-party platform (an affiliate network, an external checkout, a CRM webhook) is an orphaned data point with no link to marketing spend. With it, every conversion ties directly to campaign performance.

## What is the AnyTrack Click ID?

The AnyTrack Click ID is a unique, anonymous, auto-generated alphanumeric string — for example `IBTO9lOfAMybrKiiB1U9YG91IFjs3Dv9AV`. It is **34 characters** long and identifies a specific action (a link, form, or cart) or a server-side event. Every event attribute — customer, product, and transaction data — attaches to the Click ID, which is the value that travels between platforms.

The Click ID is not a novel concept: like Google's `gclid` or Facebook's `fbclid`, it anonymously identifies a visitor and stitches their activity together. The difference is scope — see the comparison below.

## How is the Click ID structured?

The Click ID is composed of three strings that let AnyTrack rebuild the visitor timeline:

| Property prefix | Visitor unique identifier | Encrypted key |
| --------------- | ------------------- | ------------- |
| `IBTO9lOfAMybr`  | `KiiB1U9YG91IF`      | `js3Dv9AV`    |

The first **30 characters** are the Page Click ID (`atclid`, the page session); a Click ID extends that to 34, where the final characters identify the specific element. In server-side setups the Click ID is simply the Property ID joined to the Client ID: `{propertyid}{cid}`.

## How does the Click ID travel?

1. **Generation** — the Tracking Tag (client-side) or the collect endpoint (server-side) creates it.
2. **Propagation** — AutoTag appends it to links and forms, or an integration or webhook carries it.
3. **Landing** — the destination (an affiliate network, a CRM) stores the value.
4. **Matching** — the conversion returns to AnyTrack and is matched back to the original session by the Click ID.

For example, the Click ID appended to a Shopify cart client-side is stored on Shopify's servers and returned in the order webhook when the customer purchases — closing the loop from ad click to server-side conversion.

## Click ID vs Client ID vs gclid/fbclid

- **Client ID (`cid`)** identifies *the visitor* (an anonymous cookie). The **Click ID** identifies *an action that visitor took*, and it is the value that moves between platforms.
- **`gclid` / `fbclid`** are single-network ad-platform click IDs. The **AnyTrack Click ID** is cross-platform — it stitches the entire journey across ad platforms, 77+ affiliate networks, eCommerce, and CRM.

## Key takeaways

- The Click ID is **34 characters**, auto-generated by the Tracking Tag, and is the value that travels between platforms.
- It powers attribution: every conversion, wherever it happens, ties back to the originating ad click.
- For standard catalog integrations it is fully automatic; manual work is only needed for custom platforms.