Cross-Domain Tracking Urgent Query :-(

[strategemilabs]

Hi Mozzers!

One of my clients is having an issue with cross-domain tracking, in other words their own domain is seen as a huge referrer.

When you land on their site, which is www.sunway.ie, and then choose a holiday to book it then takes you to another domain which is www.sunwayholidays.ie, during the booking process.

I'm just wondering if there is a Google Analytics genius out there who may be able to take a quick look and let me know if there is any obvious solution to this within the Google Analytics code?

Thanks in advance everyone!

Gavin

[strategemilabs]

Hi everyone,

Many thanks for all of your valuable input, and I think that i might be getting close to a solution!

Would there be anyone out there kind enough to actually take a look at the web sites code for me (even just very quickly) to see if there is anything to suggest, or if I am missing anything?

The issue occurs when you got from this page:

http://www.sunway.ie/sunholidays/search.asp?view=detail&aff=&form=main&type=J&dest=AGA&grade=4&duration=7&origin=DUB&sDate=08/03/2014&pax=2&childs=0&infants=0#4 STAR

to this page:

http://www.sunwayholidays.ie/olbs/passThruHandler.jsp?step=rooms&Referrer=swy%2F&portalCode=swy&hotelCode=AGAAAB&duration=7&outDate=140308&outOrigin=DUB&outDest=AGA&outNumber=EI774&retDate=140315&retOrigin=AGA&retDest=DUB&retNumber=EI775&brochureCode=WIN&adults=2&childs=0&infants=0&Submit.x=54&Submit.y=19&Submit=Book

Kind regards,

Gavin

[MikeTek]

Hi Gavin,

Chris is right in that what you want to do is set up cross-domain tracking with GA, to pass the referral information between these domains and "close the gap" with your data.

The instructions Chris linked to will help.

I'd just add this: with the combination of the new version of Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) and Google Tag Manager, cross-domain tracking is simple and easy. I highly recommend this implementation, with the caveat that if you have any custom event tracking or other customizations to Google Analytics tracking code, it may break when you move to Universal Analytics and GTM. Instructions are on this page.

The added benefit here: setting up event tracking is also very easy once you're working with the combination of Universal Analytics and GTM.

Best of Luck,
Mike

[GPainter]

Hi Gavin,

that's removing the referral data, what did you want the traffic to be attributed to?

Have you taken a good look through -

https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/gajs/gaTrackingSite

or

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033876?hl=en-GB

&

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1034342?hl=en-GB

and a walk through if your stuck-

http://www.seotakeaways.com/cross-domain-tracking-google-analytics-works/

hope some of that is helpful.

[strategemilabs]

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for that...  sounds good BUT I do not want to filter this traffic out altogether. So if I do this then from this point on will referral traffic be re-attributed to their correct sources?

Gavin

[GPainter]

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2795830?hl=en-GB

TA DA!

Add or remove referral traffic sources

This setting is controlled applied in the admin settings of each property in your account. To exclude traffic from specific domains as referral traffic:

Any hostname that contains the string that you add will be excluded. For example, if you add example.com to the list of referral exclusions, another-example.com will also be excluded from your referral traffic.

1. Navigate to a property. If you're not in the settings screen, then click Admin.
2. Click Tracking Info then Referral Exclusion List.
3. Enter the Domain.
4. Click Apply to save.

You can also remove domains from the list of exclusions, reintroducing that traffic as a referring source in your reports, by following these steps.