Google Analytics Audit Test #

109

Ad Platform Click IDs Stored with User Records in CRM / Database / Ecom Backend

Why It Matters:

Critical to connecting ad spend to performance on business KPIs.

Industries:

All

Checks For:

Utility

How powerful is your current implementation?

Insight Category:

Attribution

Can you tell which marketing efforts are working?

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Background

A GA4 audit is essential for uncovering missing insights—key data points that organizations don't yet know and can act upon. A well-done audit evaluates both behavioral tracking and traffic attribution, ensuring each is accurate and useful. It also assesses whether the data collected truly supports business decisions and reporting.

Test Detail

This test checks whether click IDs from ad platforms (like gclid, fbclid, msclkid, ttclid, twclid, rdt_cid) are being captured and stored with user records in your product database or CRM.

Doing so enables powerful, privacy-compliant attribution features, including:

  • True click-to-sale matching
  • Post-conversion revenue reporting by campaign
  • Offline conversion uploads to Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.
  • Advanced LTV modeling by ad source

If click IDs are not captured and stored:

  • You cannot reliably link conversions back to ad clicks
  • Ad platforms can't optimize for actual business outcomes
  • Backend reporting and ROAS analysis are incomplete
  • Offline conversion tracking becomes nearly impossible

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How to Conduct This Test

Basic Tests

  • Ask your dev/marketing team: Are any of the following stored in your database alongside user actions like sign-up or purchase?
    • gclid, fbclid, msclkid, ttclid, twclid, rdt_cid
  • Review your user database or backend logs for these fields tied to user or transaction records

Advanced QA

  • In BigQuery, check whether event_params contain click ID parameters, and whether they are joined to user identifiers using this query:
    SELECT user_pseudo_id, param.key, param.value.string_value
    FROM `your_dataset.events_*`, UNNEST(event_params) AS param
    WHERE param.key IN ('gclid', 'fbclid', 'msclkid', 'ttclid', 'twclid', 'rdt_cid')
    LIMIT 1000;
  • Don’t have click IDs stored with user actions? You’re missing out on powerful attribution capabilities.

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Want help diagnosing and fixing this gap? Run our Instant Audit

Or hire a pro to set up durable click ID tracking tied to your users.

How To Fix

  • Modify your sign-up, purchase, or lead forms to capture click IDs on session entry:
    • Parse the click ID from the URL and store it in a first-party cookie or session storage
    • When a user converts, include that click ID in the submission payload and store it in your database
    • Ensure your data warehouse or CRM schema includes a field for each major platform's click ID
  • Use these stored click IDs to:
    • Upload offline conversions to ad platforms
    • Join web analytics, ad data, and backend outcomes in reports
    • Build predictive models that include ad click context
  • Regularly QA this data flow to ensure IDs are captured before expiration and properly linked to users
  • Hire a pro to implement persistent, privacy-respecting click ID tracking that connects your ad spend directly to real outcomes.

Tips from a Google Analytics Consultant

Focus on Insights

Every Google Analytics audit should result in a plan for more insights.

‍

An insight is:

  • something you don't know
  • and can act on to improve performance

The Goal

Identify and remove insight blockers. Don't get tempted to track things you can't act on!

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