Lesson 2 of 10
Click IDs Are The Key
When someone clicks an ad, the platform appends a unique click identifier to the landing page URL. That id is the thread that lets you reconnect a future outcome to the exact click and campaign.
The main click IDs
- Google Ads:
gclidgclidGoogle Click ID: a unique tag Google Ads adds to your landing-page URL on each ad click, used to tie a later conversion back to the exact click. (andgbraidgbraidA Google Ads click identifier used for iOS app-to-web journeys where gclid is unavailable, due to Apple's privacy rules. /wbraidwbraidA Google Ads click identifier used for iOS web journeys where gclid is unavailable, due to Apple's privacy rules. for iOS app and web). - Microsoft Advertising:
msclkidmsclkidMicrosoft Click ID: Microsoft Advertising's equivalent of gclid, added to landing-page URLs to tie conversions back to ad clicks.. - Meta:
fbclidfbclidFacebook Click ID: the identifier Meta appends to landing-page URLs so a later conversion can be matched to the ad click..
https://example.com/landing?gclid=Cj0KCQ...AB
Capturing this value on arrival is the foundation of the whole approach. Without it, an offline sale cannot be matched to the click that produced it.
Key takeaway
The click id (gclid, msclkid, fbclid) is the link between a click and a later outcome. Everything else depends on capturing it.