One of the main tasks of web analytics is to provide high-quality data about purchases, decision-making processes and traffic. In a highly competitive world where buyers have enormous influence, every business needs the right set of tools to implement comprehensive web analytics and tracking.
But do you think we can make independent or subjective decisions about what is acceptable and how advertisers measure our behavior?
In this case, we found that Facebook introduced a new feature that (probably) improved Facebook data, but also degraded Google Analytics data. And yes, it’s true. I need to get the latest information on this new fbclid. Because he has the potential to change the game.
What are the fbclid parameters?
Social media giant Facebook has started adding the “fbclid” parameter to many external links. In Facebook posts or ads, the URL passes the fbclid parameter in it, which is clearly visible and therefore very clear to the user.
“Facebook said it would release Pixel apps in response to the browser blocking third-party tracking cookies. I assume that’s part of that feature?”, wrote user averytablerogue on Reddit a month ago.
Another user claimed that this was an (unexpected) workaround for Apple’s new ITP 2.0 feature in the Safari browser.
“As a Facebook and Safari user, I find this (…) offensive”
This new feature from Facebook is being rolled out gradually in several countries. All outgoing links from Facebook to other web pages contain the URL parameter fblid and in most cases appear harmless. However, on some websites, 404 errors cause multiple error messages and break the customer journey.
“If FB really wanted to, I guess they could take a second shot to make sure the added parameters don’t conflict with 3rd party servers. Or maybe they could add a whitelist with domains that use first-party tracking? third parties.
In some Cloudflare community discussions about fbclid parameters, one user said: “I totally agree that Facebook is re-implementing the feature on their site without considering the impact on all websites that share links on the platform.”
Also, most of the outgoing links he checked contained fbclid. Additionally, the fbclid parameter also appears when using the mobile version of Facebook in Chrome on an Android smartphone.
“Looks like Facebook is trying to get around cookie laws… and besides… no one seems to have found any documentation about this tracker… “
Yes, neither Facebook nor anyone else provides official information about these parameters. But from our experience and the examples we provided, we can assure you that fbclid works similarly to gclid (Google Click Recognizer).
“This behavior is particularly annoying because the request parameters[1] are different for each user, so all referred traffic shows up as unique URLs in my analytics reports.
As Dave Clark mentioned, the fbclid parameter is part of an update to how the Facebook Pixel works.
As you know, Pixel uses certain third-party cookies to collect and match information about user paths and clicks.
Interestingly, as of October 2018, the rules have changed and Pixel now offers a ‘first party’ option. That’s exactly what we’re talking about. Outbound links go through the fbclid parameter, and if an advertiser’s page has Pixel code with this fbclid parameter enabled, the Pixel will use it to associate data and create its own cookies. The latter belongs to the advertiser’s domain.
If you do some research in the Advertiser Help section for Facebook Business, you’ll find a good explanation of the different types of cookies required and used by the Pixel. Of course, you can choose the type of Facebook pixel you prefer: pixels containing both first-party and third-party cookies, or pixels containing only third-party cookies.
“People who get a lot of traffic from Facebook may notice a significant decrease in performance in terms of TTFB[2] and page load speed. After Facebook started to use these query parameters, TTFB increased by about 50% . “
This statement may be related to the assumption that fbclid will improve targeted advertising and its performance and CPA rates.
But on the other hand, some people wonder if these parameters will allow them to surf safely without using ad blockers. You may currently have an ad blocker installed. But how does fblid interact with some ad blocking services? We can only guess.
Finally, I want to mention Apple’s ITP 2 again. Facebook has completely changed fbclid in response to Apple’s third-party cookie tracking protection, which prevents Facebook from tracking users solely through cookies/embeds. By enabling fblid, Facebook no longer has to rely on tracking cookies to track you across websites.
Is this just an excuse, or does it actually have the potential to ensure better ad performance and a better experience for advertisers and consumers? We are very curious about it.