The Ultimate Guide to Tracking

Everything you need to know about the fall of UTMs and Third-Party data

The problem with UTMs

Marketers once relied on cookies and UTMs to track traffic and user engagement.

These groundbreaking tools enabled businesses to measure performance and optimise campaigns. But as the digital landscape evolved, so did consumer expectations and privacy regulations.

What once worked—using generic landing pages and cookies—is now outdated. Today’s users demand personalised experiences and greater data control, making traditional methods insufficient to stay competitive.

Why relying on UTMs and Third-Party data is holding you back

Limited Data: UTMs offer only surface-level insights, resulting in fragmented data and an incomplete audience understanding.

Message Disconnect: Sending all traffic to generic landing pages creates a mismatch that frustrates users and lowers conversions.

Privacy Issues: With third-party cookies becoming unreliable, audience tracking and insights are significantly reduced.



Lack of Personalisation: UTMs can’t tailor user experiences, leading to generic, less impactful marketing efforts.

Why traditional tracking falls short

Most marketers rely on UTMs, ad pixels, and referrer data to track campaign performance. These tools work—when everything goes perfectly.

In reality, things often go wrong:

• UTMs get stripped when links are shared or devices switch.
• Pixels are blocked by ad blockers or privacy settings.
• Referrer data is lost when users move from HTTPS to HTTP.

The result? Incomplete data and a flood of visits dumped into "Direct Traffic."

Let’s be clear: Direct traffic doesn’t mean users typed your URL directly. It’s a catch-all for unidentified visits caused by stripped UTMs, missing referrers, or hidden sources from apps like Instagram or Facebook.

Instead of clear insights, you’re left wondering why so much traffic is "direct" when you’re running paid ads and campaigns.

Direct traffic is your analytics platform saying, “I have no clue where this traffic came from.”

1. UTM Parameters

Problem: While still used, UTM parameters often get stripped away or broken. They can also be blocked by privacy settings, browsers, or ad blockers, leaving you with incomplete data. Furthermore, managing UTM links at scale can be cumbersome and prone to human error.

2. Click Tags (Banner Ad Tracking)

Problem: Click tags were heavily used in older banner ads to track interactions. However, they're often inaccurate due to ad-blockers, or users may click by accident. The rise of programmatic advertising and more complex tracking methods have made click tags less relevant.

3. JavaScript-based Tracking

Problem: Relying solely on JavaScript can be problematic because many users disable JavaScript or use privacy tools that block it. Additionally, JavaScript trackers are slower to load and can lead to incomplete data if users navigate away from the page before the script is fully executed.

Problem: Third-party cookies were the backbone of cross-site tracking, but they’ve been increasingly restricted by browsers like Safari (with ITP) and Firefox (with ETP). Google is also phasing them out. This has led to large data gaps, especially for advertisers trying to retarget users.

5. Flash-based Analytics

Problem: Flash was once a popular technology for rich media content, and tracking Flash interactions was a big deal. However, Flash is now obsolete, and many modern browsers don’t support it. Relying on Flash-based analytics is now ineffective.

6. Server Log Analysis

Problem: Back in the early days of the internet, marketers would rely on server logs to track user behaviour. This method only provides limited information, such as IP addresses and server requests, with no insights into user engagement or behaviour across multiple pages.

7. Referrer Data

Problem: Referrer URLs show the last site a visitor came from, but referrer data is often blocked by browsers, especially when transitioning from HTTPS to HTTP. As a result, much of the traffic that should be attributed to other channels ends up categorised as "direct" traffic.

8. Pixel Tracking (Image-based)

Problem: Tracking pixels (1x1 images used to track email opens or site visits) are increasingly being blocked by email clients and browsers. Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection, for example, hides IP addresses and prevents senders from knowing whether an email has been opened.

9. Fingerprinting

Problem: Fingerprinting attempts to track users by gathering unique characteristics about their device and browser. However, it’s highly invasive, and modern browsers like Safari and Firefox have implemented anti-fingerprinting measures to protect user privacy.

10. Session-based Tracking

Problem: Older analytics platforms would track user sessions based on time spent on the site. This approach is problematic because it can't track users across devices or provide detailed insights into their multi-session behaviour.

11. IP Address Tracking

Problem: Relying on IP addresses to identify users is highly unreliable. IPs can change frequently, especially with mobile devices or users on VPNs, and they don’t offer any insight into user behaviour or intent.

12. Form Submission Tracking

Problem: Tracking conversions solely through form submissions leaves gaps in understanding the user’s full journey. It also misses users who may have engaged deeply with the brand but didn’t submit a form.

13. Ad Impression Counting

Problem: Counting the number of ad impressions used to be a popular method to track ad effectiveness. However, impressions don’t tell you much about user engagement, and many impressions may go unnoticed (viewability issues).

14. Email Open Rate Tracking

Problem: Email open rates have become increasingly unreliable as more email clients introduce privacy measures, such as Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection. This prevents marketers from accurately knowing whether their emails have been opened.

15. Device-based Targeting

Problem: Earlier tracking methods would often use the device type (e.g., desktop vs. mobile) to segment and track users. However, with more users switching between multiple devices, this form of targeting often results in incomplete user journeys.

16. Server-side Tracking

Problem: It’s complex, costly, and lacks granular user context. It faces privacy concerns, latency issues, and limited third-party support. Cross-device tracking remains difficult, while debugging and syncing data between client and server is challenging.

The solution:

Dáva Zmysel

The unique landing page solution. From now on the only way someone comes to your website

Accurate, real-time tracking

Dáva Zmysel creates unique landing pages for precise tracking, revealing visitor sources, campaign success, and conversions—without relying on error-prone UTMs or pixels.

Non-disruptive integration

Dáva Zmysel integrates seamlessly with your system, maintaining your purchase path and enquiry forms for a seamless customer experience.

Tailored for your business

Customisable to your needs, Dáva Zmysel aligns with your sales funnel and marketing goals, whether for quotes, purchases, or lead generation.

Superior campaign optimisation

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