The Google Click Identifier (GCLID) is a unique tracking parameter automatically appended to URLs when users click on a Google Ad. This identifier makes it easier to understand the journey and interactions of potential customers. Therefore, marketeers can gain valuable insight into which advertisements lead to clicks by dissecting the GCLID. Moreover, the click identifier doesn’t exist only at Google. There are also Facebook, Microsoft, and other versions of it—known as FBCLID and MSCLID, etc.
What does the GCLID parameter and its value represent?
The GCLID parameter is encoded in Protocol Buffers, and then in a variant of Base64. Protocol Buffers (protobuf) is a serialization format developed by Google. It’s not human-readable, a binary format. And it doesn’t store the names of fields (just a numeric ID).
Why decode your GCLID?
Google Analytics gives you average data about visitor clicks and location, but some details are hidden, making the statistics incomplete. By combining this with your data, you can get more accurate insights. Extracting information from the GCLID lets you analyze your traffic more thoroughly.