Facebook set up unique parameters for shared posts in October of 2018 which made Google think that these were unique new pages. You can instantly recognize them as fbclid parameters. While it’s easily fixed in Google Analytics under settings, please keep in mind that the settings are case sensitive therefore both versions will need to be submitted. This is a common and often overlooked issue when setting up Google Analytics. Please also be sure to check out the post on how to Exclude Referral Traffic to learn how to keep your data clean.
What is fbclid in Facebook?
How you can recognize the parameters is by seeing the /?fbclid= for Facebook but what is it? Well, if you share a link to your site on Facebook and someone clicks that link, Facebook adds the parameter to the url in order to track it. Google doesn’t understand this well and thinks that this is a new page on your site. This could result in multiple tracking parameters for the exact same page. Every single time the page is either posted or shared, a new FBCLID parameter is issued by Facebook. In order to prevent the data corruption on Google Analytics, you will have to change some settings.
Another popular parameter comes from Pinterest with /?epik=. The good news is that there is an easy fix for these issues through disabling them. The bad news is that any data for pageviews prior to the change will not be changed. This is why it’s so important to have your data set up properly from the start. Be sure to email us on how to get your Google Analytics set up properly so that you can have good clean and actionable data.
Steps on how to remove fbclid in Google Analytics
- Head to the Admin Panel in Google Analytics
- Select the Google Analytics View that you would like to apply this to
- Click on “View Settings”
- Enter fbclid in the Exclude URL Query Parameters box
Path: Admin > View Settings > Exclude URL Query Parameters. Enter in each Parameter with a comma between them. Google Analytics marks this as optional but it’s definitely critical to keep your data clean.
Please keep in mind that the data input is case sensitive so be sure to enter in both versions. You can simply exclude both versions of the URL query parameters. If you have other affiliates or referral traffic, be sure to include those too into the URL Query Parameters as needed.
Still have questions? You can contact us to resolve any questions or issues. We’re happy to help you navigate Google Analytics and can do the work for you!
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