Safari’s New Tracking Prevention on Click IDs – Impact & Solutions
Safari’s upcoming tracking prevention update will strip click id:s like gclid, fbclid, and msclkid from URLs, severely impacting conversion tracking. This will make attributing conversions difficult, affecting campaign optimization and ad platform algorithms. This article explains these changes, their impact on digital marketing, and provides solutions to maintain robust tracking. Digital marketers must understand and adapt to these changes to ensure accurate insights and optimize performance in the evolving privacy landscape.
The Importance of Query Parameters for Tracking in Digital Marketing
Digital marketers have always wanted to understand which marketing effort leads to which result. This makes it possible to optimize, cut down on expensive campaigns, and increase returns from the ones that work. From the beginning, this has been done using different types of click identifiers in the form of query parameters.
When a user clicks on an ad and is sent to, for example, an e-commerce site, the landing page URL often includes not only the destination but also extra information about the ad platform, campaign, and sometimes even the specific click. This information is captured on the landing page and stored in a cookie. Later, if the user converts by making for example a purchase, the value of that purchase can be connected back to the original click.
The ad platform where the click originated can then attribute a conversion to a specific campaign and ad. This information is subsequently used to analyze and optimize advertising efforts.
UTM Parameters for Campaign Tracking
The most common identifiers we encounter for analyics platforms are utm parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, etc), which have long been used in Google Analytics. Other systems, such as Piwik Pro, use pk parameters, but the functionality is the same: to transfer campaign information from a clicked link or ad to a landing page. This is an aggregated way of tracking campaigns, as several users share the same tracking link and it is not tied to a specific click.
Example of UTM parameters for a Google Ads campaign:
utm_source=google
utm_medium=cpc
utm_campaign=black-friday-campaign
Click IDs for Campaign Tracking
A more advanced form of identifier is the Click ID. Examples include gclid for Google Ads, fbclid for Facebook and Instagram Ads, and msclkid for Bing Ads.
Unlike UTM parameters, these are unique to each individual click. This means they can be tied to a single user action rather than just an aggregated campaign.
This allows the ad platform to actually track an individual from click to conversion, making it a powerful form of data collection for the platform instead of relying only on aggregated data. The platform can distinguish between good clicks and bad clicks and tie them to individuals.
Example of a Google Ads Click ID (gclid):
gclid=CjwKCAjw2brFBhBOEiwAVJX5GKMSgOpBIC-Ze9xxtKmhm1z9zYMeSzj7RXtKnxfCEh1Ej0omLx2p0RoC_pMQAvD_BwE
Should We Use Only One Identifier for Our Campaigns?
No, these different types of identifiers are usually used together for the best effect, and this is also the recommendation from all major advertising platforms today.
What Happens If We Don’t Have Identifiers For Our Marketing?
Without identifiers, we cannot attribute conversions and their value to marketing activities, which makes optimization and understanding much harder. Even worse, ad algorithms like Google Ads and Meta Ads rely on this data to decide which ads to show to whom.
Without correct conversion feedback, the algorithms become less effective and may even restrict your campaigns because they appear to have little or no positive effect. Correct conversion tracking is therefore essential for working with digital marketing.
How Does Safari’s New Update Affect Conversion Tracking
In May 2025, Apple announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference that Safari would introduce new restrictions on URL parameters used for tracking.
Source: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/safari-release-notes/safari-26-release-notes
Safari previously offered this feature in Private Browsing or if a user manually enabled it under Settings → Privacy, but it is now appears to be part of normal browsing. This is our interpretation based on tests conducted with Safari Technology Preview, a beta version used to test and verify new technical features.
This new tracking prevention feature removes certain parameters from URLs during navigation but keeps others. At present, some Click IDs like gclid, fbclid, and msclkid are removed, while UTM parameters like utm_source and utm_campaign remain intact.
In practice, this means tracking based on click identifiers will stop working in Safari regardeless if your site has gathered consent from your visitors, therefor marketers will need to use other methods to maintain the same level of insight.
Click IDs That Are Removed in the Safari Update
| Platform | Click ID | Description |
|---|---|---|
| gclid | Google Click Identifier | |
| dclid | Display Network Click Identifier | |
| Facebook / Instagram | fbclid | Facebook Click Identifier |
| Bing Ads | msclkid | Microsoft Click Identifier |
| Twitter (X Ads) | twclid | Twitter Click Identifier |
Click IDs That Are NOT Removed in the Safari Update
| Platform | Click ID | Description |
|---|---|---|
| li_fat_id | LinkedIn Click Identifier | |
| TikTok | ttclid | TikTok Click Identifier |
| Snapchat | scid | Snapchat Click Identifier |
| epik | Pinterest Click Identifier | |
| rdt_cid | Reddit Click Identifier |
Aggregated Campaign Identifiers That Are NOT Removed in the Safari Update
Google Analytics (UTM parameters)
- utm_source – Identifies the source (e.g., google, newsletter)
- utm_medium – Identifies the medium (e.g., cpc, email, social)
- utm_campaign – Identifies the campaign name (e.g., summer_sale)
- utm_term – Identifies paid keywords (mainly for search ads)
- utm_content – Differentiates ad creatives or links (e.g., banner1, textlink2)
Piwik PRO (pk_ parameters)
- pk_campaign – Campaign name
- pk_source – Traffic source
- pk_medium – Marketing medium
- pk_keyword – Keyword used
- pk_content – Differentiates creatives or links
Other platforms, such as Amplitude and Adobe Analytics, can use URL parameters for campaign tracking, but they don’t have a single “default” set like Google’s UTMs.
How We Tested and Verified the Upcoming Safari Tracking Prevention
This test was conducted using the Safari Technology Preview Beta (v226) with the following test URL:
https://ctrldigital.com/?msclkid=123&gclid=123&fbclid=123&li_fat_id=123&ttclid=123&sccid=123&epik=123&rdt_cid=123&twclid=123&dclid=123
For the aggregated campaign parameters, we used the following URL:
https://www.ctrldigital.com/?pk_source=abc&pk_medium=abc&pk_campaign=abc&pk_keyword=abc&pk_content=abc&utm_source=abc&utm_medium=abc&utm_campaign=abc&utm_term=abc&utm_content=abc&gad_campaignid=123&gad_source=123
To What Extent is the Safari Used in the Nordics
We have reviewed several websites targeting the Nordic markets and Safari usage varies depending on device type. On desktop, Safari’s share is relatively small, with Chrome and Edge being dominant. On mobile, however, Safari is the leading browser. On average, around 45% of mobile traffic in the Nordics comes from Safari.
This is largely because Safari is the default browser on iPhones, which dominate the Nordic smartphone market.
This means that if your site has a high share of mobile traffic this will have a significant impact on your digital marketing.
How to Check Safari’s Share in Your Google Analytics Reports
As a first step, you should check how much of your traffic comes from Safari. In Google Analytics, navigate to: User → Tech → Tech Details
Choose Browser as the dimension, and you’ll see how much of your traffic comes from Safari. This gives you an early indication of how big the potential impact of lost conversions might be on your business.
Example of a site with a very high share of Safari traffic
How Can We Secure Conversion Tracking After Safari’s Update
There are several methods to safeguard conversion tracking going forward. For best coverage, it is recommended to use multiple approaches in parallel. This way, you can take advantage of the strengths of each method and minimize potential gaps in your data collection.
Method for Preserving GCLID Using GTM and Value Parameters
Google’s Click ID can be preserved outside the URL and stored for later use in conversion tracking. This requires additional setup in both your Google Ads account and your tracking implementation. With this setup, Google Ads conversions can still be matched even when Safari strips the gclid parameter from the URL.
Step 1. Add Value Parameter in Google Ads
In Google Ads, set up a new Final URL Suffix to capture gclid into an alternate parameter.
Navigate to Admin -> Account Settings -> Tracking.
In the field Final URL Suffix enter identifier={gclid}, click Save.
This ensures that whenever a click happens, instead of only having ?gclid=XYZ123, you’ll also have your additional parameter, meaning the full URL will look something like: www.oursite.com?identifier=XYZ123&gclid=XYZ123.
By doing this, if Safari removed the standard gclid field, you still have the value available under the query parameter identifier=.
Step 2. Create a Custom JavaScript in GTM
Inside GTM, create a Custom JavaScript Variable that checks if identifier exists in the URL. If it does, it rewrites the page_location so that it contains gclid=123456 again.
Example GTM Variable (Custom JS):
function() {
var url = new URL(window.location.href);
var customGclid = url.searchParams.get('identifier');
if (customGclid) {
url.searchParams.set('gclid', customGclid);
return url.toString();
}`
return window.location.href;
}
Then use this variable as the override for page_location in your GA4 or Google Ads tag settings.
This is an example for Web GTM, but you could of course perform the same transformation in Server-Side GTM.
Step 3. Test Results in Safari Technology Preview
From current tests, this setup preserves the gclid in Safari Technology Preview beta. You can test your setup by downloading the latest version on https://developer.apple.com/safari/technology-preview/
- The
identifierquery parameter remains untouched in the URL. - GTM rewrites the
page_locationbefore sending the hit to GA4 and Google Ads. - Attribution stays intact, even under stricter rules for query parameters.
Note: While this works for Google Ads, there is currently no equivalent solution available for Facebook Ads, Bing Ads, or Twitter/X Ads that preserves the click id.
Use Aggregate Identifiers Such as gad_campaignid
Earlier this year, Google Ads introduced new tracking parameters: gad_source and gad_campaignid. These measure campaigns at an aggregated level, meaning multiple users share the same id. Because they are not unique to a single user action, they cannot be tied directly to one individual’s behavior.
At the time of writing, these identifiers appear to be unaffected by Safari’s new tracking protections. They are therefore a good complement to click id tracking and can help maintain campaign-level measurement even when unique identifiers are stripped away.
These are now automatically added by Google Ads, so you don’t need to take any active steps in the ads interface. However, since this is a recent addition, it’s a good idea to check that your tracking setup preserves and provides them to the tags and pixels that use them, and that they are maintained through any redirects a user may encounter during their journey. If you have a special setup, such as Offline Conversions, it may need to be reviewed to ensure it works optimally.
Send Customer PII Through Enhanced Conversions
Another option is to send hashed personally identifiable information (PII), such as email addresses, to ad networks for attribution. Google Ads refers to this as Enhanced Conversions and Meta Ads calls it Advanced Matching.
This method does not rely on URL parameters or cookies, which makes it more resilient to browser restrictions. It also works well when users move across devices during their customer journey, ensuring conversions can still be connected back to campaigns.
Google Ads Data Manager Upload
For Google Ads, you can use the Data Manager to upload conversion data directly from a data warehouse, such as BigQuery.
This method also makes it possible to send conversions retroactively. For example, if the full value of a submitted lead is only known after some time, you can upload the updated value later. This approach provides greater control over conversion tracking and allows you to attribute more accurate values to your campaigns.
At the time of writing, this is only possible with the gclid, which still needs to be preserved through technical solutions. However, Google Ads is working on expanding support to include other identifiers, such as PII or gad_campaignid.
Some Final Words on Cookies Affected by Safari Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP)
Safari has long been the most restrictive browser and has already enforced strict limitations on how long cookies are stored. This significantly reduces your ability to correctly attribute value to your advertising.
However, this can be addressed with a properly implemented Google Tag Manager Server-side GTM that protects your cookies. Such a solution should be implemented to ensure you are well prepared for the future. Read more about this in our previous blog post: https://ctrldigital.com/posts/gtm-server-side-extend-your-cookie-lifetime-with-ip-alignment/
Get In Touch If You Want Help From Ctrl Digital
We at Ctrl Digital can help you assess the impact of Safari’s changes, set up alternative tracking methods, and ensure your conversion tracking remains accurate and reliable. Reach out on [email protected]