This guide will show you how to troubleshoot tracking issues. Here's a breakdown of the most common issues and how to resolve.

5 Tracking Principles for Proper Tracking in Northbeam

1. Landing Page on the Correct Domain
2. Northbeam Pixel Placed and Firing
3. Channels Connected and Correct UTMs
4. Purchase Pixel on Checkout Page
5. A-Record Setup

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As long as all tracking principles are followed, your data will be properly tracked in Northbeam.

1. Landing Page on the Correct Domain

Ensure your landing pages drive traffic to the domain linked to your Northbeam dashboard. This is typically your store's primary domain.

• Find Your Domain:
  Go to Settings > Account Settings > Profile. The domain listed here is where all traffic should be directed.

• Publisher Ads Exception:
  If traffic is sent to a domain other than your dashboard domain (e.g., myblog.com) before redirecting to your store (e.g., mystore.com), this traffic will appear as referral (e.g., "referral: myblog.com"). To avoid this issue:

  • Use Redirect Links to retain attribution.
  • Submit an inquiry here for help setting this up.

2. Northbeam Pixel Placed and Firing

The Northbeam Pixel is a snippet of code that tracks visitor behavior, marketing touchpoints, and customer journeys. It must fire on all pages of your website to ensure proper tracking.

• Why This Matters:
  Without the Pixel firing on all pages, critical attribution data—such as visits, transactions, and revenue—could be incomplete.

3. Channels Connected and Correct UTMs

UTM parameters allow Northbeam to associate conversions with specific ad campaigns or channels. Without UTMs, conversions may not be attributed correctly.

• Check Ad Account Connections:

  • Go to Settings > Connections to verify all accounts are connected and active.

• UTMs for Attribution:

  • Follow the UTM Guide under Settings > Onboarding Tasks > UTM Guide. For platforms not in the guide, use standard UTM parameters
    
    

How to check for your UTM Parameters on Google, Facebook, and TikTok

• Avoid Redirect Issues:

  • Redirects can strip UTMs, leading to tracking gaps.

    1. Copy the full URL with UTMs and paste it into a browser.
    2. Verify the UTMs remain intact after the redirect.

    Example Redirect Issue:

    • Before Redirect: www.mystore.com/red-product?utm_source=google
    • After Redirect: www.mystore.com/red-product (UTM stripped).

    Solutions:

    • Avoid redirects where possible.
    • Ensure UTMs transfer from the initial URL to the final URL.

4. Purchase Pixel on Checkout Page

The Purchase Pixel tracks revenue and conversion events. If this pixel is missing, all revenue will be unattributed, or attributed to Organic.

• Shopify
  • Ensure the Purchase Pixel script is in the Order Status Page field under Settings > Tracking Script Tags.
• Custom Setups
• Verify the firePurchaseEvent script is placed on the final page of checkout (e.g., "Thank You" or "Order Confirmation") and configured correctly.

5. A-Record Setup

The A-Record ensures your domain properly tracks visits and revenue. Misconfigured DNS settings can prevent your Pixel from firing, even if the Pixel is correctly installed on your website.

• Check Your A-Record:
  Go to Settings > Setup DNS Entry and confirm your DNS provider has the correct A-Record pointing to the designated hostname (e.g., "i").

• Why This Matters:

  • The Northbeam Pixels rely on the A-Record to function properly.
  • If the A-Record isn’t set up correctly, the Pixels won’t fire, resulting in incomplete tracking of visits, transactions, and revenue.
  • Without a properly configured A-Record, all revenue will appear as Unattributed, or attributed to Organic, and campaign attribution will be lost.

Summary

By following these principles, you’ll ensure accurate tracking of visits, transactions, and revenue in Northbeam. If issues persist, submit a support ticket or consult additional resources linked throughout this guide.