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How Attribution Works Without a User-ID

SealMetrics delivers accurate campaign and conversion attribution without using User-IDs, cookies, fingerprinting, or session reconstruction. This article explains the mechanism behind our privacy-preserving attribution system.

Why Traditional Analytics Require User-IDs​

Conventional analytics platforms depend on identifiers to track user journeys:

  • Cookie IDs
  • Device IDs
  • Fingerprints
  • Cross-session identifiers

These technologies link visits, clicks, and conversions to individuals, which legally requires consent under GDPR and ePrivacy.

SealMetrics does not use any of these identifiers.

SealMetrics' Privacy-First Approach​

SealMetrics does not:

❌ Track users
❌ Link page views
❌ Build sessions
❌ Store IP addresses
❌ Store user agents
❌ Use cookies or persistent identifiers

Each interaction (hit) is completely isolated and cannot be associated with an individual.

The Key Innovation — The Source-ID​

Instead of identifying users, SealMetrics groups traffic and conversions using a Source-ID, derived exclusively from traffic source characteristics, not from user behavior.

A Source-ID is generated from:​

  • utm_source
  • utm_medium
  • utm_campaign
  • utm_term
  • OR the referring domain

No personal data. No unique identifiers.

How It Works​

  1. A visitor lands on the site from a marketing source
  2. SealMetrics reads the traffic parameters
  3. A Source-ID is generated from those parameters
  4. All hits with the same campaign parameters share the same Source-ID
  5. Conversions inherit the same Source-ID

This groups interactions by campaign, not by user.

Example — Attribution in Action​

🔵 Step 1: User clicks a Google Ads campaign​

UTM parameters detected → Source-ID created.

🟣 Step 2: They browse the site​

Hits remain isolated but carry the same Source-ID.

🟢 Step 3: They convert​

The conversion is assigned to the same Source-ID.

Result​

Conversion is attributed to Google Ads → Campaign XYZ → Keyword ABC.

No user identification required.

Why This Is Fully Privacy-Compliant​

This method complies with GDPR, ePrivacy, CCPA, PECR:

  • ✔ No personal data
  • ✔ No user identification
  • ✔ No behavioral profiling
  • ✔ No cross-session linkage
  • ✔ No consent required

Privacy protection is embedded by design.

What You Can Measure With Source-ID​

Even without User-IDs, SealMetrics provides full marketing intelligence:

Campaign Analytics​

  • Traffic by campaign
  • Source/medium performance
  • UTM analytics
  • Cost attribution
  • ROAS

Conversion Analytics​

  • Conversions per channel
  • Revenue attribution
  • Aggregated funnel insights
  • Lead and e-commerce conversions

Accuracy Benefits​

  • No consent loss
  • No cookie rejection
  • 100% traffic + 100% conversions measured

Summary​

SealMetrics proves that accurate attribution does not require user tracking.

We achieve attribution by grouping hits by campaign characteristics, not by individuals.

  • 🟢 100% privacy-preserving
  • 🟢 100% compliant
  • 🟢 100% traffic captured
  • 🟢 No User-IDs, no cookies, no consent

This is the future of ethical analytics.