Subdomain tracking
Analytics capability to track visitor activity across multiple subdomains of the same root domain, such as blog.example.com and app.example.com.
Subdomain tracking allows you to monitor visitor behavior across different subdomains of your website. This is essential for organizations that use subdomains for different purposes: a marketing site on www, a blog on blog, an app on app, and documentation on docs.
Without proper subdomain tracking, each subdomain appears as a separate site, and visitors moving between subdomains look like new visitors. This fragments your data and makes it impossible to understand the complete visitor journey.
Proper subdomain tracking maintains session continuity as visitors move between subdomains. A visitor who reads a blog post and then signs up for your app is tracked as a single journey, not two separate visits.
Advanced subdomain tracking features include filtering analytics by subdomain, comparing performance across subdomains, and optionally creating separate analytics views for specific subdomains while maintaining the unified view.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need subdomain tracking?
Without subdomain tracking, visitors moving between subdomains appear as new visitors, and cross-subdomain journeys are invisible. Proper tracking provides a unified view of visitor behavior across your entire web presence.
How do I set up subdomain tracking?
Most analytics tools require configuration to track across subdomains. This typically involves setting a cookie domain to the root domain or using a tracking script that automatically handles subdomain detection.
Can I see analytics for individual subdomains?
Yes, good subdomain tracking lets you filter analytics by subdomain to see performance of specific sections while also providing the unified cross-subdomain view for understanding complete visitor journeys.