How does Spectacle tracking work?
Learn how Spectacle captures every marketing touchpoint and connects it to revenue
How Spectacle's tracking works
When you've connected Spectacle to your website, we track every visitor and their journey from first click to paying customer. Here's what happens:
Step 1: Visitor arrives
Someone clicks your ad, finds you on Google, or visits your site directly. Our tracking script captures this visit and stores attribution data in their browser.
Step 2: We remember the journey
Spectacle logs where they came from (Google Ads, LinkedIn, organic search, etc.), what campaign brought them, and any UTM parameters. This data stays active for the lifetime of our tracking period.
Step 3: Connect to revenue
When that visitor becomes a paying customer in Stripe, HubSpot, or your CRM, we match their purchase back to every marketing touch that influenced them.
The result? You see exactly which campaigns, keywords, and channels drive actual revenue, not just clicks.
Attribution window and how to adjust it
What is an attribution window?
This is how long we track someone after their first visit. If they convert within this time, we can attribute their purchase to your marketing.
Default setting: 90 days
Most B2B SaaS sales cycles fit within 90 days. You can adjust this based on your business. We support up to 2 years of data in our scale and essential packages. We can support 5+ years on request.
When tracking might not work
Several things can interrupt tracking:
Ad blockers and privacy tools
Some visitors use ad blockers or privacy browsers that block tracking scripts. Our first-party tracking proxy helps reduce this. You can also setup Spectacle using a serverside tracking tool like taggrs.io or stape.io
Cross-domain issues
If customers start on yoursite.com but purchase on shop.yoursite.com, tracking can break. Make sure both domains have our script.
Missing conversion events
We can only attribute revenue we can see. If Stripe or your CRM isn't connected, we'll miss those conversions.
Cookie deletion
If someone clears their cookies before purchasing, we lose the connection to their original marketing touch.
Script not firing
Check that our tracking script loads on every page. Use your browser's developer tools to verify the script runs without errors.
Duplicate tracking
Multiple tracking scripts or incorrect setup can create duplicate events. Only install our script once per page.
Tracking across domains and subdomains
Spectacle uses first-party tracking, which affects how we work across different domains:
Same domain tracking
yoursite.com → yoursite.com ✅
Works perfectly. No setup needed.
Subdomain tracking
yoursite.com → app.yoursite.com ✅
Works automatically. We track across all your subdomains.
Different subdomain setup
blog.yoursite.com → app.yoursite.com ✅
Requires configuration. Set your cookie domain to .yoursite.com in settings.
Cross-domain tracking
yoursite.com → different-domain.com ❌
Not supported. Both domains need separate tracking.
Different top-level domains
yoursite.com → yoursite.co.uk ❌
These count as different domains. Set up tracking separately.
Frequently asked questions
How does tracking work for subscription renewals?
Once we connect a customer to their original marketing touch, all future payments from that customer get attributed to the same source. Even if they click a different ad later, the original attribution stays.
How do I test if tracking works?
Visit your site with UTM parameters (like ?utm_source=test&utm_campaign=check) then complete a test purchase. You should see this conversion appear in your Spectacle dashboard within a few minutes.
Can I track across multiple websites?
Each domain needs its own tracking setup. We can't track someone from site1.com to site2.com, but you can view all your sites in one Spectacle workspace.
What happens if I disapprove a campaign?
Stopping a campaign doesn't affect past tracking. If someone clicked that campaign before you paused it and later converts, we'll still attribute that sale to the original campaign.
Is tracking GDPR compliant?
Yes. Spectacle is built for privacy compliance. We offer tracking options and first-party data collection. Always check your consent requirements for your specific situation.
What if someone uses multiple devices?
We connect cross-device journeys when customers log in or provide their email. Our identify feature links their laptop visit to their phone purchase.
How accurate is the tracking?
Spectacle captures 85-95% of conversions in typical setups. Using our tracking proxy and server-side events can improve this further.