Click Data Enrichment
Shortened to CDE
Proposal
301.Pro proposes a new tracking standard for modern digital marketing named Click Data Enrichment (CDE). While UTM parameters have served marketers for several decades, CDE parameters use self-explanatory naming and significantly expand the available localized tracking information extending the traditional UTM framework from 5 to 18 parameters. This specification provides comprehensive click tracking by incorporating temporal, geospatial, referral, and behavioral data points alongside traditional campaign tracking elements.
Important Local vs. Server Date Time Distinctions
CDE captures each visitor’s local time, unlike server-side time tracking which records everything in a single time zone. For example, if 100 users worldwide visit your website simultaneously, server logs show identical timestamps, but CDE records each visitor’s localized time. This lets you optimize marketing based on when your audience is most engaged in their time zone, improving conversion rates through time-aware targeting.
Parameter Categories
Local (to the user) Date Time Data
| Example | Format + Description |
|---|---|
| cde_local_day=1 | Day of week (1-7, Monday=1) |
| cde_local_hour=18 | Hour in 24-hour format (0-23) |
| cde_local_minute=32 | Minute of the hour (0-59) |
Location Data
| Example | Description |
|---|---|
| cde_latitude=40.7128 | Geographic latitude |
| cde_longitude=74.0060 | Geographic longitude |
| cde_continent=NA | Two-letter continent code Africa AF, Antarctica AN, Asia AS, Europe EU, North America NA, Oceania OC, South America SA, Intercontinental IC, Outer Space (Satellite) OS |
| cde_country=United+States | Country |
| cde_region=New+York | State or Province name |
| cde_city=Manhattan | City name |
Human vs Bot Detection
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| cde_human=98 | Human likelihood score (1-99). Higher values are an increased likelihood of human detection, where lower values are an increased likelihood of bot detection. |
Referrer Data
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| cde_referer_host=blogsite.com | Refer domain |
| cde_referer_path=/blog/newsupate | Refer URL path |
| cde_shortlink=go.dom.nr/12345 | ProLink or Shortlink used for redirection |
Campaign Tracking (UTM Compatible)
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| cde_source=googleads replaces utm_source | Identifies which site sent the traffic, and is a required parameter. |
| cde_medium=ppc replaces utm_medium | Identifies what type of link was used, such as email or pay-per-click advertising. |
| cde_campaign=v3release replaces utm_campaign | Identifies a specific product promotion or strategic campaign. |
| cde_term=click+tracking replaces utm_term | Identifies search terms. |
| cde_content=logolink replaces utm_content | Identifies what specifically was clicked to bring the user to the site, such as a banner ad or a text link. It is often used for A/B split testing and content-targeted ads. |
Implementation Notes
- All CDE parameters are designed to be URL-safe and should be properly encoded when used in URLs.
- The system maintains backward compatibility with traditional UTM parameters while extending functionality.
- DateTime parameters follow international standards (ISO 8601) for consistency across regions.
- Location parameters support global tracking with standardized continent codes.
- The human detection score provides a quantitative measure for traffic quality assessment.
Best Practices
- Always include essential UTM-compatible parameters (cde_source, cde_medium, cde_campaign) for basic tracking.
- Use lowercase values for CDE parameters for better cross system matching.
- Use underscore to connect multiple words into_one_value.
- Use URL encoding for parameters containing special characters or spaces.
- Try to avoid spaces when possible, replacing spaces with an_underscore or a plus+sign
- Implement server-side validation for parameter formats, especially for numerical values.
- Consider privacy regulations when collecting and storing location data.
- Document any custom values used for cde_medium and cde_content parameters.
Example Implementation
https://example.com/landing-page?
cde_local_day=1&
cde_local_hour=18&
cde_local_minute=32&
cde_latitude=40.7128&
cde_longitude=74.0060&
cde_continent=NA&
cde_country=United+States&
cde_region=New+York&
cde_city=Manhattan&
cde_human=98&
cde_referer_host=google.com&
cde_referer_path=/blog/newsupdate&
cde_shortlink=go.domain.com/12345&
cde_source=googleads&
cde_medium=ppc&
cde_campaign=V3release&
cde_term=improved+click+tracking&
cde_content=logolink