UpBuild

Values-Driven Technical Marketing

Mike Arnesen

Cross-Domain & Subdomain Tracking in 2019

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There are a lot of posts on the internet about cross-domain analytics tracking, subdomain tracking, and even cross-frame (X-frame) tracking. Some are pretty solid, yet many aren’t current and/or accurate, a fair number are just confusing, and only a few of them cover all three topics well. While this does not purport to be “the one post to rule them all”, it can absolutely serve as the definitive answer to how I think about cross-X-tracking and walk most people through implementing a good solution.  

I’m a firm believer in the guideline that, “if you find yourself answering the same question three times or more, you need to make it into a blog post.” By that thinking, this post is years too late, but better late than never! 

Skip To:

Before we get into “how”, let’s discuss “why”.

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No. Firefox Isn’t Going to Decimate Your Google Analytics Data.

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I’ve been hearing rumblings this week to the extent of “Firefox hates marketers and is coming for all of our data!”. This post, in particular, caught my attention, so the post that follows is my attempt to clear things up and, hopefully, lay some fears to rest.

In Mozilla’s announcement, they convey that “For new users who install and download Firefox for the first time, Enhanced Tracking Protection will automatically be set on by default as part of the ‘Standard’ setting in the browser and will block known ‘third-party tracking cookies’” according to the Disconnect list.”

Sounds like a scary development (pun intended) for people who rely on web analytics data for their careers and livelihoods. Before we go any further, let’s take a minute to break down browser cookies and the critical differences between first and third-party cookies.

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Hitting Capacity: When UpBuild’s Cup Runneth Over

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For the last two weeks, I’ve been sending emails to prospective UpBuild clients to let them know we’re not going to work with them. Well, at least not for another month or two. Why? Because our team is at capacity and asking a business to pay us money for technical marketing consulting when we’re not able to service them to the absolute best of our ability is wrong. Is that a polarizing statement? It shouldn’t be.

In my experience, it’s essentially a coin toss as to whether or not this will cause us to lose the opportunity to get a client’s business. I’m more than okay with that. I’m honestly proud of it.

In this post, I’d like to explain why UpBuild turns clients away or puts them on a waiting list rather than trying — as most other agencies would — to make the sale and continue growing the business.

How Did It Come to This?

In my agency experience prior to founding UpBuild, it was not uncommon for me to find myself with upwards of 20 clients in my care. That’s 20 businesses whose SEO I was responsible for. You can already see where this is going, right?

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UpBuild’s Year in Review & 2019 Company Resolutions

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One of UpBuild’s core values is Transparency, and while that idea gets a lot of lip service among startups, it’s important for us to walk the walk. This post is a part of that effort. If you want to take a peek behind the curtain, then come on in and read about how UpBuild’s 2018 went and what we’re setting out to do in 2019.

How 2018 Went

2018 was a great year for the UpBuild team. Yet, it was also our most challenging in more than a few ways. It was a year of dichotomy.

This really snuck up on me, but we’re an established 10-person company now! With that comes higher overhead, increased operational complexity, and exciting challenges. In short, being a company with a double-digit headcount is a more serious undertaking than running a company made up of 4 independent contractors (our Year 1).

Who would’ve thought?!

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Leadership As a Type B Introvert

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This blog post has been a long time coming. In one sense, it’s taken me the better part of 2018 to organize my thoughts on the topic and actually, y’know, write this blog post. In another sense, writing this post has taken my whole life.

If you’ve come seeking practical technical marketing advice, begone! You’ll find none here. But if you’re interested in learning how one introverted Type B internet geek has been able to helm a successful company, read on!
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