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.

Local (to the user) Date Time Data

These parameters capture time-based information from the user’s local timezone, enabling time-sensitive content delivery and analytics:

Parameter	Example	Description
cde_local_day	Mon	Day of Week 3 Letter Name (Mon,Tue…)
cde_local_hour	12	Hour in 24-hour format (0-23)
cde_local_minute	54	Minute of the hour (0-59)

Device Data

These parameters capture information from the user’s device, language, type, etc.:

Parameter	Example	Description
cde_language	en-US	Language preference from the Accept-Language header
cde_device_type	desktop	Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
cde_device_os	macOS	Device operating system (iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux)

Location Data

Location parameters provide geographic context for each interaction, enabling region-specific routing and analytics:

Parameter	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	US	Country
cde_region	New York	State or Province name
cde_city	New York City	City name

Human vs Bot Detection

This parameter helps identify legitimate human traffic versus automated bot interactions:

Parameter	Example	Description
cde_human	99	Human likelihood score (1-99). Higher values indicate increased likelihood of human interaction, while lower values suggest potential bot activity.

Referring Data

Referer (famously misspelled) parameters track where traffic originates from, providing insight into traffic sources:

Parameter	Example	Description
cde_referer_host	301.Pro	Referer domain
cde_referer_path	/	Referer URL path
cde_shortlink	/cde	ProLink or Shortlink used for redirection

Campaign Tracking (UTM Compatible)

These parameters provide backward compatibility with UTM tracking while extending functionality:

Parameter	Example	Description
cde_source	googleads	Identifies which site sent the traffic (replaces utm_source). This is a required parameter.
cde_medium	ppc	Identifies what type of link was used, such as email or pay-per-click advertising (replaces utm_medium).
cde_campaign	v3release	Identifies a specific product promotion or strategic campaign (replaces utm_campaign).
cde_term	click+tracking	Identifies search terms (replaces utm_term).
cde_content	logolink	Identifies what specifically was clicked to bring the user to the site, such as a banner ad or a text link. Often used for A/B testing and content-targeted ads (replaces utm_content).

Implementation Notes

The following guidelines ensure proper implementation of CDE parameters across all platforms and use cases:

Implementation Guideline	Description
URL-Safe Parameters	All CDE parameters are designed to be URL-safe and should be properly encoded when used in URLs.
Backward Compatibility	The system maintains backward compatibility with traditional UTM parameters while extending functionality.
DateTime Standards	DateTime parameters follow international standards (ISO 8601) for consistency across regions.
Location Support	Location parameters support global tracking with standardized continent codes.
Human Detection	The human detection score provides a quantitative measure for traffic quality assessment.

Best Practices

Follow these best practices to maximize the effectiveness of your CDE parameter implementation:

Best Practice	Details
Include Essential Parameters	Always include essential UTM-compatible parameters (cde_source, cde_medium, cde_campaign) for basic tracking.
Use Lowercase Values	Use lowercase values for CDE parameters for better cross system matching.
Connect Multiple Words	Use underscore to connect multiple words into_one_value.
Handle Special Characters	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 Validation	Implement server-side validation for parameter formats, especially for numerical values.
Consider Privacy	Consider privacy regulations when collecting and storing location data.
Document Custom Values	Document any custom values used for cde_medium and cde_content parameters.

Example Implementation

Below is a comprehensive example URL showing all available CDE parameters in use. Each parameter is shown with its example value which can be treated as a default value for documentation purposes. This demonstrates how parameters from different categories can be combined in a single implementation: