Speaker 0: Hello, ParDreamin. Thanks for joining us today. We have the amazing Lori Trusinski here today to talk to us about a sweet and delicious topic, updating your cookies from third to first party tracking. Some housekeeping items before we kick this off. As we go through the session, feel free to drop any questions in the chat on the right-hand side. And if we have time, we’ll go through them at the end of the session. Uh, the session will be recorded and available to view as well as the slides about two hours after the sessions end, so you’ll be able to come back to this room to access them. And if you’re ready, Lori, I can pass the stage off to you.

Speaker 1: I’m all set.

Speaker 0: Awesome.

Speaker 1: Okay. Perfect. So hi, everyone. Um, welcome to Changing the Recipe: Updating Pardot Cookies from Third to First Party Tracking. I am your resident baker, uh, Lori Trusinski. So a little bit about myself. Uh, I am a Marketing Technology Consultant at Slalom Consulting. I am a certified a Salesforce certified Pardot and Marketing Cloud consultant and proud Marketing Champion. And I like to say that Pardot and I have been, uh, really good friends for, uh, the past decade or so now. So what are we going to cover today? We’re going to look at what cookies are, how to make sure that you have the proper ingredients to make the change from first to third party, provide you with the steps to assure that your recipe is a success, and tips for what to do for cookie flops. So what is a cookie? Yes. It’s a delicious treat that we all know and love, but I’m not talking about that kind of cookie. That would be nice, but no. In the digital world, cookies are small pieces of tracking code that a website delivers to a visitor’s browser that tracks pages a person visits. This tracking can then be used by marketers to segment and target based on known or unknown information on that particular visitor. With Pardot, a cookie follows the visitor around based on your cookie tracking time frame and it logs all of the page visits and actions a prospect takes on Pardot tracked items. Once the visitor completes a conversion action, so say a form or landing page posted on Pardot, all of their previous visitor activity backfills as well as their future activity will continue to track because of that cookie. But outside of this session title, were you aware that there are two types of cookies called third and first party? Let’s understand why that’s so important. So first party cookies are applied on a website that you visited and are meant to enhance your experience on that specific site when you return to it. It allows companies to customize their content you are directly exposed to. So say, for example, if you shop on Amazon, you would see suggested products based on your previous search and purchase history on amazon.com. Amazon is then tracking your activity engagement with their platform and suggesting other products that are are related to items that you’ve recently viewed. On the other hand, third party cookies are not placed on your domain or website, but rather they’re placed by advertisers to retarget you with messaging based on your behavior online. It’s essentially limitless tracking and advertising. Uh, they are the ads that follow you around the Internet no matter which website you are on. So as you can see in this example here on the right, you’re being shown an Adobe Creative Cloud ad when visiting youtube.com. YouTube doesn’t sell Adobe products, but rather we’re seeing this ad because we expressed interest and visited an Adobe Creative Cloud page sometime in the past. But why why should you care so much? Right? Why are we all here? Well, due to data privacy scandals with companies misusing and abusing customer data, the backlash against third party, uh, cookie tracking has caused some regulations that you may be familiar with or have heard of such as GDPR and CCPA to come into play. These changes have signaled to the Internet to update their outdated cookie-based technology to find a a balance between privacy and user identification and allow for greater transparency on how companies use consumer data. So as a result, most browsers already block third party hooking on-site traffic, but why why it’s such a big deal now is because Google Chrome who owns over 65% of the browser market share is looking to start blocking those third party cookies, Um, and this of course would impact the largest piece of the Internet browsing audience today. They recently updated their plans to phase out third party cookies, uh, towards the 2023, uh, which was originally updated, uh, by the 2022. So this extra extension in time gives marketers and technical people like yourself more time to make the change, especially since, uh, you may or may not have been aware that it’s a a change that that you need to make. And this change will, um, really impact everyone moving forward whether you’re a Pardot customer or using another platform. Um, so it’s not Pardot specific, but we’ll go over how how you can make those changes today. Uh, and so despite what seems like some maybe missing tracking capability, this change does actually bolster a bit more understanding of which sites or brands your consumers are truly interested in over others, and it helps you as marketers to focus your messaging even more forward, um, even more kind of moving forward. So Pardot is getting ahead of this by allowing administrators to update their accounts to use first party tracking. Now taking this step taking this step now rather than later will allow you to transition your third party tracking to first without losing any previous third party metrics in in the process and to kind of, you know, have a smooth transition and and no gaps. So, yes, you can apply this update now, but how does it impact Pardot specifically? So currently in Pardot with third party cookies, you are able to track prospect activity across all tracker domains on your Pardot account. As long as the domains were validated and you had that that Pardot, uh, third party cookie placed. Right? So say a Pardot converts on, uh, branda.com and visits multiple of your your Pardot track domain. So they visit branda.com, they visit brandb.com. And with third party cookies, you would be able to see all of that activity for that specific individual even if they had only converted on the first website branda.com. Moving forward, how this changes is that Pardot customers will be unable to track visitors anonymously across domains. So you can only really track visitor activity on on a single domain. Um, in order to see the tracking activity for one individual on both sites as in our example, uh, a pro a prospect would need to convert on both sites. So let’s say branda, uh, and brandb.com to tie their cross site activity together. Otherwise, they’ll remain separate prospects and visitors on those sites. Um, so a conversion on a form or landing page for branda.com and a conversion, uh, for brandb.com are are both required, um, to unify that data for that one individual. Additionally, Pardot customers, uh, in in, you know, thinking about this transition and process will have to align the domains of your assets, uh, to campaigns to properly track the user journey, um, based on their specific content. So all of your marketing efforts for branda.com should be timed tied to brand a and and so on. So how do you make sure that you have the right cookie ingredients to make the change? There are a couple of checkboxes you need to tick off before you make, uh, before enabling Pardot first party tracking cookie. So number one is to make sure that your Pardot tracker domain is a subdomain of the main root domain you have it placed on and are using it for. So perfect example using this conference, if your root domain is pardreamin.com, make sure that your Pardot tracker domain is something like marketing.pardreaming.com and doesn’t have a different root domain, which is this area here, uh, something like marketing.circante.com. We look at this, we see the root domains don’t match. Second item is to ensure that your tracker domains are all HTTPS enabled. So using both HTTPS and HTTP protocols can result in new visitor IDs being issued and activity not being linked appropriately. Number three is make sure that your tracker domains are SSL enabled. So this screenshot shows the area where to verify both of these enablements for steps two and three, uh, listed above on your Pardot accounts domain management page. If your SSL needs to be updated for any reason, um, I I’ve seen this in in the past on on various, um, client accounts, but Pardot will will show you an error, um, on both your Pardot, um, home dashboard as well as on your account domain, uh, page describing the SSL error and and, um, what actually needs to be corrected by your IT team. And last but not least, uh, number four, communicate with your website and IT team. Uh, no surprise here, but since this change does involve you changing the Pardot tracking code on your website, um, unless it’s, uh, yourself that is making the change, you will need to make sure, um, um, that your website team is is aware of what’s required of them as they will need to both implement the new code and remove the old code. It’s not a very large involvement on their piece, but certainly very crucial to your cookie success, uh, so notifying them that you will need their assistance is is very relevant to call out here. So steps to bake. Now that you have your ingredients prepped and ready to go, let’s bake. So the first step is to enable the ability to use first party cookies in your Pardot account. Um, so there’s a couple of options, um, but step one would be open the account settings page. So depending on which Pardot interface you have, the slight the steps slightly vary, um, but not by much if you’re using native or or lightning. Uh, and then step two, select use, uh, use first party tracking and then save. When selecting the first party tracking checkbox that you see on the screen, uh, in your Pardot settings, I’d I’d also recommend continuing to leave your third party cookies, uh, on for the time being during your transition. Um, definitely keep them checked until you’re done through this entire process. Uh, this way, it doesn’t stop third party tracking. Um, the second that you uncheck that box, it will stop accepting any analytic requests on that old tracking. And, of course, you should only check this when you are finished, uh, uh, you know, updating the tracking codes on your website and observe that your tracking is as expected. That will show you in a bit. So the second step to make is to update your tracker domain with a default Pardot campaign. So in the case of our previous example, we’ll want to update marketing.parodreama.com with a default campaign that will be used to track all traffic related to that specific subdomain. So as we can see here on the screen, first you’ll open the domain management page and then edit the tracker domain, then you will choose a default campaign, and then, of course, click update to associate that campaign with that specific tracker domain. Um, quick tip that’s that I found to be helpful. So when using a default campaign, um, you’re going to wanna make sure that you’re selecting a campaign that you have designated for the website tracking related to the same brand that’ll be placed on. So maybe you have branda.com website tracking campaign. Um, you would wanna align that to say your info.branda.com tracker and not the one for brand b. So you just wanna be careful to make sure that you’re aligning, um, your your brands with your relevant domains if you have more than one, uh, in Pardot. And then keep in mind, obviously, um, you know, the campaigns, like I said, you select, um, maybe, you know, similar or different based on how you’re aligning your campaigns. And just to note, you know, there is ultimately no right or wrong way, um, to to align your campaigns. It’s really based on your goals and your your strategy, um, and they can be updated or changed at at any time. So step three, third and final step, is to grab the new tracking code from the tracking code generator, which is on the same exact page we’ve been on, uh, and grab it to be placed on your website. And so this code you see here will ultimately replace that third party code that you have on there now. Um, so back on the domain management page, you’ll want to select the appropriate tracker domain you’re switching over to first, uh, in the drop down, and then copy the tracking code provided. And then that’s what you, um, if you’re doing the work yourself or if you’re handing it off to your IT team, that’s the code that you will, uh, provide them. Now you can see kind of a couple of lines down in that screenshot that the PIC ID is blank. That is correct. Uh, so if you do this and you’re like, why is that not filled in? Don’t panic. Um, that is not utilized unless you wish to override the default Pardot campaign that’s already associated with that tracker. Um, so in this example, if we wanted to update that marketing.par dream in, um, to be, you know, a different campaign, then we would input that there. And at that point in time, it would then complete that with a new ID. Otherwise, just leave it as is, and it’s, totally fine to be blank, um, and then of course, uh, words to the wise, but don’t forget to remove that old code once you’re all set and done. So checking on your cookies. Uh, so you put your cookies into bake, but you wanna check on them and make sure they’re going to turn out the way that you wanted them to and hoped. But maybe you’re not the best baker, it’s just not your specialty. So let’s review some ways to assure that you have the right recipe in case you mixed up some of the ingredients that we’ve just gone over. So the first step you would take is to, uh, use a browser functionality something like Google on incognito to check. Um, so, um, in this example, you’d open Google incognito and make sure that block third party cookies is turned on. Um, then you would go to your website that should have the first party, uh, tracking code already on it and the third party cookie, uh, removed, um, and click on the pages that you know have that first party tracking code, um, and then note the times that you are testing as we’ll use this in the next step. So step number two. Uh, you have two options for checking to see that your first party cookie is working and that you’re tracking visitors under that that new cookie. So your first option is to go to your Pardot visitors report, uh, which is prospects and then visitors, and make sure that you see a visitor created at the time that you tested. And, of course, option b, um, is to take note of the current number of views on a Pardot form and and, uh, page visits that have that tracking code. Um, so maybe it’s your contact us page on your website or, um, a product page that has a form, and just check to see that the views have increased by one, uh, coming from your activity. This may take some time to populate initially, but, uh, it will, um, eventually appear. And then, of course, can’t hurt. These aren’t over complicated steps, so it can hurt to, um, do both just as extra validation. But if your cookies didn’t turn out so great despite your best effort, uh, putting that recipe together, maybe you’re not seeing visitor traffic, uh, with those first party cookies that you think you have installed and you think are all, um, correctly aligned. So let’s review some tips for cookie flops to help you become a better baker. So number one, if possible, you use one brand to simplify the process. Um, if your company has multiple domains and multiple tracker domains, you will need to look across the different Pardot assets to ensure that all files and assets are on the same, uh, domain to avoid any complication. And, of course, having separate business units is a is a great way to, um, help avoid this, um, issue. And then number two, check your Pardot settings. Um, check and check again. Right? So double check that you have first party cookies turned on, um, and that you have selected a default campaign for for that specific, uh, domain you used to you, uh, wish to use and that you also have those HTTPS and SSL, uh, items enabled. And, of course, make sure that you uncheck, uh, that third party tracking checkbox once you verified that everything’s working. So number three, definitely make sure that your domains, uh, are aligned with your tracker domains. Um, so, uh, if they do not, you know, match, uh, so for first party tracking to work, the domain of your website and the tracker domain must match. Uh, if they don’t, no tracking will occur. So something, uh, as small as an additional letter in the root domain or a misspelling will cause this issue. So we see this here in some of the examples where we have, um, pardreaming.com and go.pardreaming.com. That one, yes, that works for first party. What about the spot for Pardot? The tracker domain is goforpardot.com. Nope. Doesn’t match. Not gonna work. Uh, third and final, um, circante.com. It has go.circante.com. That one’s going to work. And when thinking about this, um, this even includes if you place the code on maybe a staging website to initially, uh, test it out. So if a, um, a staging root root domain doesn’t match the one on the tracker, you won’t see any visitor activity. Um, so where I’ve seen this come up is maybe you’re developing, uh, a brand new website with a website company, and they have their own pages for previewing your new brand. Right? They’re they’re hosting it elsewhere. Um, If you are if they’re using that other domain and you’re kind of looking to test out your first party cookies ahead of time, it’s not going to show visitor activity. So just something to keep in mind. And this, out of everything, uh, is is likely the greatest source of of any issues. It’s just making sure that that truly that that root domain is is is a total and absolute match. And then, of course, uh, once you are, uh, last but not least, but to make sure that you review your website code with your website team. So number one, make sure the tracker domain used is the one you expected, um, and number two, make sure that the third party code is removed and obviously that the first party, uh, tracking is installed, um, specifically, uh, in the HTML before the closing body tag. Um, so I want to circle back to to number one there especially is if you have multiple brands and domains and maybe you have, um, handed the code to your website team and they’re applying them, just double check. Hey. Is is this is this tracking code on the right website? You know, there’s a chance that, um, they might have been mixed up. So, um, once you align your brands, review your Pardot settings, validate your root and subdomains, and then verify your website code, you’ll be on your way to first party tracking and marketing success. And so, um, with that, I want to thank you so much for listening and learning a little bit more about changing the recipe and updating your Pardot cookies from third to first party tracking. It’s not necessarily an easy topic to learn or the most glamorous to talk through, but it’s a very important one for your Pardot success. And if you, um, would like to reach me, you can find me on LinkedIn and Twitter. And, of course, if you have any questions or comments you think of after this session that we don’t get to today, um, feel free to reach out to me at my email, um, laurietruszynski@slalom.com.

Speaker 0: Thank you, Lori. It’s been a great and delicious session. I just want more cookies clearly. Um, but the baking would turn out how it got burnt. That’s how it would be if I had to make it. But, um, I don’t know if we have time maybe for a Q&A. I think we’re out of time though. Uh, so if they, you know, they can reach you through the event chat, um, and ask their questions, that can work as well or, uh, message you directly as you have your email there if that works.

Speaker 1: Yep. That sounds perfect.

Speaker 0: Awesome. So that concludes today’s session. Thanks again for joining us everyone and a special shout out to our sponsors for their support. Without them, programming wouldn’t be possible. So make sure to drop by the sponsor booths and learn more about what they do and collect some points for to win cool prizes. And we have a ton more, um, sessions lined up today and tomorrow, so make sure you head on over to the agenda and check out the full list. Thanks everyone for joining. K. Bye.