Can Hubspot identify anonymous website visitors?

How HubSpot tracks website visitors

HubSpot uses browser cookies to track visitors on your website. When someone lands on your site, HubSpot checks for an existing tracking cookie. If none exists, a new cookie is associated with that visitor and begins logging every page they visit moving forward.

This tracking happens anonymously before a visitor becomes a contact in your system. The visitor remains anonymous until they take an action that identifies them, such as filling out a form on your website.

The anonymous visitor tracking process

When using HubSpot's tracking code, the platform collects visitor data in the following ways:

• Anonymous visitors are tracked from their first visit to your website
• Page views and website behavior are recorded based on the cookie assigned to the visitor
• This tracking continues across multiple sessions as long as the cookie remains in place
• Analytics on these anonymous visitors appear in your HubSpot reports, showing metrics like page views and visitor counts

For example, if someone visits your pricing page three times over the course of a week before contacting you, HubSpot tracks these visits even while the visitor remains anonymous.

Converting anonymous visitors to known contacts

The magic happens when an anonymous visitor identifies themselves through an action on your site:

• When a visitor fills out a form, HubSpot associates their previous page views with the contact record based on the tracking cookie
• If the email address provided matches an existing contact, the visitor is identified as that contact (including contacts that were imported)
• All previous anonymous browsing history is then connected to their contact record
• This creates a complete picture of the visitor's journey before and after identification

For instance, if someone browses your blog anonymously for several weeks and then registers for a webinar, all their previous page views will be attached to their new contact record.

Limitations of anonymous visitor identification

Despite HubSpot's powerful tracking capabilities, there are several limitations to be aware of:

• HubSpot cannot identify who an anonymous visitor is without them providing identifying information
• If a visitor deletes their cookies, they'll be considered a new visitor and assigned a new cookie
• When multiple people share a computer, their activities may be associated with the same cookie
• Visitors using cookie-blocking technology or browsing in private mode won't be tracked effectively
• HubSpot doesn't track "unique visitors" in the traditional analytics sense — this metric can be unreliable due to cookie clearing and multiple device usage

Cookie consent considerations

In today's privacy-conscious world, cookie tracking is subject to user consent in many regions:

• When using a cookie banner, no unessential cookies will be dropped until the visitor accepts tracking
• If a visitor converts into a contact after accepting cookies, you can view their historical activities
• If a visitor converts but never accepts cookies, you won't see previous activities like page views
• Cookie banner rules can be customized based on domain, URL path, or country to comply with various regulations

Visitor identification API for authenticated users

For businesses with their own authentication systems, HubSpot offers a Visitor Identification API that allows you to identify visitors who have already authenticated through your system:

• This API creates an identification token that passes information about authenticated visitors to the chat widget
• It enables the chat widget to treat the visitor as a known contact
• Agents in the inbox can see EXACTLY who they're talking to, and visitors can access previous thread history across devices
• This is particularly useful for web applications where users log in before accessing certain pages

For example, if you have a customer portal where users log in, you could implement the Visitor Identification API to ensure that when these authenticated users interact with your chat widget, they're immediately recognized as the correct contact in HubSpot.

Methods to enhance visitor identification

While HubSpot can't magically identify completely anonymous visitors, you can implement strategies to encourage identification:

• Strategic form placement throughout your website to capture visitor information earlier
• Exit-intent popups offering valuable content in exchange for contact information
• Chat widgets that request basic information before starting a conversation
• Personalized CTAs that encourage visitors to identify themselves
• Email marketing campaigns with tracked links that identify contacts when clicked

Tracking beyond basic website visits

HubSpot's tracking capabilities extend beyond just pageviews:

• Track marketing emails to identify contacts when they click links
• The HubSpot tracking code makes asynchronous requests to several HubSpot domains to ensure reliable tracking
• Use the Tracking Code API for additional visitor tracking options
• Remember — file downloads cannot be used to track visitors or trigger workflows

Privacy and data sharing considerations

When using HubSpot's tracking features, be aware that:

• HubSpot uses certain data collected from the tracking code to improve its products and services
• This includes contribution to the Breeze Intelligence commercial dataset
• Turn off data sharing with HubSpot in your account settings if needed
• Always ensure your tracking practices comply with applicable privacy regulations

FAQs

How to identify anonymous website visitors?

HubSpot cannot identify who an anonymous visitor is without them providing identifying information. Anonymous visitors remain anonymous until they take an action that identifies them, such as filling out a form on your website. You can encourage identification through strategic form placement, exit-intent popups offering valuable content, chat widgets that request information, personalized CTAs, and email marketing campaigns with tracked links.

How does HubSpot track website visitors?

HubSpot uses browser cookies to track visitors on your website. When someone lands on your site, HubSpot checks for an existing tracking cookie. If none exists, a new cookie is associated with that visitor and begins logging every page they visit moving forward. This tracking happens anonymously before a visitor becomes a contact in your system, and continues across multiple sessions as long as the cookie remains in place.

Can you track user activity in HubSpot?

Yes, HubSpot tracks various user activities. When using HubSpot's tracking code, the platform collects visitor data including page views and website behavior based on the cookie assigned to the visitor. When an anonymous visitor identifies themselves (like filling out a form), HubSpot associates their previous page views with their contact record. HubSpot can also track marketing email engagement and other interactions, though file downloads cannot be used to track visitors or trigger workflows.

What is the identify function in HubSpot?

The Visitor Identification API in HubSpot allows you to identify visitors who have already authenticated through your own system. This API creates an identification token that passes information about authenticated visitors to the chat widget, enabling the widget to treat the visitor as a known contact. Agents can see who they're talking to, and visitors can access previous thread history across devices. This is particularly useful for web applications where users log in before accessing certain pages.

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