Data captured by the Constant Contact website tracking code

When you install the Constant Contact website tracking code on your website we capture information for website visitors so you can run better performing marketing campaigns

The website tracking code from Constant Contact is a piece of JavaScript code that captures real-time visitor behavior, such as page views. This data flows into our customer data platform (CDP), enabling personalized automations and allowing users to create advanced segments for more targeted, timely messaging.

• Frequently asked questions
• Compliance with Privacy Laws and Cookie Tracking
• Disclosure in Privacy Policy or Terms of Service

Frequently asked questions

How does a tracking code typically work

The tracking code is embedded into every page of your website that you want to monitor, and it usually runs on page load.

Our tracking code uses cookies and some form of local storage to create an anonymous identifier for your website visitors. When website visitors become known (for example, via a click from an email/SMS), our system associates this anonymous behavior with a known identity (a contact in your account).

Events are recorded (page views) with metadata about the user’s session and device.

What page visit data is collected

The page visit event captures the following information about identified visitors, and some of this data can be used in our segmentation and automation products.

• Title - The page title, which is the <title> HTML element.
• created_at - The timestamp of the visit or event.
• Hostname - The hostname of the website where the event fired.
• Locale - A setting from the browser.
• Path - Part of the URL where the event fired, for example:

   https://www.constantcontact.com/features/email-marketing-automation

• Referrer - previous web page from which a link was clicked to reach the current page.
• Search_params - Captures any utm parameters or custom parameters present in the page URL on the page visit, for example:

  https://www.constantcontact.com/features/email-marketing-automation?utm_source=constant_contact&utm_medium=email&custom=conversion1

• URL - The URL of the visited page.
• User agent - A string of information that often identifies the browser, its version number, and its host operating system.

Known visitor versus anonymous visitor

Known visitor

For website visitors that are both a managed contact in your Constant Contact account and they have visited your website from a link in an email or SMS sent out of your Constant Contact account, we’ll store their page visit data for 1 year and the most recent 100 unique paths.

Anonymous visitor

For website visitors that are visitors to your website but they are not currently a managed contact in your Constant Contact account, we’ll track this user as an anonymous visitor and you will not be able to take any action on these users.

When will the tracking code not collect data?

If the Constant Contact website tracking code has been disabled in your account settings, we will no longer capture any visitor data.

If the browser or website is set to prevent cookies and/or local storage from setting certain tracking, the Constant Contact website tracking code will not capture any visitor data.

Compliance with Privacy Laws and Cookie Tracking

When utilizing Constant Contact's website tracking code, it is the customer's sole responsibility to understand and comply with all applicable privacy laws, regulations, and industry guidelines concerning data collection, use, and cookie tracking. This includes, but is not limited to, obtaining necessary consents from website visitors for cookie placement and data processing, and ensuring that all data collection practices are transparent and lawful in all relevant jurisdictions.

Disclosure in Privacy Policy or Terms of Service

Customers must inform their website visitors about the use of tracking technologies on their websites and the data collected by the tracking technologies. This information should be detailed in customers’ privacy policy or terms of service. This disclosure should include, at a minimum:

• A statement that the website uses tracking technologies, including cookies.
• A description of the types of data collected (e.g., page views, timestamp, URL, referrer, device information).
• The purpose for which this data is collected (e.g., for personalized marketing campaigns, automations, and segmentation).
• The types of third parties with whom data is shared.
• Information on how visitors can manage or opt-out of cookie tracking, if applicable and as required by law.

It is crucial for customers to regularly review and update their privacy policy or terms of service to reflect any changes in Constant Contact's tracking features or relevant privacy regulations.

Questions?