Enhancing Adobe Analytics Tracking with CNAME & AEP

Introduction

In today’s digital world, companies/businesses rely on Adobe Analytics to gain valuable insights into user behavior. However, implementing Adobe Analytics effectively comes with challenges, especially where browsers impose strict privacy policies like blocking third-party cookies. Without CNAME implementation, tracking users accurately becomes difficult due to third-party cookie restrictions. So CNAME can help address some of these issues, but CNAME has its limitations, which we will discuss in the blog, and to what extent CNAME can help us. Organizations must understand these challenges and consider alternative solutions like Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Edge Network to build a future-proof and reliable Adobe Analytics system.

Well, to start with, what is CNAME? CNAME (Canonical Name) is a shortcut or alias for a website’s address.

Adobe Analytics Implementation without CNAME

When we don’t set up CNAME  in Adobe Analytics implementation, by default, all the analytics network calls (s.t() or s.tl()) on Adobe’s tracking servers (`.sc.omtrdc.net`) to track user behavior. Possibly, we may see Adobe Analytics cookies dropping as first-party cookies on our website, but the tracking requests are going to Adobe’s third-party servers, and this leads to several challenges:

1. Browser Restrictions
   As discussed above, even if cookies are dropping or appear as first-party, tracking requests sent to Adobe’s default domain (.sc.omtrdc.net), which is considered third-party tracking by browsers. Browsers like Safari (via Intelligent Tracking Prevention – ITP), Firefox, and even Chrome impose restrictions on tracking requests going to third-party servers. This leads to visitor identification loss, session breaks, and inaccurate tracking.
2. Private or incognito Browsing
   If a user is browsing a website in Mozilla Private Windows and analytics network calls going to adobe default third-party servers (.sc.omtrdc.net ) the it will block the requests and hits wont be captured in Analytics.
3. Cookie Lifespan
   Apple Browsers like Safari have ITP –  Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which limits the cookies set via JavaScript to 7 days or 24 hours. Even though the cookies are dropping as first-party, the tracking server is third-party, because of which it gets restricted. This reduces long-term user tracking and its effectiveness.
4. Cross-Domain Tracking
   When users move between different domains, their hits may not be recognized as the same visitor, as tracking requests are going to a third-party domain (Adobe default tracking servers). This results in broken and inconsistent cross-domain tracking customer journeys and inaccurate attribution modeling.

To mitigate the aforementioned issues, businesses can implement CNAME tracking, which allows Adobe Analytics to use a first-party tracking server and first-party cookies instead of relying on Adobe’s default third-party tracking servers.

Steps to Implement CNAME

1. Identify the desired hostname (subdomain) for hosting Adobe Analytics scripts. Example: smetrics.yourdomain.com
2. Update Adobe Tracking Server Settings in Adobe Launch Extension.
3. Ensure SSL Compliance for secure data transfer.
4. Test Implementation using browser dev tools and Adobe Debugger. Use online tools like https://mxtoolbox.com/  to check DNS propagation.
5. Once the CNAME record is added, verify the configuration. Ensure the CNAME points to the correct Adobe Analytics domain.

Challenges of CNAME implementation and the need for AEP

1. While CNAME helps overcome some web tracking issues but it is not a long-term solution due to the evolving landscape of privacy regulations, like a few we discussed above.
2. Safari’s ITP Still Limits First-Party Cookies
3. DNS setup & IT Setup are complex
4. Not Future-Proof

AEP Edge Network: Reliable Adobe Analytics Tracking

To ensure reliable, privacy-compliant data collection, AEP is a server-side thing, businesses should transition to Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) Edge Network, which provides server-side tracking with enhanced capabilities.

Now you must be interested in why AEP Edge Network is the Best Alternative to CNAME?

1. Server-Side Data Collection
   Instead of relying on cookies stored in the browser, AEP collects data server-side, making it immune to cookie blocking. AEP allows businesses to process tracking requests entirely on first-party servers, reducing reliance on cookies.
2. Reduces Browser Restrictions Impact
   Because data is processed on Adobe’s backend, limitations imposed by ITP and third-party cookie restrictions are significantly reduced. Businesses can use hashed identifiers or customer authentication-based tracking instead of cookies.
3. More Reliable User Tracking
   By using identity stitching and customer authentication strategies, AEP helps track users across devices and sessions without relying on cookies.

CNAME vs. No CNAME vs. AEP

Future-Proof Your Analytics

If ITP is not an issue and businesses can live with it, like for business where users are negligible from iOS or Mozilla can setup CNAME implementation for scenario when chrome stop supporting 3rd party cookies, but to overcome most of the tracking challenges, businesses should adopt AEP Edge Network for reliable, privacy-compliant data collection.

Conclusion

CNAME was once essential for bypassing cookie restrictions, but evolving privacy rules limit its effectiveness. Transitioning to AEP Edge Network provides long-term reliability, accurate tracking, and compliance with privacy standards.