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I guess my question is sort of a two parter...

  1. Is it possible to capture a Google Analytics visitors id? (not their traditional Google account id) I'm assuming the Google Analytics script gives users a cookie with an id (specific to the Analytics/Adwords application) to track their page navigation.
  2. Is there a Google API/web service that allows to pass the given Analytics visitor ID to mark a goal conversion (and value for the conversion) outside of the original visitor's web browser?

I have a conversion/goal setup on our Analytics profile (that is shared with our Adwords account) to record a success when the visitor fills out a form on our website. Problem is, we don't know if that form submission really generated any value for us until maybe even months down the road.

What would be really awesome is, if upon that form submit, we could pass their Google Analytics visitor ID to our database, and then later update that visitors conversion and value once we've actually realized that value.

I'm fairly skeptical this is actually possible.

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Contacted Google. Here's their response:

Goal value is assigned to a goal based on the number you enter while setting up a goal. Therefore, it's not possible to do something that you mention, ie, add it retroactively.

If the user reaches a certain page on your website at the time the value of the conversion is determined, you may create another goal to track that page. However, there is no way you can link this goal conversion to the previous one.

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Unfortunately the Terms and Conditions state:

  1. PRIVACY . You will not (and will not allow any third party to) use the Service to track or collect personally identifiable information of Internet users, nor will You (or will You allow any third party to) associate any data gathered from Your website(s) (or such third parties' website(s)) with any personally identifying information from any source as part of Your use (or such third parties' use) of the Service. You will have and abide by an appropriate privacy policy and will comply with all applicable laws relating to the collection of information from visitors to Your websites. You must post a privacy policy and that policy must provide notice of your use of a cookie that collects anonymous traffic data.
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  • What personally identifiable information do we get out of a visitor's Analytics id? Does a visitor get a new id per website w/ tracking installed?
    – David Budiac
    Feb 17, 2012 at 21:24
  • @DavidBudiac you state you want to log their ID in your own database and add other information about the users visit, this is very near the knuckle in terms of data capture and since it could be tracked back to a cookie or an ip it should be considered personally identifiable.
    – toomanyairmiles
    Feb 17, 2012 at 21:36
  • An IP address is not personally identifiable. Nor is an analytics "visitor id". I'm suggesting it merely as a handle to tie in performance data to the analytics/adwords application.
    – David Budiac
    Feb 17, 2012 at 21:50
  • Clarified my question... I'm not looking for the traditional Google account id of a visitor, if that's what your assumption is.
    – David Budiac
    Feb 17, 2012 at 22:12

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