Attribution · Published 2024-12-11 · 1 min read
gclid and gbraid: what each one is for
Adjust support once sent me the clearest explanation of these two parameters I have ever received. Here is the short version.
- gclid and gbraid are campaign identifiers. Google Ads campaign settings expose the macros {gclid} and {gbraid}, which you can append to your URLs.
- gclid is the primary tracking parameter. It is appended by default to any URL you use in Google Ads.
If you advertise http://site.com, a click on the ad sends the user to http://site.com?gclid=iuxfhb234adbsdf.
- If the app showed the user an ATT prompt and the user declined tracking — that is, declined the IDFA — then Adjust does not send the gclid back to Google Ads, and attribution by GCLID cannot happen.
- Instead it sends gbraid, and attribution runs on that.
What this means in practice
- Every tracking link should carry both: gclid={gclid} and &gbraid={gbraid}.
- If you have found a way to read gclid and gbraid inside your own app, you can build a miniature MMP of your own and attribute conversions yourself.