Anonymous Website Visitor Identification: Reviewing Traditional and Modern Methods

Do you ever wonder how many potential customers visit your eCommerce store without making a purchase and revealing their identity? It turns out that 86% of today’s online visitors are anonymous, so these visitors comprise a significant portion of your audience. Identifying and tracking anonymous visitors can provide useful data for solidifying your business tactics. While some may use a VPN, incognito mode, or privacy-focused browsers to safeguard their information or avoid personalized advertising, others simply browse without signing up or committing to a purchase.

In addition, many anonymous “visitors” are actually bots. There’s great value in separating human visitors, good bots, and bad bots. You want to engage with people, help good bots help you, and block bad bots.

Be aware that traditional methods and tools available to identify and understand anonymous website visitors might fail to capture these distinctions and identify human visitors’ true behavior and preferences. You could also violate privacy regulations while trying to gather useful information, creating severe penalties for your business. You should choose a solution with features that can provide you with the needed information while also maintaining the privacy of your visitors.

This article explores traditional methods for identifying anonymous website visitors and reveals modern eCommerce store and website visitor identification techniques.

Summary of anonymous website identification

Here’s a table summarizing the website visitor identification methods covered in this article.

Traditional website visitor tracking

Let’s start by reviewing the traditional methods used to identify anonymous website visitors.

Website analytics

Using website analytics through tools like Google Analytics is the simplest method for tracking anonymous website visitors. Whenever someone visits your website, Google Analytics assigns a unique identifier, often a cookie, to track their interaction. This process is performed via a JavaScript tag that generates cookies. These cookies start storing information in the user’s browser, and whenever the visitor returns using the same browser and device, it gets recognized by Google Analytics.

Effectiveness

This method allows you to collect macro-level information such as the number of unique visitors, their geographic locations, devices used, and behavior (e.g., pages viewed or session duration).

Google Analytics also tracks sessions: groups of interactions a visitor has with your website within a specific timeframe. This feature specifically helps understand user engagement without identifying individuals.

Limitations

Website analytics is greatly helpful in some areas, but it still cannot identify who the visitors are and what they intend to do. Even with advanced features, most of the visitors will remain anonymous. Specifically:

• This method might not be accurate for returning users if they used incognito mode, cleared their cache/cookies, or accessed the site through a different browser or device while browsing.
• You can identify specific patterns in user behavior, but the system cannot provide you with personally identifiable information (PII).
• Since the method relies on cookies, there can be gaps in accurately tracking returning visitors over an extended period.

Outbound email forms

We all get outbound email forms, often after making a purchase, asking us to sign up for a newsletter, fill out a feedback survey, etc. These forms are a great tactic used by eCommerce businesses to capture user information and link it to their user interaction with the website.

When visitors land on your site, tracking tools such as cookies or pixels monitor their activities. These activities include pages viewed, buttons clicked, and session duration. At that point, the visitor remains anonymous. However, when the anonymous visitor receives an outbound email form, it asks the user to provide a name and email address. This is where an anonymous visit transforms into identifiable tracking.

Once visitors submit the form, CRM systems or marketing platforms like HubSpot or Salesforce link the visitor’s email with their last anonymous interaction tracked through cookies. At this time, every previous and future activity is connected to the user’s identity. The information gathered here can now be processed further to run targeted email campaigns, deliver personalized content, or employ automated workflows based on user’s behavior and preferences.

Effectiveness

Email forms are highly effective if your visitors are already engaged or interested in your content or products. Since your users willingly submit the form, they’re more likely to convert into leads or customers, and the data you collect through forms—specifically, email addresses—is reliable. This leads to precise identification, enabling personalized marketing efforts.

This method also allows for long-term tracking because, once identified, your user’s whole journey can be tracked. This will help you provide targeted content, automated follow-ups, and a seamless user experience. Furthermore, combining this data with behavioral analysis increases your ROI for marketing campaigns because your content and offers are more tailored.

Limitations

Keep the following in mind:

• Your visitors must voluntarily fill out the form to get the needed information. Many visitors leave your site without providing any information, causing you to lose potential leads.
• Your ability to track anonymous visitors and personalize content is limited until a visitor fills the form. Pre-form submission behavior remains anonymous, so you might miss out on what attracted them in the first place.
• More users are adopting privacy measures such as browser cookie blocking and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) restrictions, which makes it challenging to track individual activity before submission.
• If the user visits your site from multiple devices before submitting the form, you may not be able to consistently track their activity.
• Users may use fake data or disposable emails, limiting the effectiveness of your identification and follow-up efforts.

Third-party sign-ins

“Sign in with Google”—you must have seen this phrase while logging into a site. Third-party signups, also called social logins, use trusted platforms like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft for authentication.

In this method, when anonymous visitors click on the option to log in using a third-party service, they are redirected to the third party’s authentication page. The third-party provider, such as Google or Facebook, asks the visitor to grant permission for the website to access specific data. The data usually includes a profile picture, user name, email address, etc.

The visitor must specifically provide consent for the information to be shared. Once it’s done, the third party verifies the user’s identity and passes the information back to your website. Your website receives the data and quickly identifies the visitor without requiring them to complete any forms.

From there onward, you can attach cookie tracking to your website to analyze the user’s data and behavior. When signing in, the user’s IP address is also automatically collected. You can combine the IP address, email information, and cookies to strengthen your identification and tracking process across sessions and devices.

Effectiveness

Third-party logins are highly effective because they simplify the process, making it easier for users to log in with just a click. This convenience increases conversion rates and provides verified data like valid email addresses. The risks of receiving fake data or incomplete registration also decrease. The login process is frictional, adding to the enhanced user experience and encouraging repeated visitors and higher engagement.

Limitations

There are some potential drawbacks:

• Users might hesitate to share personal data with third parties or websites due to privacy concerns.
• Your website relies on an external source, making you vulnerable if there are policy changes.
• You have limited control over your data.
• If users lose access to their third-party accounts, you’ll also lose access to them.
• Not all users have accounts with the same third-party providers as yours, leading to a lack of universal coverage.

Cookie tracking

Cookies are small text files your site places on a visitor’s browser when they land on your website. This cookie has a unique identifier to track visitors' behavior across your site. When the visitor browses your website, a cookie records the behavior, such as pages viewed, time spent, clicks, and other interactions.

The data gathered builds a profile of visitors’ interests and behavior. If a visitor returns, the cookie instantly recognizes it even though the visitor hasn’t provided any information, like an email address.

Based on the data, you can show visitors content similar to what they previously viewed through ads and recommendations. Additionally, cookies can be used for retargeting campaigns to visitors who left the site without converting by showing them ads for the site on other platforms. This will remind them to come back and complete the desired action.

Effectiveness

Cookie tracking effectively recognizes returning visitors, leading to a seamless and personalized user experience without the hassle of logging in or providing personal information. Since it tracks detailed user behavior across sessions, the insights can be used to tailor your marketing campaigns and optimize content. You can attract visitors who showed interest in your products but didn’t convert well.

Limitations

There are several limitations to this method:

• Many users implement cookie blockers, which can reduce the effectiveness of cookie tracking.
• Some cookies have a short lifespan and may get deleted if the user closes the browser. This makes it challenging to track users over a long period.
• Cookies are tied to a specific browser and device. The visits may not be linked if your visitor comes by again using a different browser or device or without logging in.
• Third-party cookies are becoming less effective due to browsers being more privacy-focused and increased use of ad blockers. This makes it harder to track anonymous users across different sites accurately.
• When given the option to accept or reject the cookies, users usually do not accept them.
• If a user deletes their cache, all the cookies on their browser also get deleted.
• If the user uses the browser’s incognito mode, it will not save any cookies.

IP address tracking

An IP address is a unique tag your internet service provider (ISP) assigns to your network when accessing the internet. When someone visits your website, their IP address gets logged as their device reaches out to the server. Besides the IP address, other details—such as visiting time, pages viewed, and session duration—are also saved.

The IP address helps you identify the visitor’s approximate geographic location, including details like country, city, or even neighborhood. If the IP address is linked to a business rather than an individual, you can even get details about the company. This information is useful, especially in B2B marketing, because it lets the site tailor content specifically for those businesses.

You can use IP address and cross-session tracking to understand users’ online behavior and link it to personal data. Connecting the IP address with the visitor’s personal data allows you to transform an anonymous profile into an identified one.

Effectiveness

This method helps with general location identification, behavior tracking, returning visitor identification, and business identification. In short, it can be used to convert individuals and businesses alike.

Limitations

Here are some of the limitations of this method:

• IP address sharing is highly common, such as in-home networks and public hotspots. Multiple users often share a single IP address which makes it challenging to identify individual users based solely on this information.
• ISPs often use dynamic IP addresses, which change periodically, complicating long-term tracking efforts.
• Users who use VPNs or protected browsers can mask their IP addresses, which hinders tracking.

Live chats

Live chats enable real-time communication between visitors and support representatives on your website. When a visitor initiates a chat, the live chat software captures their IP address and associated information, such as their geographic location or pages viewed.

By monitoring the chat interaction, you can understand your visitors’ interests and concerns based on the questions or information they seek. This approach also allows you to track user sessions, providing details about how visitors navigate your site before reaching out for assistance. You can assess whether the visitor ends up converting after having the chat. This information is valuable in understanding their behavior and shows how effective your live chat is.

Effectiveness

Live chat is good at identifying anonymous visitors, but success depends on visitor engagement. Through live chat interaction, you’ll capture key data like IP address, geographic location, and browsing behavior. This information clarifies who the visitor might be even if they haven’t logged in. Additionally, the conversation informs you about the visitor’s needs and interests, which can be used to personalize their experience and offer a tailored solution.

Limitations

Live chat has a few restrictions:

• Not all your visitors will initiate a chat, so insights may be limited to those who choose to engage.
• The quality and effectiveness of the chat experience can vary based on your representative’s knowledge and expertise.
• If the chat is brief or lacks depth, there might be insufficient data to identify visitors and their behavior.
• Technical issues can arise in the live chat systems and may result in missed opportunities.

Summary of limitations, challenges, and privacy of traditional methods

While following traditional methods for anonymous website visitor identification, you may face these privacy implications;

Although website analytics tools collect data anonymously, data aggregation, cookie tracking, third-party tracking, and data breaches are still risks. For example, when individual data points are aggregated, they may reveal patterns and trends that could potentially identify specific users. Similarly, tools that rely on third-party scripts may be vulnerable to data breaches or misuse if not carefully selected and monitored. It’s important to always obtain user consent, use privacy-focused analytics tools, and implement strong data privacy policies.

Since many tracking methods rely on cookies and pixel tracking, you can face data privacy and consent issues. Laws like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) require websites to inform users about their data collection practices and obtain their consent before using or storing their personal information. Additionally, some users uncomfortable with sharing their actual information may provide fake information to protect their privacy, leading to poor-quality data.

Using third parties to manage data also raises security risks, especially if the third-party provider suffers a data breach. This can lead to identity theft or unauthorized access to personal information. Additionally, your users may not fully understand how or why their data is being gathered, creating uninformed consent issues. Transparent communication about your data collection practices is essential for maintaining trust.

Furthermore, tracking IP addresses can have severe privacy implications if combined with other data because it might lead to identifying individuals without their consent. Additionally, your users might not realize that their IP addresses are being logged and tracked and for what reason. Laws like GDPR consider IP addresses' personal data, so handling this information securely and transparently is essential.

The diagram below summarizes the challenges of utilizing traditional visitor identification methods.

Summary of limitations and challenges of traditional visitor tracking methods

New techniques in visitor identification

Having examined the traditional approaches, let’s move on to modern options for identifying anonymous visitors to your website.

Browser fingerprinting

Browser fingerprinting is an advanced technique for unmasking anonymous website visitors. In this method, you begin by collecting and analyzing specific details about your user’s browser. For example, you can gather detailed information like the browser type, version, operating system, screen resolution, installed fonts, and time zone. Once this data is collected, it is combined to create a unique fingerprint for the visitor.

Since the combination is often distinctive, your website can identify visitors even if they are anonymous, haven’t logged in, or use incognito mode. Furthermore, once you create a fingerprint, it will instantly recognize a visitor across multiple sessions. Even if they return later, clear their cookies, or switch IP addresses, the fingerprint remains identical or similar enough to recognize them.

Effectiveness

Browser fingerprinting is quite effective. It creates a unique profile based on a combination of browser and device characteristics that can be difficult for users to alter. This makes it a powerful tool for tracking and identifying visitors who prefer to remain anonymous

Limitations

Ordinary browser fingerprinting solutions may not unmask visitors who do the following:

• Use a privacy-focused browser
• Change browser settings
• Use tools like anti-fingerprinting browser extensions

In addition, creating and storing these fingerprints requires sophisticated technology

Device fingerprinting

With device fingerprinting, you identify and track devices based on their specific attributes and configurations. When a user visits your website, your site collects various details about their device, such as device type (smartphone, tablet, or laptop), operating system and version, browser type and version, screen resolution and color depth, installed fonts and plugins, time zone, and language setting. The collected data is used to create a unique fingerprint for the device, similar to the process used in browser fingerprinting.

Once the fingerprint is ready, it tracks the device across sessions and websites. Each device has a distinct combination of attributes, which makes it possible to identify and differentiate it from others. This method works even when the cookies are cleared or the network is changed.

Effectiveness

The uniqueness of fingerprints allows your website to identify devices with high accuracy. Unlike cookies, device fingerprints remain stable over time, bringing consistent results. Additionally, this method facilitates cross-site tracking, giving you a broader understanding of user behavior even if they switch networks.

Many users may not be aware that their device attributes are being collected, so it’s difficult for them to take steps to avoid identification. Additionally, with device fingerprinting, even privacy-focused browsers and tools will not help retain anonymity.

Limitations

If the user decides to change their device or update the operating system or browser, the fingerprint might change, causing a loss of identification.

If devices are shared or public computers are used, multiple users may create overlapping fingerprints that complicate identification.

Privacy concerns with fingerprint-based visitor identification methods

A significant privacy concern with ordinary fingerprinting methods is their ability to monitor users without explicit consent or awareness, which violates privacy regulations like GDPR. These tracking techniques rely on data often beyond the user's control, making it difficult for them to opt-out or manage their privacy effectively. This invasive nature of tracking can lead to feelings of constant surveillance and mistrust, prompting ethical considerations regarding how businesses handle personal information.

Since these methods use visitors' personal data, which is protected by regulations such as GDPR, companies must comply with legal requirements to ensure responsible data management.

Essential features of an effective anonymous visitor identification tool

An ideal anonymous visitor identification tool should overcome the limitations of traditional methods and basic fingerprinting to accurately identify anonymous website visitors across multiple sessions while remaining compliant with privacy regulations. It should offer the following features.

Combining these features creates a robust tool for identifying anonymous visitors on your website. Having these features in a single tool is key to converting anonymous visitors without compromising privacy. PhotonIQ Fingerprint is a unique modern offering that delivers anonymous visitor tracking and meets key criteria.

PhotonIQ Fingerprint

PhotonIQ Fingerprint enables you to identify your eCommerce store visitors accurately. This AI/ML-powered tool stands out for its 99.5% accuracy rate, making it a game-changer for your business if you want an approach focused on combating fraud, boosting security, and driving conversions.

PhotonIQ Fingerprint leverages exceptional 99.5% visitor accuracy powered by AI/ML models that operate at scale.

PhotonIQ Fingerprint links browser fingerprints to individual devices and effectively turns your anonymous traffic into actionable insights. This tool differs from the rest because it follows a dual-component approach: a client-side agent that operates in the user’s browser and server-side code that works in the background. This combination ensures reliable identification across different devices and browsers, offering a secure, privacy-focused alternative to traditional tracking methods.

Last thoughts

By analyzing anonymous visitors’ online behavior, you can entice them with targeted promotions, strengthen your personalized eCommerce strategies, and drive more sales. Developing strategies to identify the same visitor across multiple sessions is essential. This enables personalized targeting and the correlation of behavior over time, leading to more effective marketing campaigns and a deeper understanding of customer preferences. These valuable insights can guide your future business decisions, improve your marketing strategies, and help you make your eCommerce store more profitable.

Choosing the right tool isn’t just about solving a problem but demonstrating a commitment to ethical practices and customer privacy. Businesses can enhance security and drive conversions without compromising trust by selecting a solution like PhotonIQ Fingerprint, which combines advanced technology with a focus on visitor privacy.

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