# Causes of Tracking Loss

Tracking loss is calculated as the difference between *initiated clicks* (the number of clicks on tracking links) and *attributable clicks* (the number of times users successfully arrived on landing pages). There are multiple reasons for tracking loss, some of which can be identified and controlled, and others which can be expected but should still be acknowledged.

The [Tracking Efficacy report](https://help.impact.com/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/tracking/tracking-efficacy/tracking-efficacy-report) can give you an overview of tracking loss in your programs.

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<summary>Controllable causes</summary>

| Reason                            | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Ad Blockers                       | Users who make use of ad blockers or privacy extensions can block tracking tags and prevent them from loading on their device, so their activity can't be tracked. This limitation doesn't apply to server-side tracking methodologies, which collect data from the website’s servers rather than the user's device.                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| Lack of User Consent              | Increasingly, users have the option to decline tracking due to privacy concerns and regulations. If a user hasn't provided consent for tracking, their data can't be collected, which leads to gaps in the overall tracking data. Expect to see a lower tracking efficacy for regions which have implemented consent controls. Note that in some cases, partners may be tracked under legitimate interest without explicit consent required. Check that you are accounting for partner type in your consent management platform. |
| Tracking Integration Issues       | Issues with the impact.com integration may include: slow loading of tags, page-level errors, the persistence of query string parameters, tag implementation issues, and website changes following validation, among other possibilities.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Conditional Execution of Tracking | Conditionally executing tracking scripts on your landing pages can affect the tracking efficacy score if you are not loading the UTT or making a Page Load API request for every landing page following a click from an impact.com tracking link. The recommended implementation is to execute tracking for all pages of your website/app for all users.                                                                                                                                                                         |

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<details>

<summary>Uncontrollable causes</summary>

| Reason              | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Bounces             | When a user rapidly leaves or 'bounces' from a landing page, the tracking tags may not have enough time to load and capture the necessary user data before the user navigates away.                                                                                                     |
| Non-human Traffic   | Invalid clicks can be generated by bots — automated programs designed to mimic human behavior, which often generate false impressions and click data. impact.com filters out some clicks from the calculation that originate from data centers, but more sophisticated bots may remain. |
| User Latency Issues | Slow user connection speeds or server response times can lead to tracking issues. If the user’s connection is slow, tracking tags might not load before they navigate away from the page.                                                                                               |

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