What Are Click IDs: gclid, gbraid, wbraid, fbclid and oppref?
Click IDs are platform-provided references carried in a landing URL after an ad interaction.
They help an advertising platform match a later conversion to that interaction. Google uses gclid and the braid parameters gbraid and wbraid; Meta uses fbclid; OpenAI uses oppref. They are separate from UTM campaign labels, browser identifiers and order IDs.
- Google uses
- gclidgbraidwbraid
- Meta uses
- fbclid
- OpenAI uses
- oppref
Daniil Maximkin Published Reviewed
- In practice
Which value belongs to which platform?
- gclid is the Google Click Identifier captured from an ad landing URL.
- gbraid is Google’s URL parameter for a web ad leading to an iOS app; wbraid covers an ad in an iOS app leading to a web page. Keep the field name with the value; do not rename a braid value to gclid.
- fbclid is Meta’s click reference. Meta’s parameter builder reads it and retains a corresponding
_fbccookie; the Conversions API receives thefbcparameter. - oppref is OpenAI’s opaque attribution reference for ChatGPT Ads. Its Conversions API does not capture it automatically: the sender must pass the original string unchanged when available.
These fields are not interchangeable. I keep each under its own name through the landing page, lead record and conversion sender.
- In practice
Where do click IDs get lost?
I check redirects first: a destination URL rebuilt without its query string can discard the reference before the landing page reads it. Then I check URL cleanup scripts, links to another domain, and whether the form actually passes the captured field to the backend.
A value can reach the browser and still be absent from the CRM record or server event. Storage and collection also depend on the visitor’s consent and browser behaviour. A missing value is a gap to record, not a reason to invent one.
- Not to be confused with
Not to be confused with Is not Is UTM campaign labels, browser identifiers and order IDs platform-provided references carried in a landing URL after an ad interaction UTMs describe campaigns. Click references support platform matching. Neither is a GA4
client_idor a purchasetransaction_id. Keeping a reference does not guarantee attribution: the platform still applies its matching rules and conversion window. - Where to check
How do I check the handoff?
- In a test environment, trace the landing URL through every redirect. Check which parameter survives; keep real click references out of shared screenshots and logs.
- Check the consent state and the integration’s permitted storage. Confirm the captured value survives navigation to the next page.
- Inspect a test form’s payload and backend record. Check the field name as well as its value.
- Inspect the prepared conversion payload and platform diagnostics. A saved reference alone does not prove an attributed conversion.
- Sources
