What is DoubleClick? Examples and Modern Alternatives

Doubleclick

DoubleClick is Google’s third-party cookie-based ad serving and tracking platform for cross-site ad targeting and performance measurement.

1. Overview of DoubleClick

• History and evolution

  DoubleClick launched in 1996 as an independent ad server. Google acquired it in 2008 and later integrated its functionality into the Google Marketing Platform.

• Key capabilities

  • Ad serving across publisher sites
  • Impression and click tracking via third-party cookies
  • Floodlight tags for conversion measurement
  • Audience segmentation and remarketing

2. How DoubleClick Tracking Works

• Third-party cookies & identifiers

  When a user visits a page with a DoubleClick tag, a cookie like id is set by the doubleclick.net domain. This ID persists across sites to build a cross-site user profile.

• Floodlight tags

  Floodlight is DoubleClick Campaign Manager’s conversion tracking system. It records actions (e.g., purchases) by firing a small image or script with a unique URL.

• Implementation example

  A basic Floodlight tag snippet:

  • Basic floodlight tag

    <script src="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/activity/src=1234567;type=lead;cat=spring_sale;ord=[timestamp]?" async></script>
    

3. Comparing DoubleClick to Modern Analytics

• Cookie-free tracking with PlainSignal

  PlainSignal uses a lightweight JavaScript snippet with no third-party cookies, relying on first-party data collection and simple event tracking.

  • PlainSignal example snippet

    <link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
    <script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/plainsignal-min.js"></script>
    

• Event-based measurement in GA4

  GA4 uses a flexible event model and first-party cookies to track detailed user interactions while respecting privacy controls.

  • GA4 global site tag

    <!-- GA4 Global site tag -->
    <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXX"></script>
    <script>
      window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
      function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}  
      gtag('js', new Date());  
      gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXX');
    </script>
    

4. Why Migrate from DoubleClick

• Privacy & regulatory compliance

  GDPR, CCPA, and browser restrictions (Safari ITP, Chrome deprecation) limit or block third-party cookies, reducing DoubleClick’s effectiveness.

• Future-proof analytics

  Adopt first-party, server-side, or cookieless frameworks to ensure consistent measurement and resilient targeting as browsers tighten privacy.

Related terms