URL overflow with huge repeated set of _gl and _ga info added to url

Thanks for reaching out @pro450. These additional URL parameters which you highlighted are as a result of cross domain tracking with Google Analytics, typically used to ensure variations of your site URL are attributed to the same Analytics property. It’s common for users of sites with language variations, subdomains using the same Analytics property, or AMP users who have a canonical (non AMP) and an AMP version. In your case, as you are using a help subdomain for your site, this is normal.

You’ll find more information on this below:
https://developers.google.com/tag-platform/devguides/cross-domain.

Note also that these additional parameter may be set up from within your Google Analytics configurations, without using Site Kit. You can also check for any configurations at Analytics level.

If you need further assistance checking your Analytics configurations from analytics.google.com, for any cross domain tracking configurations, you can reach out at the Google Analytics Help Center, where the product experts would have more insights than we have here in Site Kit plugin support.

Let me know if you have any questions with the above.

No problem @pro450, happy to assist.

I just want to make sure I have communicated correctly. You said “In your case, as you are using a help subdomain for your site, this is normal.” But the “help” subdomain is not our site

You may not be in control of help.iacommunityhub.org, however, it’s this site URL is a subdomain of your own site that you do have access to (iacommunityhub.org). Using query parameters is how Google Analytics tracks users across a domain and it’s subdomains or alternate versions (ie. Language based, AMP version).

Otherwise, do you mean that everyone who uses Analytics (with no configuration) and has a subdomain that is not the same Analytics property will have this overflow problem that makes the links to the subdomain malfunction?

With the regards the “overflow problem” or “malfunction” reference are you encountering any issue with the mentioned link on your site, other than the query _ga or _gl paramater? I tried to click on the link and it’s not accessible for me unfortunately. This may be based on my geolocation. Other than this let me know if you noticed anything wrong with the link. As mentioned the query paramaters don’t indicate any issue.

Just as a quickfix, is there a way to specify a link so that Site Kit will ignore it?

What you can do if you wish, is manually add your own Analytics snippet as opposed to using Site Kit. A manually added Analytics snippet may not include the “Linker” reference which you’ll see in this guide, which related to cross domain tracking (see this guide). From discussing cross domain tracking with the team previously, it may be also possible to disable or configure cross domain tracking preferences at Analytics level.

Site Kit can also show data based on a connected Analytics property without placing any Analytics code. Users are free to insert their own code (without the “linker” reference) and Site Kit can still use this to display Analytics data within the plugin dashboard.

Just as a quickfix, is there a way to specify a link so that Site Kit will ignore it?

It’s not Site Kit that adds the query parameters, it’s how Google Analytics measures visits across subdomains. The product experts over at the Analytics Help Center may be able to assist with any cross domain configurations at Analytics level.

While cross domain tracking isn’t indicative of any issue we do also have a filter that can be used to modify the Site Kit placed Analytics snippet. If you wish I can check this with the team and see if setting the “linker” value to none will ensure no cross domain tracking is applied. Let me know if you wish for me to do this and I’ll have an update for you this week.

Thanks for the update @pro450. The long characters are normal when cross domain tracking is active are common.

You are not seeing the problem because I disabled Site Kit and switched to another plugin and it fixes the problem.

As mentioned cross domain tracking and passing Google Analytics visits across variations of domains isn’t indicative of any issue.

You are not seeing the problem because I disabled Site Kit and switched to another plugin and it fixes the problem.

Glad to hear that another solution works for you in this case. You can still use Site Kit without the plugin placing the Analytics snippet if you wish to view Analytics data from the plugin dashboard.

I’m not sure why findhelp is blocked for you. If you’re in the US, try to go to findhelp.com. I’m curious.

Unfortunately it remains blocked. Not a problem however if all is working as expected with Analytics for you. I am happy also to assist if you do wish to use Site Kit once more, wither with your other Analytics plugin (and Site Kit not placing the snippet) or with a custom function to ensure the “Linker” value is not set.