Overview
Cross-domain tracking enables Quora Pixel to maintain user identification and attribution across multiple domains in your conversion funnel. This is essential for:
- Main website to separate checkout domain
- Multiple country-specific domains
- Third-party payment processors
- Subdomain tracking (www vs app)
Quora Cookie Behavior
Quora Pixel uses third-party cookies for user tracking:
- Cookie Name:
_quora_token,qp_uid - Domain:
.quora.com(third-party) - Expiration: 90 days (default)
- Purpose: User identification and attribution
Deploy Same Pixel Across Domains
The simplest approach is deploying the same Quora Pixel on all domains:
<!-- Domain A: www.example.com -->
<script>
!function(q,e,v,n,t,s){if(q.qp) return; n=q.qp=function(){n.qp?n.qp.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);}; n.queue=[];t=document.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v; s=document.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s);}(window, 'script', 'https://a.quora.com/qevents.js');
qp('init', 'PIXEL_ID');
qp('track', 'ViewContent');
</script>
<!-- Domain B: checkout.example.com -->
<!-- Use the SAME pixel ID -->
<script>
!function(q,e,v,n,t,s){if(q.qp) return; n=q.qp=function(){n.qp?n.qp.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);}; n.queue=[];t=document.createElement(e);t.async=!0;t.src=v; s=document.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s);}(window, 'script', 'https://a.quora.com/qevents.js');
qp('init', 'PIXEL_ID');
qp('track', 'ViewContent');
</script>
First-Party Cookie Fallback
For browsers with third-party cookie restrictions:
Set First-Party Cookie
function setQuoraFirstPartyCookie(userId) {
const expiryDays = 90;
const date = new Date();
date.setTime(date.getTime() + (expiryDays * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000));
const expires = "expires=" + date.toUTCString();
// Use leading dot for subdomain sharing
document.cookie = "quora_user_id=" + userId + ";" + expires + ";path=/;domain=.example.com;SameSite=Lax;Secure";
}
function getQuoraFirstPartyCookie() {
const name = "quora_user_id=";
const decodedCookie = decodeURIComponent(document.cookie);
const cookieArray = decodedCookie.split(';');
for (let i = 0; i < cookieArray.length; i++) {
let cookie = cookieArray[i].trim();
if (cookie.indexOf(name) === 0) {
return cookie.substring(name.length, cookie.length);
}
}
return null;
}
// Generate or retrieve user ID
function getOrCreateUserId() {
let userId = getQuoraFirstPartyCookie();
if (!userId) {
userId = 'user_' + Date.now() + '_' + Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 9);
setQuoraFirstPartyCookie(userId);
}
return userId;
}
// Use in Quora events
const userId = getOrCreateUserId();
qp('track', 'Purchase', {
'value': '99.99',
'currency': 'USD',
'order_id': 'ORDER_12345',
'external_id': userId // Pass as custom parameter
});
Subdomain Tracking
For subdomains under the same root domain:
Cookie Configuration
// Set cookie for all subdomains
function setSharedCookie(name, value) {
const expiryDays = 90;
const date = new Date();
date.setTime(date.getTime() + (expiryDays * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000));
const expires = "expires=" + date.toUTCString();
// Leading dot allows subdomain sharing
document.cookie = name + "=" + value + ";" + expires + ";path=/;domain=.example.com;SameSite=Lax;Secure";
}
Subdomain Examples
www.example.com → domain=.example.com
app.example.com → domain=.example.com
checkout.example.com → domain=.example.com
URL Parameter Passing
Pass user identifier across domains via URL:
Append User ID to Links
function appendQuoraId(url) {
const quoraUserId = getQuoraFirstPartyCookie();
if (quoraUserId) {
const separator = url.indexOf('?') > -1 ? '&' : '?';
url += separator + 'quid=' + encodeURIComponent(quoraUserId);
}
return url;
}
// Apply to cross-domain links
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
const crossDomainLinks = document.querySelectorAll('a[href*="checkout.example.com"]');
crossDomainLinks.forEach(function(link) {
link.addEventListener('click', function(e) {
this.href = appendQuoraId(this.href);
});
});
});
Extract User ID from URL
// On destination domain
function extractQuoraId() {
const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
const quoraUserId = urlParams.get('quid');
if (quoraUserId) {
setQuoraFirstPartyCookie(quoraUserId);
}
}
// Call on page load
extractQuoraId();
Form Field Injection
For forms submitting to another domain:
function injectQuoraIdIntoForm(formElement) {
const quoraUserId = getQuoraFirstPartyCookie();
if (quoraUserId) {
const hiddenField = document.createElement('input');
hiddenField.type = 'hidden';
hiddenField.name = 'quid';
hiddenField.value = quoraUserId;
formElement.appendChild(hiddenField);
}
}
// Apply to forms
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function() {
const forms = document.querySelectorAll('form[action*="checkout.example.com"]');
forms.forEach(function(form) {
form.addEventListener('submit', function(e) {
injectQuoraIdIntoForm(this);
});
});
});
Server-Side Cross-Domain Handling
Node.js Implementation
const express = require('express');
const app = express();
app.get('/checkout', (req, res) => {
// Extract Quora user ID from URL or cookie
const quoraUserId = req.query.quid || req.cookies.quora_user_id;
if (quoraUserId) {
res.cookie('quora_user_id', quoraUserId, {
maxAge: 90 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000, // 90 days
domain: '.example.com',
httpOnly: false,
sameSite: 'lax',
secure: true
});
}
res.render('checkout', {
quoraUserId: quoraUserId
});
});
Python/Flask Implementation
from flask import Flask, request, make_response, render_template
app = Flask(__name__)
@app.route('/checkout')
def checkout():
# Extract Quora user ID
quora_user_id = request.args.get('quid') or request.cookies.get('quora_user_id')
response = make_response(render_template('checkout.html', quora_user_id=quora_user_id))
if quora_user_id:
response.set_cookie(
'quora_user_id',
quora_user_id,
max_age=90 * 24 * 60 * 60,
domain='.example.com',
httponly=False,
samesite='Lax',
secure=True
)
return response
Third-Party Payment Processors
For payment processors like PayPal, Stripe:
Pre-Redirect Tracking
function trackBeforePaymentRedirect(orderData) {
// Fire Quora pixel before redirect
qp('track', 'Generic', {
'event_name': 'begin_checkout',
'value': orderData.value,
'currency': 'USD',
'order_id': orderData.orderId
});
// Store order ID for post-return tracking
sessionStorage.setItem('quora_order_id', orderData.orderId);
sessionStorage.setItem('quora_order_value', orderData.value);
// Delay redirect to ensure pixel fires
setTimeout(function() {
window.location.href = orderData.paymentUrl;
}, 500);
}
Post-Return Conversion
// On return URL: /order-confirmation
function trackPaymentReturn() {
const orderId = sessionStorage.getItem('quora_order_id');
const orderValue = sessionStorage.getItem('quora_order_value');
if (orderId && orderValue) {
qp('track', 'Purchase', {
'value': orderValue,
'currency': 'USD',
'order_id': orderId
});
// Clear stored data
sessionStorage.removeItem('quora_order_id');
sessionStorage.removeItem('quora_order_value');
}
}
// Call on confirmation page
if (window.location.pathname === '/order-confirmation') {
trackPaymentReturn();
}
Multiple Top-Level Domains
For separate TLDs (e.g., example.com, example.co.uk):
LocalStorage Synchronization
// Store in localStorage for cross-domain access
function storeQuoraIdGlobally(userId) {
if (typeof localStorage !== 'undefined') {
localStorage.setItem('quora_global_user_id', userId);
localStorage.setItem('quora_global_timestamp', Date.now().toString());
}
}
// Retrieve and sync
function syncQuoraIdAcrossDomains() {
if (typeof localStorage !== 'undefined') {
const globalUserId = localStorage.getItem('quora_global_user_id');
const timestamp = localStorage.getItem('quora_global_timestamp');
// Check if ID is recent (within 90 days)
const ninetyDaysMs = 90 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
const now = Date.now();
if (globalUserId && timestamp && (now - parseInt(timestamp)) < ninetyDaysMs) {
setQuoraFirstPartyCookie(globalUserId);
return globalUserId;
}
}
return null;
}
// Sync on page load
const syncedId = syncQuoraIdAcrossDomains();
if (!syncedId) {
const newId = getOrCreateUserId();
storeQuoraIdGlobally(newId);
}
Testing Cross-Domain Tracking
Browser Developer Tools
function testQuoraCrossDomain() {
console.log('=== Quora Cross-Domain Test ===');
// Check Quora cookies
const cookies = document.cookie.split(';').filter(c => c.includes('quora'));
console.log('Quora Cookies:', cookies);
// Check first-party cookie
const fpCookie = getQuoraFirstPartyCookie();
console.log('First-Party Cookie:', fpCookie);
// Check localStorage
if (typeof localStorage !== 'undefined') {
console.log('LocalStorage ID:', localStorage.getItem('quora_global_user_id'));
}
// Check URL parameters
const urlParams = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
console.log('URL quid parameter:', urlParams.get('quid'));
console.log('===================================');
}
testQuoraCrossDomain();
Network Tab Verification
- Open Developer Tools → Network tab
- Filter by "quora"
- Click cross-domain link
- Verify requests to
a.quora.comorq.quora.com - Check cookie headers
Privacy Considerations
GDPR Compliance
// Only fire pixels with consent
function fireQuoraPixelWithConsent(eventName, eventData) {
if (window.gdprConsent && window.gdprConsent.advertising) {
qp('track', eventName, eventData);
} else {
console.log('Quora pixel blocked - no consent');
}
}
Detect Third-Party Cookie Support
function detectThirdPartyCookieSupport(callback) {
// Simple test: try to set and read a third-party cookie
const testCookie = 'quora_3p_test=1; path=/; SameSite=None; Secure';
document.cookie = testCookie;
const supported = document.cookie.includes('quora_3p_test');
if (!supported) {
console.log('Third-party cookies blocked - using first-party fallback');
}
callback(supported);
}
detectThirdPartyCookieSupport(function(supported) {
if (!supported) {
// Implement first-party cookie strategy
const userId = getOrCreateUserId();
console.log('Using first-party user ID:', userId);
}
});
Best Practices
- Deploy same Quora Pixel ID across all domains
- Use first-party cookies as fallback for third-party restrictions
- Pass user identifiers via URL for critical cross-domain flows
- Fire pixels before redirects to third-party processors
- Test cross-domain tracking in all browsers (especially Safari)
- Implement consent management before setting cookies
- Document your cross-domain setup for team reference
- Monitor pixel firing across all domains
- Use server-side tracking for critical conversions
- Regularly audit cross-domain tracking after site updates