how i track scroll depth without cookies

Yaduvanshi, an 18-year-old applied AI developer, has created Cloudline, a cookieless alternative to Google Analytics. This single script tag, under 2KB, tracks visitor behavior without storing IPs or using cookies. To report that a visitor scrolled 75% of the page, one must identify the same visitor across scroll events. The traditional solution involves a cookie, but Yaduvanshi devised another method.

Scroll depth is a challenging problem to solve. Browser events are inexpensive, firing for free, but the real challenge lies in connecting multiple scroll events to a single visit. Most tools use a session ID in a cookie to accomplish this. However, removing the cookie breaks this connection, presenting the core problem.

One can simplify the analysis of scroll depth. For each pageview, Cloudline reports the deepest point reached, categorized into four buckets: 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%. Regardless of the reader, this metric reflects the point of attention drop rather than how deeply the reader scrolled.

Cloudline's cookieless version involves logging a pageview with four pieces of information: the page itself, the referrer, screen size, and the time. The deepest scroll mark is recorded alongside the pageview. The browser already knows how far it has scrolled, so the bucket number is the only piece of data transmitted. No visitor-specific data is stored, as it's unnecessary.

Interpreting the numbers requires understanding the context. A significant cliff between 50 and 75% on a lengthy post indicates that the middle content is difficult to follow. On a pricing page with no clicks, a 100% scroll depth suggests that visitors saw the price but left. Low numbers on short pages indicate that the page ends quickly, making the metric less informative.

To optimize content, Cloudline suggests checking the biggest drop between buckets on each page. This information can guide where to revise or rewrite paragraph content. Despite its simplicity, scroll depth is not a foolproof method for distinguishing reading from skimming, nor does it explain why someone stopped. Given its shortcoming on short pages, the numbers should be treated as individual data points rather than comprehensive insights.

Cloudline is currently free for early adopters, and Yaduvanshi continues to develop this cookieless analytics solution. For more information, visit https://trycloudline.space.