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Browsing Session Conditions

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Qtip: If you don’t have access to any of the features described on this page, reach out to your Account Executive. For more information about the differences between Digital Feedback and CustomerXM for Digital, see Digital Feedback vs. CustomerXM for Digital.

About Browsing Session Conditions

Browsing Session conditions allow you to target visitors based on their website behavior. For example, you could provide a feedback survey to visitors who have visited at least three pages of your site, or you could show a coupon to visitors on the shopping cart page.

Browsing Session Conditions in the logic of an intercept

Qtip: If you would like your intercept to display all the time, remove action set and targeting logic. For more information, visit Optimizing Intercept Targeting Logic.

Current URL

With Current URL, you can target visitors’ browsing activity based on a specific page or set of pages on your website. This is perhaps the most common targeting criteria.

To Create a Current URL Condition

  1. On either the intercept targeting-level or the action set-level, add logic.
    The Add Intercept Display Logic button to the top-left of all action sets, and the Change/Add Logic button inside each and every action set
  2. You’ll notice that Current URL is the default condition. If you are editing an existing condition, select Browsing Conditions, and then select Current URL.
    The first field says Current URL. The second field says Contains and has a dropdown to show other options
  3. Choose how you would like to target your value. Here are some commonly used options:
    Is
    Target if the visitor is on a specific page. You will enter an entire URL in the last field.
    Contains
    Target if the visitor is on a page that contains a specific phrase in the URL. For instance, on a clothing website, /new-arrivals/ may be included in the URL of all pages in the new clothing items section.
    Query Parameter
    Target those who have a specific query parameter in the URL. For example if you are A/B testing a page on your website, and have added “&Version=B” to the end of the URL, you could use Query Parameter to check if Version is equal to B.
  4. Enter the entire URL, a portion of the URL, or a parameter of the URL that you would like to target.
    The condition says Current URL contains product

Example: You want an intercept to only display on the homepage of your site, once during the visitor’s session. You could use Current URL logic to specify the visitor must be on your homepage, and combine it with a This Action condition.

Intercept logic that says the Intercept will work if the current URL is the qualtrics homepage and This Action has not been taken during the browser session

As you see above, using Is instead of Contains lets you specify the entire URL in the event that your homepage is your domain URL with no /homepage or other specifiers at the end.

You can also exclude the This Action condition and just turn on Prevent Repeated Display.

Page Referrer

With the Page Referrer condition, you can target visitors based on the page they were on. For example, on a commerce website you might want to offer a coupon to visitors who left the shopping cart page without checking out. To accomplish this, you’d set two conditions: “If Referrer is <shopping cart page>” and “If Current URL is not <checkout page>”.

Qtip: A page is considered a Page Referrer if it “refers” the visitor to their current page through a link. If the visitor simply types your page URL into their address bar, they won’t have a Page Referrer.
Qtip: Due to recent browser changes, limitations have been made to what information we can get from referrer Headers. In the past if a URL was “https://www.google.com/search?q=search”, we could get the referrer as the whole URL containing every query parameter. Now due to the aforementioned changes, we can only get “https://www.google.com”. This functionality is based on the websites Referrer-Policy, so some sites may get the query parameters and others won’t.

To Create a Page Referrer Condition

  1. On either the intercept targeting-level or the action set-level, add logic.
    The Add Intercept Display Logic button to the top-left of all action sets, and the Change/Add Logic button inside each and every action set
  2. Drop the first field down.
    Browsing Session Page Referrer
  3. Select Browsing Session, and then select Page Referrer.
  4. Complete the logic statement using the same steps described for the Current URL condition.
    Last two fields of Page Referrer conditions

To test page referrer conditions using the test intercept bookmaklet, you must run the bookmarklet on the referrer page, then navigate to the page with the intercept, and then run the bookmarklet on the page with the intercept.

Site Referrer

Use Site Referrer to target visitors based on which website directed them to your website. For example, if a partner website placed a link to your site on their homepage, you could target visitors coming from this link with a special welcome message.

Qtip: A site is considered a Site Referrer if the visitor clicks a link on that site that takes them directly to your website. If the visitor simply types your URL into their address bar, they won’t have a Site Referrer.
Qtip: Due to recent browser changes, limitations have been made to what information we can get from referrer Headers. In the past if a URL was “https://www.google.com/search?q=search”, we could get the referrer as the whole URL containing every query parameter. Now due to the aforementioned changes, we can only get “https://www.google.com”. This functionality is based on the websites Referrer-Policy, so some sites may get the query parameters and others won’t.

To Create a Site Referrer Condition

  1. On either the intercept targeting-level or the action set-level, add logic.
    The Add Intercept Display Logic button to the top-left of all action sets, and the Change/Add Logic button inside each and every action set
  2. Drop the first field down.
    Browsing Session Site Referrer
  3. Select Browsing Session, and then select Site Referrer.
  4. Complete the logic statement using the same steps described for the Current URL condition.
    Condition says to show the Creative if Site Referrer contains the affiliate website's domain

Search Term

Use Search Term to target visitors based on the search term they used to arrive at your website. This works with Google, Yahoo, and Bing search engines.

Qtip: Due to recent browser changes, limitations have been made to what information we can get from referrer Headers. In the past if a URL was “https://www.google.com/search?q=search”, we could get the referrer as the whole URL containing every query parameter. Now due to the aforementioned changes, we can only get “https://www.google.com”. This functionality is based on the websites Referrer-Policy, so some sites may get the query parameters and others won’t. Google, in particular, no longer provides this data for visitors who performed a search using a secure page. This includes any search from a user logged into their Google account, or any search typed directly into the address bar of browsers such as Chrome.

However, even with this limitation, Search Term can be an effective way to catch visitors.

To Create a Search Term Condition

  1. On either the intercept targeting-level or the action set-level, add logic.
    The Add Intercept Display Logic button to the top-left of all action sets, and the Change/Add Logic button inside each and every action set
  2. Drop the first field down.
    Browsing Session Search Term
  3. Select Browsing Session, and then select Search Term.
  4. Choose how you would like to target.
    Condition says to show the Creative if the Search Term contains the phrase website targeting
  5. Enter the search term you would like to target.

Page Count

Use Page Count to target visitors based on how many pages they have visited on your website. For example, on a website feedback survey, you may want feedback from visitors who have browsed to at least three pages.

Qtip: Only pages containing project deployment code are tracked in Page Count. Page Count is tracked for the duration of the visitor’s session. This includes any pages they visit while the browser tab is open. If the visitor leaves your website but returns in the same browser tab, page views (of your site) from both visits will be included.

To Create a Page Count Condition

  1. On either the intercept targeting-level or the action set-level, add logic.
    The Add Intercept Display Logic button to the top-left of all action sets, and the Change/Add Logic button inside each and every action set
  2. Drop the first field down.
    Browsing Session Page Count
  3. Select Browsing Session, and then select Page Count.
  4. Choose whether you would like to target based on Total Pages Visited or Unique Pages Visited.
    Condition says to show the Creative if Page count Total Pages Visited is Equal to 3
  5. Indicate whether the pages visited should be Equal to, Not Equal to, Greater Than, Greater Than or Equal to, Less Than, or Less Than or Equal to that number to meet the condition.
  6. Indicate how many pages you’d like to use for your condition.

Example: You want to display an intercept on any page but the one the visitor entered from. Since this would imply they were on at least 1 page before proceeding through the site, you can add logic that Page Count has to be greater than 1.

Intercept logic that says the intercept will work if page count unique pages visited is greater than 1

For added specificity of what pages the intercept can and cannot be included on, check out Current URL logic above.

Site History

Use Site History to target visitors based on specific pages they have or haven’t been to during their visit. This is often used in conjunction with other conditions. For example, in a site feedback survey, you may want to target those who have been on the website at least 3 minutes and had your homepage as the first page of their visit.

Qtip: Only pages containing deployment code are tracked in Site History. Like Page Count, Site History is tracked for the duration of the visitor’s session. This includes any pages they visit while the browser tab is open. If the visitor leaves your website but returns in the same browser tab, pages from both visits will be included. Site History can be retrieved from the session storage or tracked in a cookie based on the Website / App Feedback project settings. By default, up to 2kB of history is stored. This limit may be changed by going to Administration, and then clicking Organization Settings. If the visitor has more than 2kB of history, the first page of their visit as well as the most recent pages will be stored.

To Create a Site History Condition

  1. On either the intercept targeting-level or the action set-level, add logic.
    The Add Intercept Display Logic button to the top-left of all action sets, and the Change/Add Logic button inside each and every action set
  2. Drop the first field down.
    Browsing Session Site History
  3. Select Browsing Session, and then select Site History.
  4. Select whether you would like to target any Visited URL or Last Visited URL.
    Condition says to show the creative if Site History's Visited URL contains the word support
  5. Complete the logic statement using the same steps described for the Current URL condition.

Time On Site or Time Focused On Site

Use Time Spent On Site or Time Focused On Site to target visitors based on how long they have been on the site.

Time Spent On Site refers to how long the visitor has had your website open in a browser window. Time Focused On Site refers to how long the visitor has had your website open as the front, “in-focus” window on their computer. Time Focused On Site is typically a more accurate indicator of visitor engagement.

Qtip: Time On Site is updated every time the visitor loads a new page. For example, a condition of Time Spent On Site Greater Than 10 Seconds would be met the first time the visitor loads a new page after they have been on the site for 10 seconds. To target visitors on the first page of their visit, consider adding a delay in the Creative Options rather than using Time On Site logic.

To Create a Time On Site Condition

  1. On either the intercept targeting-level or the action set-level, add logic.
    The Add Intercept Display Logic button to the top-left of all action sets, and the Change/Add Logic button inside each and every action set
  2. Drop the first field down.
    Browsing Session Time Spent/Focused on Site
  3. Select Browsing Session, and then select either Time Spent On Site or Time Focused On Site.
  4. Select whether you would like to target visitors who have been on the site Greater Than or Less Than the time you will specify.
  5. Enter the amount of time.
  6. Select whether that time is in Seconds, Minutes, or Hours.
Qtip: Time On Site is only tracked on pages where there is pre-existing deployment code. When using features that retroactively add deployment code, like the Bookmarklet, Time On Site will not be tracked.

FAQs

Action set logic is used to determine when you want to display the Intercept. It can be helpful for when you have multiple action sets with different conditions for displaying.

For example, since creatives are not responsive to screen size, many users like to implement action set logic focused on whether a website viewer is/is not using a mobile device or whether the website is being displayed on a certain screen size. By using logic in this instance, you are able to target a properly formatted and sized creative to the appropriate person.

Action set logic based on location can even be used to make sure that website viewers are seeing a creative that is written in the language that most likely applies to them.
There are numerous potential causes as to why an intercept may not be appearing once it has been implemented. These causes may stem from the setup of the intercept itself or the implementation of the code.
  • Logic: intercept targeting logic and action set logic are the conditions that must be met in order for an intercept to be displayed to a visitor. Checking this logic will be helpful in discovering why the Intercept is not displaying on a page.
  • Logic sets that use “Contains”: A common cause of logic error is the use of the “Contains” vs. “Is.” To say a condition “Contains” means that the parameter you are basing the logic off (i.e., Current URL) will have the specified value present in addition to more information. For example, if I had logic that read as Current URL contains ‘qualtrics’, this would cause the intercept to display on any URL that has the word qualtrics present. The other option you have is using Current URL is [URL]. This condition depends on the visited URL being an exact match. Any differences or additional characters will prevent the intercept logic from passing.
  • Intercept Revisions: When making edits to intercepts, changes are not made live until the intercept is published. When publishing an Intercept, a version of the intercept, or a “revision,” is saved. Reviewing the revisions that have been made is very useful for identifying any changes that may have suddenly prevented the intercept from appearing.
  • Debug Window: The debug window is an invaluable tool for testing why an intercept is not displaying on a particular page.

    For intercepts whose deployment code was implemented before March 2019, to enable the debug window, append a query string to any given URL called Q_DEBUG. This must be prefixed with a ? or a & like the following examples: https://www.qualtrics.com?Q_DEBUG, https://www.qualtrics.com/blog?item=value&Q_DEBUG.

    For intercepts whose deployment code was implemented after March 2019, run the following JavaScript snippet in the Console of your web page: 
    
 QSI.API.unload();
 QSI.isDebug = true;
 QSI.API.load();
 QSI.API.run();
    The debug window breaks down all conditions required for intercepts running on the URL to appear. If you find that an intercept is not appearing, locate it in the debug window and identify any red failed warnings.
    Qtip: The Website Feedback debugger does not function if the code has been implemented using a tag manager. Also, if the URL already has a query string with a ?, then the debugger will require a & instead.
  • Network Request: Most browsers possess a developer tools menu that allows a user to see a site’s source code, resources, cookies, and network calls. Website Feedback possesses a distinct presence in the Network section of these tools. To check for these scripts running, open the developer tools and navigate to the Network section. Once here, reload the webpage and the menu should begin to populate with all network requests being made by the website. To identify Website Feedback code, look for calls that begin with ?Q_ZID or ?Q_SID. This is the code itself running checks on the display logic. If you cannot find anything matching this format, then there is an issue with the implementation of your project code. You can refer to our support page on implementation for advice on where is best to place the code.
  • Content Security Policy Issues: If you receive a console log that violates a Content Security Policy, there is most likely a restriction on your website that is blocking our intercepts from deploying. We recommend reaching out to your web-development team to resolve. To ensure your intercepts work, we generally recommend allowlisting the following items in your Content Security Policy headers:
    • connect-src https://*.qualtrics.com
    • frame-src https://*.qualtrics.com
    • img-src https://siteintercept.qualtrics.com
    • script-src https://*.qualtrics.com
Site Intercept has been renamed Website / App Feedback, since the primary function of these projects is to gather data on your online presence. The functionality for Website / App Feedback is on par with Site Intercept, with notable improvements and a beautiful new user interface.
Qualtrics does not set the Referer. That value is set by the parent web page.

As of August 25, 2020, Chrome has changed the default behavior around the referrer field. Previously Chrome defaulted to no-referrer-when-downgrade as the value for Referrer-Policy. Now the default value is strict-origin-when-cross-origin. What that means is that if the customer hasn't specified their own policy on their page, it will default to this policy. This policy affects requests that are cross origin, meaning the parent page is on a different domain that the link (i.e., my webpage is example.com and my survey is on the base URL test.qualtrics.com). In a cross origin request, only the origin will be passed. That means that if my page is actually at the URL qualtrics.com/support-center, the Referer is going to be qualtrics.com. Changing this behavior has to be done by the owner of the parent page.