How visitor context is preserved across different domains
Overview
When visitors click links in your offers or follow redirect nodes in your Flows to a different domain, RightMessage automatically preserves their segmentation data and visitor context. This means if someone has been segmented as a "Marketer" interested in "Email Automation" on your main site, they'll remain segmented the same way when they land on your subdomain, checkout page, or partner site—as long as both sites have the RightMessage tracking script installed.
Compatibility
This feature works automatically with:
Link offers that redirect to external domains
Redirect nodes in Flows pointing to different domains
Any website or subdomain that has the RightMessage tracking script installed
All RightMessage plans
How cross-domain tracking works
When a visitor clicks a link or redirect that takes them to a different domain, RightMessage automatically does the following:
Step 1: Detecting cross-domain navigation
RightMessage checks if the destination URL is on a different domain than your current site. For example:
Cross-domain: yoursite.com → checkout.yoursite.com
Cross-domain: yoursite.com → partnersite.com
Same domain: yoursite.com/page1 → yoursite.com/page2 (context preserved automatically)
Step 2: Packaging visitor context
When a cross-domain link is detected, RightMessage packages up the visitor's current context including:
Active segments: All segments the visitor currently belongs to across all your Segment Groups and Questions
Contact information: Their subscriber ID from your email platform (if they're a known contact)
Integration details: Which ESP/CRM integration they're associated with
Privacy note: RightMessage only transfers segmentation data and integration identifiers—never personally identifiable information like email addresses or form responses. All data is encrypted and only works between sites you control that have your RightMessage tracking script installed.
Step 3: Appending the tracking parameter
This packaged context is encoded and automatically added to the destination URL as a _rm= parameter. You'll never see this parameter in your browser's address bar—it's automatically cleaned up once the context is transferred.
For example, if you set up a link offer to https://checkout.yoursite.com/special-offer, RightMessage automatically converts it to:
https://checkout.yoursite.com/special-offer?_rm=[encoded_context]Step 4: Restoring context on the destination
When the visitor lands on the new domain (assuming it has the RightMessage tracking script installed):
The script detects the
_rm=parameterUnpacks the visitor's segmentation data
Applies all segments to the visitor immediately
Removes the
_rm=parameter from the URL bar (so visitors never see it)
The visitor now has the exact same context and segmentation on the new domain as they had on the original site.
Seamless experience: This entire process happens in milliseconds, and visitors never see the technical parameter. They simply experience consistent, personalized content across all your domains.
Where cross-domain tracking automatically activates
In link offers
When you create a link offer in a Flow that directs visitors to a different domain, cross-domain tracking activates automatically. No configuration needed.
Example scenario:
You run a quiz on
yoursite.comthat segments visitors by their business typeAt the end, you show a link offer: "View Your Recommended Products"
This links to
shop.yoursite.com(a different subdomain)When visitors click through, they're still segmented on the shop site
You can show personalized product recommendations based on their quiz answers
In redirect nodes
Redirect nodes in your Flows that point to external domains or subdomains automatically include cross-domain tracking.
Example scenario:
Your survey on
blog.yoursite.comasks visitors about their roleDevelopers are redirected to
docs.yoursite.comMarketers are redirected to
resources.yoursite.comEach destination site can personalize content based on their role segment
Pro tip: Cross-domain tracking is perfect for separating your marketing site, documentation, and checkout flows across different subdomains while maintaining a unified visitor experience. Visitors who answer a survey on your main site will have that context available on your checkout page, allowing you to personalize pricing pages, testimonials, or offers.
Common use cases
E-commerce: Main site to checkout
Segment visitors on your marketing site, then redirect them to your Shopify store or separate checkout domain. Use their segments to personalize product recommendations, shipping offers, or upsells.
Course creators: Quiz to sales page
Run a quiz on your blog subdomain to identify visitor goals, then redirect to your course sales page on a different domain. Show different course benefits, testimonials, and pricing based on their quiz responses.
Multi-brand companies: Cross-referrals
If you run multiple brands on different domains, segment visitors on Brand A's site and redirect them to Brand B with their context preserved. Personalize the landing experience based on what you learned about them.
Partner integrations: Warm handoffs
When recommending partner tools or services, pass visitor context so the partner site (if they also use RightMessage) can personalize the experience based on segments you've already collected.
Important requirement: The destination domain must have the RightMessage tracking script installed for cross-domain tracking to work. If the destination site doesn't have your tracking script, the _rm= parameter will be ignored and the visitor will arrive as a new, unsegmented visitor.
What happens to the tracking parameter
Automatic URL cleanup
As soon as the destination page loads and processes the visitor context, RightMessage automatically removes the _rm= parameter from the browser's address bar using modern browser history APIs. Visitors never see the parameter, and it won't clutter their bookmarks or shared links.
No manual cleanup needed
You don't need to do anything special in your redirect URLs or link offers. RightMessage handles both adding and removing the parameter automatically.
Limitations and considerations
Both domains must have the tracking script
Cross-domain tracking only works when both the source and destination domains have the RightMessage tracking script installed. If the destination lacks the script, visitors will arrive unsegmented.
Same-domain navigation doesn't use parameters
When visitors navigate between pages on the same domain, RightMessage uses browser storage to maintain context. The _rm= parameter only appears for cross-domain navigation.
Manual links won't include tracking
If you manually create links in your page content (outside of RightMessage Flows), these won't automatically include cross-domain tracking. This feature only applies to:
Link offers created in the Flow builder
Redirect nodes in the Flow builder
For developers: If you need to manually create cross-domain links with tracking, you can use the RightMessage JavaScript API to generate properly formatted URLs with visitor context. Check the Code Node JavaScript API Reference for advanced implementation details.
Troubleshooting cross-domain tracking
Visitor context not preserved
Symptoms: Visitors arrive at the destination domain but appear unsegmented or lose their previous context.
Common causes:
Destination domain doesn't have the RightMessage tracking script installed
Tracking script on destination is from a different RightMessage account
Browser storage or cookies are blocked
Link was created manually rather than using Flow offers or redirects
How to fix:
Verify the RightMessage tracking script is installed on the destination domain
Check that both domains use the same RightMessage account
Test in an incognito window to rule out browser extension interference
Ensure you're using link offers or redirect nodes (not manual HTML links)
URL parameter visible in address bar
Symptoms: The _rm= parameter remains visible after the page loads.
Common causes:
JavaScript errors preventing the cleanup script from running
Very old browser that doesn't support modern history APIs
How to fix:
Check browser console for JavaScript errors
Ensure the tracking script is loading properly
Try in a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
Testing tip: To verify cross-domain tracking is working, open your browser's developer console on the destination page. You should see RightMessage applying segments shortly after page load. You can also check the browser's address bar—if the _rm= parameter disappears within a second or two of landing, tracking is working correctly.