Analytics and ad blockers

Ad blockers stop many requests to third-party analytics services. A proxy on your own domain and a tiny script reduce that loss—without pretending ad blockers don’t exist.

What ad blockers break

Blocklists often target well-known analytics domains and script names. If the browser never sends the event, your dashboard undercounts—most of all for tech-savvy audiences.

What PureMetrix does about it

The optional same-origin proxy serves /px/js and /px/event from your own domain; WordPress, Vercel, nginx and others can forward to PureMetrix. The script stays under 3 KB.

The proxy doesn’t get past every filter, especially strict rules that also block paths on your own domain, but it recovers a noticeable share compared with sending data straight to a third-party domain.

Setup notes

Enable the same-origin proxy (WordPress plugin, or a rewrite in Vercel/nginx/Caddy—see proxy docs).
Check that requests go to paths on your own domain.
Allow /px in security plugins, Shopify app proxies, and firewalls (WAF).
Test again with a popular ad blocker extension switched on and off.

Shops

Server-side WooCommerce purchase tracking or a Shopify purchase pixel still records revenue even if a storefront pageview was blocked. That split (browsing blocked, purchase recorded) still gives you reliable sales figures.

Honest reporting

Say "measured visits" in client reports when ad blockers play a role. Never promise that 100% of visitors are counted. More: same-origin proxy, why numbers differ.

How ad blockers affect WordPress sites

Blocklists target well-known analytics domains and script names. Tracking requests to third parties disappear while the rest of the page works, so dashboards quietly undercount. The same-origin /px proxy keeps PureMetrix requests on your domain—after switching it on, check that your security plugins allow the path.

Going cookieless doesn’t get past every ad blocker rule, but a small script on your own domain fails less often than heavy third-party tools.

Checking your measurement

Compare private browser windows (logged out) with and without an ad blocker. If numbers only drop with the blocker, the proxy and file names matter more than changing your content. Also fix cookie walls that turn visitors away before any tracking can happen.

Estimate the gap

Ask a few team members to browse with and without ad blockers. Compare PureMetrix with your server logs for one day. If ad blockers remove a large share, set up the same-origin /px proxy and keep your scripts small before buying another heatmap tool that will be blocked too.

Remember declined consent: visitors who click “Reject” never trigger tools that wait for consent. That is not an ad blocker problem; it is a cookie banner design problem.

File names and paths

If you control the proxy path, avoid file names that match well-known blocklist patterns. Document which paths your firewall must allow once the proxy is on.

One sentence for clients

“Some visitors block trackers; we send data through our own domain with a small script, so more real traffic is visible—without cookies.” That sentence plus a screenshot of the network requests usually ends the myth that analytics can see 100% of people.

Never promise tracking that can’t be detected—that is the wrong goal, both ethically and for the product.

Content websites vs shops

Publishers notice ad blocker losses in their pageviews; shops notice them in the checkout steps before the server-side purchase. The PureMetrix proxy helps both, but shops should still track revenue server-side so blocked browsers don’t wipe out sales figures.

Give clients the ad blocker uncertainty as a range, not as a falsely precise percentage.

VPN and privacy browser users

In strict modes, privacy browsers may block even paths on your own domain. Accept that some loss remains. The PureMetrix proxy gives you as much visibility as is reasonable without claiming to see everything. Report trends, not false certainty.

Company network filters in a client’s office can act like ad blockers; test from outside the office VPN when numbers look low.

Test popular mobile browsers again every quarter—blocklists change, and a /px setup that worked yesterday can stop working after a filter update.

Ask a colleague with uBlock Origin switched on to open the shop once after you turn on the /px proxy; that single check quickly catches broken rewrite rules.