---
title: Who is included in the analysis? - Web
description: Understanding who the targeted users are and on what conditions
lastUpdated: 22 August 2025
source_url:
  html: https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/who-is-included-in-the-analysis/
  md: https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/who-is-included-in-the-analysis/index.md
---

![](https://docs.contentsquare.com/_astro/datacollect.BTX4hh1Z_ZFnaok.webp)

## (1) Tag call conditions

The tag installation is completely on your end: you can install it either by "hard coding" or by using a Tag Management System (TMS).

* Make sure to call the Tag in **every page**.
* Call it **as soon as possible**; It only takes a few seconds to lose a user.

## (2) Pageviews and transactions sending conditions

As soon as the tag is called, the pageview (or transaction) are sent if all conditions below are fulfilled:

* The **tag configuration** display it as "active". In order to check the setting, the variable `CS_CONF.status` must be 1.
* The **current domain** is the one that has been configured for the tag called. To check the setting, the current domain must be mentioned in the variable `CS_CONF.hostnames`. If you navigate through a sub domain, check if the variable `CS_CONF.allowSubdomains` is equal to 1.
* The visitor has allowed cookies and JavaScript; is using a [supported browser](https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/compatibility/). **95% of all users** matches these conditions.
* The visitor is not excluded from the analysis by the presence of the **`cs_ex` cookie**. (See below)
* When the "Cross-domain" feature is activated, matching DNS must be installed.

### The `_cs_ex` cookie

The [`_cs_ex`](https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/cookies/#_cs_ex) cookie appears in **2 cases**:

* If the tag does not collect 100% of visits, people who were not drawn will be excluded by the cookie. The Session Replay percentage is included in the `CS_CONF.sampleRate` variable.
* If Contentsquare A/B testing tool's "Preview" mode is used, this cookie is automatically used.

To **force exclusion**, you must add a `_cs_ex` cookie with the value `1`.

## (3) Accounting conditions of pageviews and transactions

The pageview (or transaction) received is stored in our database with the following conditions:

* The visitor does not have an **`optout` cookie**.

* The user's IP address is not in our exclusion list for this Contentsquare account (for more info on IP Addresses [see dedicated section](https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/ip-addresses/)).

* We did not identified the user **as a bot** (the assumption can come from the IP address used, the browser, the behavior...). This can be applied to 2% of the visitors but sometimes more.

## Differences between analytics

Differences between two analytics can be due to implementation or data issues.

### Implementation differences

* The Tag may **not be called** on the same pages (example: omitted subdomain, 404 page missed).

* The Tag is called **later or earlier** (each second may increase the gap by about 3 points).

### Differences in scopes

* **Bot exclusion rules** differ between tools or they are not shared.

* **Calculation methods** for session, time spent, and bounce rate are different between tools. [More information on the Help Center ↗](https://support.contentsquare.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011787554).

* The **time zone** impacts daily displayed data (Contentsquare data are saved in UTC).

* **[Compatible browsers](https://docs.contentsquare.com/en/web/compatibility/)** may be different from one tool to another.