What Is Source Path?
Source Path is the internal page path recorded for the WheelInterchange page where a product click began. It answers the question: “Which page did the visitor come from before clicking this product?”
It may also appear in analytics as source page or from. The term describes the origin of an internal click, not the external website that referred the visitor to WheelInterchange.
How Source Path Is Used
WheelInterchange can use Source Path to understand which reference pages lead visitors to product interactions. For example, a visitor may read a wheel fitment explanation, review a compatibility result, and then click a product link. The recorded Source Path identifies the page that contained the click.
A value might look like:
/wheel-offset//vehicles/example-target/fitment//hub-centric-rings/
The exact path depends on the page structure used by the site. A Source Path normally contains the URL path after the domain name, rather than the complete URL including https:// and the domain.
Why Source Path Matters
Source Path helps distinguish where a product click happened from which product was clicked. This can show whether visitors are more likely to interact with products after reading:
- A glossary definition, such as an explanation of wheel offset
- A donor vehicle or target vehicle fitment page
- A bolt pattern, center bore, or wheel dimension reference
- A page explaining an outcome such as Direct Fit, Fits With Hub Rings, or Adapter Required
This information can help evaluate internal navigation and identify pages that generate useful product engagement. It does not, by itself, prove that a product fits a particular vehicle or that a purchase occurred.
Source Path vs. Other Analytics Fields
Source Path should not be confused with several related values:
- Destination URL or product URL: The page or product link the visitor clicked.
- Referrer: The external page, search engine, or other source that brought the visitor to WheelInterchange.
- Landing page: The first WheelInterchange page in a visit or session.
- Event name: The action being measured, such as a product click.
For an internal product-click event, Source Path is the page context at the time of the event. The destination identifies where the click leads.
Common Measurement Mistakes
A Source Path implementation can be misleading if the site records inconsistent formats. Common problems include:
- Recording full URLs for some events and relative paths for others
- Omitting trailing-slash or query-string rules, creating duplicate page values
- Recording the product destination instead of the page containing the click
- Using a browser referrer value when the intended field is the internal source page
- Failing to capture the path when a click occurs in a dynamically loaded component
For reliable reporting, the site should use one consistent path format and define whether query parameters, fragments, or locale prefixes are included.
Source Path is an analytics attribute about internal navigation. It provides context for a product-click event, but it is separate from technical wheel-fitment facts such as bolt pattern, center bore, wheel width, offset, brake clearance, and lug hardware.