HTTP Report: 61% of Cookies Enable Third-Party Tracking

The latest Web Almanac from HTTP Archive highlights a substantial gap between mobile and desktop performance, alongside persistent tracking practices observed across millions of websites.

A significant finding from the report is the continued prevalence of third-party tracking. Approximately 61% of cookies are set in third-party contexts, meaning user data is routinely shared or accessed by external sources, raising privacy concerns among users and regulators alike.

Another key observation is the disparity in performance between mobile and desktop versions of websites. Mobile sites consistently underperform in core metrics compared to their desktop counterparts, revealing a need for improvements in mobile optimisation as internet usage on handheld devices continues to rise.

WordPress remains the dominant content management system (CMS) across the web, particularly for smaller and medium-sized sites. However, the report notes that larger, high-traffic sites often favour custom-built solutions, highlighting a divergence in platform preference based on scale and functionality needs.

HTTP Archive has recently published the 12 chapters of its annual Web Almanac, which sheds light on the growing disparities between mobile and desktop web performance.

The Almanac compiles and analyses data from millions of websites to track trends in various aspects of web technologies, performance metrics, and user experience. This wealth of data provides valuable insights into the evolving state of the web.

One of the key focuses of this year’s Almanac is how changing technology adoption patterns are likely to affect both businesses and users. These shifts will have a significant impact on how websites are built, optimised, and interacted with in the future.

Key Highlights

Mobile Performance Gap
One of the most striking findings in the latest HTTP Archive Web Almanac is the widening performance gap between desktop and mobile web experiences. With the introduction of Google’s new Core Web Vital metric, Interaction to Next Paint (INP), this divide has become more pronounced than ever before.

The report highlights the socioeconomic implications of this growing performance gap, stating that “Web performance is tied to what devices and networks people can afford.” While desktop users continue to experience high performance, mobile users—particularly those with lower-end devices—are facing significant challenges.

The data reveals that desktop sites are achieving impressive results, with 97% of them receiving “good” INP scores. In contrast, only 74% of mobile sites manage to reach the same standard. The disparity is further illustrated by the median Total Blocking Time for mobile, which is 18 times higher than that of desktop sites.

Third-Party Tracking
Another key finding from the report is the continued prevalence of third-party tracking across the web. The Almanac reveals that 61% of cookies are set in third-party contexts, making cross-site tracking and targeted advertising widespread.

Notably, Google’s DoubleClick is responsible for setting cookies on 44% of the top websites. Despite privacy concerns, only 6% of third-party cookies implement partitioning to protect user privacy. Additionally, 11% of first-party cookies have the SameSite attribute set to “None,” which could potentially enable tracking across websites without users’ knowledge.

CMS Market Share
In the content management system (CMS) space, WordPress continues to maintain a dominant position. According to the report, “Of the over 16 million mobile sites in this year’s crawl, WordPress is used by 5.7 million sites, accounting for 36% of all sites.” This solidifies WordPress as the go-to choice for many website owners.

However, a different trend emerges when we look at the top 1,000 most-visited websites. The report reveals that only 8% of these sites utilise identifiable CMS platforms, suggesting that larger organizations tend to prefer custom solutions over off-the-shelf systems.

In the ecommerce sector, WooCommerce remains the leading CMS with a 38% market share, followed by Shopify at 18%. Other shop systems, such as OpenCart, hold minimal market shares, with OpenCart managing just above 1%. PayPal continues to be the most detected payment method on websites, appearing on 3.5% of sites, with Apple Pay and Shop Pay also notable players in the sector.

Performance By Platform
The report also highlights the performance improvements of various platforms over the past year, particularly with regard to Core Web Vitals scores. Squarespace, for instance, made significant strides, increasing its “good” Core Web Vitals scores from 33% in 2022 to 60% in 2024. In contrast, platforms like Magento and WooCommerce still face significant performance challenges, lagging behind in key performance metrics.

With the publication of the full Web Almanac expected in the coming weeks, further insights into these trends and additional performance data are likely to be revealed.

Structured Data Trends
One interesting trend discussed in the report is the continued use of FAQ and HowTo rich results, despite Google’s deprecation of these features. It appears that website owners are still finding value in implementing these structured data types beyond just their impact on search rankings.

Additionally, Google has expanded its support for structured data across various industries, including verticals like vehicles, courses, and vacation rentals. This expansion is likely to enhance search results for businesses within these sectors, providing more visibility for relevant services.

Why This Matters

These findings emphasise that mobile optimisation continues to be a significant challenge for developers and businesses alike.

According to the researchers at HTTP Archive, the report highlights the need for focused optimisation efforts, particularly in the mobile user experience. The researchers note, “The performance gap between devices suggests that many users, especially those on lower-end mobile devices, may be experiencing a significantly degraded web experience.” This suggests a growing divide in how web content performs across different devices.

As the industry continues to face increasing privacy concerns, businesses are under pressure to find a balance between user tracking and privacy protection. For those relying on third-party tracking mechanisms, this may mean adapting their marketing and analytics strategies to comply with evolving privacy standards.

The 2024 Web Almanac is now available on the HTTP Archive’s website, with the remaining chapters expected to be published in the coming weeks. These upcoming chapters will likely offer further insights into the current state of web performance and privacy.