What is a tagged campaign link, and how do you use one?
A tagged campaign link is an ordinary web address with short labels added to the end that say where the link was placed, such as a particular email or ad. When someone clicks it, the labels travel with the visit, so your website's analytics can show which campaign sent them. It shows visits, not customers, so write the campaign on each lead as well.
What the labels say
Google's help page for its analytics tool describes labels, which it calls UTM parameters, added to the end of a web address. It says to always use three: a source, which it describes as the referrer (its examples include newsletter4 and billboard); a medium (its examples include email and banner); and a campaign, which can be a product, slogan or promo code (its example is spring_sale). In plain terms, that is where the link was placed, what kind of channel it was and which promotion it belonged to.
Its worked example is a link for a summer sale email, with all three filled in.
Where an owner can use one
- A link in an email you send. Google's own worked example is an email campaign.
- A link in an ad, or any link you place on another website. The page says the labels go on the web addresses you use in referral links and ad campaigns.
- As general advice, the same idea suits the link in a social profile and the address behind a QR code. The related answer on flyers, signs and truck wraps covers printed items.
- As general advice, give each promotion one campaign name and use it everywhere, and change the source label for each place the link goes; Google's example links keep one campaign, summer-sale, with sources such as newsletter1 and exampleblog.
How it shows up as a source
Google says that when someone clicks a tagged link, the labels are sent to its analytics tool and appear in the traffic acquisition report, where you can view the session source, medium and campaign. It also advises that if you set one label you set all the relevant ones, because missing labels show up as "(not set)" in reports.
Keep the labels tidy
Google's page says label values are case sensitive, so google and Google count as different values, and it recommends lowercase as a standard practice. It also says SpringSale and Spring_Sale are considered distinct. Pick one spelling for each label and use it every time.
As general advice, keep a short list of your labels beside your lead sheet, and never put a customer's name, email address or phone number in a tagged link, because web addresses are often copied and shared.
What it does not tell you
A tagged link follows a click, not a person. Analytics shows how many visits each campaign sent; it usually cannot show who became a customer. To close the gap, write the campaign on the lead when the inquiry arrives, log it under the campaign channel, which the related answer on lead attribution defines as a tagged link you shared, and follow it to won, lost or still open. If you cannot tell which campaign a lead came from, ask how they found you. The related answers on lead attribution and on website analytics cover the rest.
Sources
Related answers
- What is lead attribution, and why does a small business need it?
- Does a small business need website analytics?
- How do you track leads from flyers, yard signs and truck wraps?
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