How to Better Track Your Marketing Campaigns Using Google Analytics’ Campaign URL Builder

You spend months putting together an online marketing strategy to promote this summer’s swimwear collection. Your integrated online marketing campaign consists of AdWords, email, and social, each driving users to one landing page. A week after you launch, you log into Google Analytics to get a pulse on your top performing channels. Under All Traffic, you click on Referrals to find most of your sessions fall under (not set).

It’s because you didn’t include utm source codes with distinct parameters to help Google identify each of your campaigns. Since these codes are missing, Google Analytics has decided to jumble all your referral traffic under the ambiguous (not set) category. Not very helpful when you’re trying to learn which campaigns have generated the greatest return after spending a nice chunk of change. And all you’re left with is (not set).            

Here’s how to avoid this kerfuffle. Create custom campaign URL’s with UTM parameters.

What Are UTM Parameters?

They’re tags added to the end of your landing page’s URL. Parameters including campaign name, source, and medium are then sent to Google Analytics for efficient tracking.

How They Make Tracking Campaigns Easier

Using UTM parameters provides the necessary details on a campaign to effectively track how online users are arriving to your landing page, and through what channels.

For all you visual learners, let’s go ahead and create one now.

To start, we’ll use Google’s Analytics Campaign URL Builder. 

First, create a title for your Campaign Source. When deciding on your title, think of where the user is seeing your promotion. For example, if you’re running an AdWords campaign write “google_adwords.”

Next, identify the Campaign Medium. Think of the medium you’re using to run this campaign. If it’s a Google Adwords tag, name it “cpc” since you’re using a cost-per-click model.

Then create a Campaign Name. This helps you identify the name of your campaign within Google Analytics. I’ll name my campaign “adwords_swimwear.”

These are the three fields I recommend completing for optimal tracking.

Although Google includes additional fields, Campagin Term and Campaign Content, they’re extra details to help you further identify your campaign, but aren’t necessary.

Finally, click the Copy URL button or Convert URL to Short Link if you’re placing the custom URL tag somewhere that has character limitations.

Now it’s time to test out your new custom URL.

Open a new tab within your web browser. Copy and paste your newly created URL into your browser’s address bar and click enter.

Now open another tab.

Head over to Google Analytics and log into your account. Once you’re logged in, drag your mouse over to left-hand sidebar and click on ACQUISITION. Then scroll down to Campaigns. Next, click All Campaigns. If you set it everything up correctly, you should see your campaign name.   

(Click images to enlarge.)

Now go create the rest of your custom URLs to keep better track of your integrated marketing campaigns!