Campaign URL builders are an essential part of any online marketer’s toolkit. They let you create trackable links for your marketing campaigns, to help you measure their success and optimize your efforts over time.
In this article, we will discuss what campaign URL builders are, how to use them, and some best practices for getting the most out of them. Let’s get started.
What is a campaign URL builder?
A campaign URL builder is a tool to add UTM tracking parameters to a URL. These parameters are used for tracking how people find your website. You can see how many people visited your website after clicking on that URL.
UTM stands for “Urchin Tracking Module.” A UTM link is a type of URL that website owners use to track their marketing campaigns. UTMs are typically used in conjunction with Google Analytics, and they can be added to any links that are used in promotions or advertisements.
When someone clicks on a link with a UTM, the UTM code will be recorded in Google Analytics. This information can then be used to track the performance of the campaign and see how many people clicked on the links.
The campaign URL builder lets you add these UTM parameters to a URL quickly and easily. Enter the URL into the tool, and then choose the parameters you want to track. The tool will then generate a new URL with the tracking parameters added. You can then use this URL in your marketing campaigns.
UTM campaign parameters
UTM links use UTM parameters to track the source of traffic and conversions on a website. The parameters are:
- Campaign source: The campaign source is the origin of the traffic, such as a specific website or ad.
- Campaign medium: The campaign medium is the channel through which the traffic was generated, such as email or paid search.
- Campaign name: The campaign name is used to identify the specific campaign, such as a product launch or seasonal sale.
- Campaign term: The campaign term is a keyword or phrase that was used to generate traffic, such as “winter coats” or “party dresses.”
- campaign content. The campaign content tracks different versions of ads or links within a campaign, such as “banner ad” or “landing page.”
By tracking these parameters, get insights into which marketing campaigns are driving traffic and conversions on your website. Acting on those signals is one of the ways to Boost Your Online Store Traffic and conversions.
Why is creating UTM links important?
To remain competitive, you must understand how users interact with your website. And UTM links are a great way to do this.
With UTM campaigns, track things like the source of the traffic, the keywords that were used, and whether the user converted.
When you understand how users interact with your website, you can make changes that improve the user experience and increase conversions. Creating UTM links may seem like a tedious task, but it’s not. Once you understand what the parameters mean, you can use a URL builder to create UTM tags and campaigns.
Remember, there is a difference between utm links (which we are describing here, which are for analytics purposes), affiliate tracking links, shortlinks, and payment links.
How to use a campaign URL builder
To use a campaign URL builder, enter the URL of the page you want to track, and then add the desired tracking parameters. Most campaign URL builders will allow many parameters. Such as the source of the traffic, the medium, the campaign name, and the keyword. Once you have added all the parameters, click on the “Generate” button to create the tracking URL.
There are many free and great online campaign URL builders, but my favorite two are:
UTM builder: Super-simple URL builder with options for 6 parameters. Generate your UTM URL and copy it for use instantly.
GA dev tools. This is my favorite URL builder because it lets you build different URLs for web, iOS, and Android. The website also gives an explanation for what each parameter means, so you can apply them correctly.
Here’s a quick example of how to use GA dev tools to create a campaign URL:
First I enter my target page’s URL, which is a blog post on Express Pigeon. I left the campaign ID blank because I can use either this or the campaign name. A campaign ID is mostly used with paid campaigns that involve a lot of ads.
Then I enter the source and medium, which are newsletter and email. I chose these because I’ll be promoting this article in Express Pigeon’s newsletter. Finally, I give it a name and I’m ready to create my campaign URL. I’ve left campaign terms and content empty because these are used with paid search ads.
This campaign URL builder generates a link for me that I can now copy and use across my campaigns.
I can shorten the link too if I wish. Here’s how the shortened link looks:
If you click on this link, you’ll notice that my target page loads with all my UTM parameters in place:
Whenever someone clicks on my link, I can open the Google Analytics account connected to the website to see where the clicks came from.
Best practices for URL campaigns
There are a few best practices to follow when creating URL campaigns.
- Use lowercase letters. This helps to avoid confusion and makes the URL easier to read.
- Don’t confuse utm_source and utm_medium. They are two different things and should be used accordingly.
- Shorten long URLs. This makes the URL more manageable and less likely to cause errors.
- Don’t use for internal links. Internal links don’t need to be tracked and can interfere with analytics.
- Stay consistent. Consistency will help you avoid mistakes and make it easier to track your results.
- Track your links in a spreadsheet. Spreadsheets will help you keep a clear record of your campaign URLs.
Following these best practices will help you create successful URL campaigns.
Create customized campaigns for better tracking
So there you have it. Everything you need to know about campaign URL builders. By now, you should understand what a campaign URL builder is, why creating UTM links is important, and how to use one.
Keep your URLs specific, and spell out all your parameters correctly. This will make it easier to track campaigns. Now go out there and create amazing marketing campaigns.
