Capturing and forwarding URL parameters (UTMs) is a valuable tool in conversion marketing. It allows reporting on the visitor journey and behavior through ads and the website to get better insight into which ads convert best.
UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) and URL parameters are both used in digital marketing and analytics to track and analyze website traffic.
UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules)
UTMs are tags that can be added to the end of a URL to track specific campaign parameters. UTMs help identify the source, medium, campaign name, and other details about the traffic coming to a website.
The main UTMs include:
utm_source: The source of the traffic (e.g., Google, Facebook, newsletter)
utm_medium: The medium of the traffic (e.g., organic search, CPC, email)
utm_campaign: The name of the marketing campaign or initiative
utm_term: The keyword or search term that triggered the ad (often used for PPC campaigns)
utm_content: Additional information about the specific ad or content variant
For example, when running a Facebook ad campaign promoting a new product, UTMs can be added to the URLs in the ad posts like this:
https://example.com/new-product?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=new-product-launch
URL Parameters
URL parameters are similar to UTMs in that they are used to pass information about the source or context of a website visit. However, URL parameters are more generic and can be used for various purposes beyond just tracking marketing campaigns. They can include any key-value pairs appended to the end of a URL, separated by a question mark (?) and ampersands (&).
For example:
https://example.com/page?param1=value1¶m2=value2
URL parameters can be used for tracking purposes, session management, personalization, and more. Unlike UTMs, which have standardized names and meanings, the keys and values of URL parameters can vary depending on the specific implementation and requirements of a website or application.
Adding UTMs to a landing page URL
UTMs can be added manually to any ConvertFlow landing page URL using a question mark (?) at the beginning of the parameter and an ampersand (&) in between each parameter like this:
https://website-25952.convertflowpages.com/page-165132?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=mothers-day
Since URL addresses only accept specific characters, they may be prone to errors when manually creating UTMs. We recommend using a URL builder like Google Campaign URL Builder, keeping into account that the protocol (e.g., "http://" or "https://") is necessary to generate the URL with UTMs.
https://website-25952.convertflowpages.com/page-165132?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=mother%27s+day&utm_id=1234
Capturing UTM data
First-touch attribution data
ConvertFlow will automatically capture first-touch attribution data on a visitor's first visit and become an identified contact. This means that any visitor that lands on the website/landing page for the first time with UTMs, will have the data captured and saved into their contact profile:
NOTE: Should the visitor have no UTMs on their first visit or return on a second visit with new UTMs, any subsequent UTM data won't be captured automatically into the contact profile as this is considered last-touch attribution data.
Last-touch attribution data
Capturing last-touch attribution data is done through a ConvertFlow form with hidden fields. The following steps will explain how to create hidden fields in a form to capture UTM data:
Start by creating a form with a custom hidden field for each of the UTMs that need to be captured. Add the UTM name to the "Prefill with URL parameter data" field:
NOTE: The hidden fields can also be mapped to custom fields in an ESP/CRM to share the data with other platforms. For details on how to map custom fields to integrations, please head to this section →
To ensure the data is saved and accessible in a contact profile, make sure the default email or phone field is also enabled on the form:
Make sure the "Prefill fields" and "Hide prefilled" toggles are enabled so the UTM data can be pulled into the form fields without showing other known fields like email/phone if necessary:
The campaign will look seamless without displaying any unnecessary fields or data:
Finally, visit the website/landing page with the UTMs in the URL and convert with the campaign to pull in the data into the contact profile's custom field area:
https://website-25952.convertflowpages.com/page-165132?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=mother%27s+day&utm_id=1234
Forwarding UTM data
Whether forwarding first or last-touch attribution data, UTMs will need to be added to a redirect URL for the following page to capture. There are two ways to forward UTMs with a redirect URL.
Redirect to a URL action
When the redirect URL and UTM values are known, the address can be added to any button's actions without needing to capture the UTM data beforehand:
Add field data to redirect URL
If the UTM data needs to be captured and forwarded to another page/site, a form can also be used to append form data to the redirect URL.
Within the same form used to capture UTM data as explained above, the button action can be used with the "Add field data to redirect URL" feature to forward the data to another page or site:
The redirect URL will look like this:
https://website-25952.convertflowpages.com/page-164471?email=support31%40convertflow.com&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaigns=mother%27s%20day&phone=%2B11112223333
NOTE: Only the field data found in the form used to perform the redirect will be added as parameters in the redirect URL. To add previous survey/form data to a redirect URL, create a hidden field with the needed data field name and enable the "Prefill Fields" feature. This will ensure that the previous data collected for that field name will be prefilled and forwarded in the redirect URL without having visitors see the fields.