UTM Tracking

UTM parameters help sponsors track where their traffic comes from. BannerTrackr can automatically append UTM parameters to all click destinations, making it easy for sponsors to measure conversions in Google Analytics.

What Are UTM Parameters?

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags added to URLs that tell analytics tools where traffic originated:

https://sponsor.com/landing?utm_source=your_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=jan_2025

Enabling UTM Tracking

Per Placement

1. Go to Placements in your dashboard
2. Edit a placement
3. Scroll to UTM Parameters
4. Fill in the parameters you want to add:
   • Source — Your newsletter/site name
   • Medium — Usually email or banner
   • Campaign — The campaign name
   • Term — (Optional) Additional context
   • Content — (Optional) Placement location
5. Save the placement

Example Configuration

For a newsletter called "Tech Weekly" with a header sponsor:

When users click, they'll land on:

https://acme.com/promo?utm_source=tech_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=acme_jan_2025&utm_content=header

How It Works

1. You set UTM parameters in placement settings
2. User clicks on your tracked banner
3. BannerTrackr appends UTM params to the destination URL
4. User lands on sponsor's site with tracking info
5. Sponsor's analytics captures the source

Preserving Existing Parameters

If the destination URL already has parameters, BannerTrackr adds UTM params without breaking them:

Destination URL: https://sponsor.com/page?ref=123

After click: https://sponsor.com/page?ref=123&utm_source=...

UTM Builder Tool

Use the built-in UTM Builder to construct tracking URLs:

1. Go to UTM Builder in the sidebar
2. Enter the destination URL
3. Fill in UTM parameters
4. Copy the generated URL

This is useful for:

• Testing UTM configurations
• Creating one-off tracked links
• Sharing with sponsors

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use consistent, lowercase naming:

Standard Medium Values

• email — For newsletter placements
• banner — For website display ads
• sponsored — For sponsored content

Helpful Source Names

Make sources identifiable:

• Include your newsletter/site name
• Keep it short but clear
• Example: morning_brew, indie_hackers

Campaign Naming

Include useful context:

• Sponsor name
• Time period
• Example: acme_q1_2025, sponsor_launch_promo

Sponsor Integration

What to Tell Sponsors

When setting up a new sponsor, ask for:

1. Destination URL — Where clicks should land
2. Campaign name preference — How they want to track this in their analytics

Then configure UTM params to match their needs.

Sharing UTM Info

Let sponsors know what tracking you're adding:

Your clicks will include these UTM parameters:

• Source: my_newsletter
• Medium: email
• Campaign: [sponsor_name]_[month]

You'll see this traffic in Google Analytics under Acquisition → Traffic Source.

Viewing in Google Analytics

Sponsors can view BannerTrackr traffic in:

GA4:

1. Go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition
2. Filter by Source/Medium
3. Look for your newsletter name

Universal Analytics (legacy):

1. Go to Acquisition → All Traffic → Source/Medium
2. Find your newsletter name

Troubleshooting

UTM params not appearing?

1. Make sure you saved the placement settings
2. Check that the destination URL is set
3. Test by clicking the tracking link yourself

Duplicate parameters?

If the destination URL already has a utm_source, BannerTrackr won't add a duplicate. The existing parameter is preserved.

Special characters in values?

BannerTrackr URL-encodes special characters automatically. Avoid using:

• Spaces (use underscores)
• Special symbols

Sponsor's analytics not showing data?

1. Confirm they're using Google Analytics or similar
2. Check the tracking code is installed on their landing page
3. Analytics can take 24-48 hours to process data

Next Steps

• Advertiser Portal — Share stats with sponsors
• Reports — Generate PDF performance reports
• Click Tracking — Learn more about click tracking