Tracking parameter
A tracking parameter is a value added to a URL to track the performance of a specific marketing campaign or advertising effort.
What is a tracking parameter?
Tracking parameters, most commonly known as UTM parameters, are values added to the end of a URL to track the performance of a specific marketing campaign or advertising effort. These parameters can be used to measure the effectiveness of different marketing channels, such as email, social media, or pay-per-click advertising, as well as specific campaigns or promotions within a marketing channel.
Tracking parameters are typically added to the end of a URL in the form of a query string. For example, if you were running a social media campaign on TikTok to promote a new product, you might use the following URL:
There are several different types of tracking parameters that you can use, depending on your specific needs. Some commonly used tracking parameters include:
- Source: The source parameter tracks the traffic source to your websites.
- Medium: The medium parameter tracks the type of marketing channels, such as email, social media, or paid search.
- Campaign: The campaign parameter tracks the specific campaign or promotion with which the URL is associated.
- Term: This parameter tracks the keywords or search terms used to find your website.
- Content: This parameter tracks the specific content that was clicked on, such as a banner ad or a specific product page.
Why are tracking parameters important?
Tracking parameters allow marketers to measure the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. By adding tracking parameters to the URLs, marketers can see which campaigns, channels, and promotions drive the most traffic and conversions. This data can enable marketers to understand which efforts are working and which aren't, so they can optimize their marketing strategy and allocate resources more effectively.
In addition, tracking parameters help marketers identify trends and patterns. Marketers can identify trends and patterns in their marketing performance by analyzing the tracking parameters over time. For example, marketers may discover that a certain type of promotion performs better on a particular social media platform or that a specific email subject line has a higher conversion rate. This information can help you make informed decisions about your marketing efforts.
Finally, tracking parameters allow marketers to track the performance of the specific campaign. Tracking parameters will enable marketers to track the performance of a particular campaign rather than the overall traffic and conversions. This can be especially useful if you're running multiple campaigns simultaneously and want to see how each one performs.