URL parameters is one of the most common ways that web tracking information is passed into your site when a lead arrives. In this article, we will explain the variety of URL parameters that can be tracked by Qualified and passed into Salesforce or Pardot for subsequent reporting purposes. We'll explain how to track four different types of URL parameters: UTM parameters, GCLID parameters, standard web tracking parameters, and your own custom parameters.
1) Tracking UTM Parameters
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are five variants of URL parameters used by marketers to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns across traffic sources and publishing media. They were introduced by Urchin, the company Google bought to create Google Analytics, and consequently, are supported out-of-the-box by Google Analytics. The UTM parameters in a URL identify the campaign that refers traffic to a specific website and attributes it to the browser's website session. There are five UTM parameters:
- utm_source = which site sent the traffic (ie, utm_source=google)
- utm_medium = the campaign type (ie, utm_medium=email)
- utm_campaign = the name of the campaign (ie, utm_campaign=new_product)
- utm_term = the search term, if available (ie, utm_term=running+shoes)
- utm_content = the type of link that was clicked (ie, utm_content=banner_ad)
All UTM parameters are passed in the URL when someone arrives to your website, and we've made a nice convenient way to grab any of the standard UTM parameters from the URL and pass them into hidden fields, which will map into Salesforce.
In your visitor fields, create a new field for each UTM parameter you'd like to track (as shown above). Click the "+" or "Source" button in the right-hand column after creating the field to use our variable tag builder.
- Under Additional sources, select 'Visit data' from the first drop down.
- Then, select the UTM parameter you'd like to track in this field.
- Click 'Save', and then 'Save' again.
Once you've created this visitor field, you'll also want to make sure it's mapped to Salesforce in your "Lead Mapping" area.
2) Tracking GCLID Parameters
UTM parameters are the most common form of link or ad tracking. They must be added manually to all of your campaign URLs, or use a UTM link builder tool to help.
To make things simpler for marketers using Adwords and Analytics, Google introduced a nice shortcut. Instead of adding UTM parameters to every campaign URL you have, you simply enter the URL and Adwords will automatically add one parameter called GCLID that contains all of the info that is contained in the separate UTM parameters. Even though the GCLID is only understandable by Google, many marketers want to push that GCLID parameter into the lead record in Salesforce for reporting purposes, which can be done by selecting this variable from our variable tag builder.
3) Referrers, Landing Pages, and Conversion Pages
There are three additional pieces of information that are readily accessible and valuable for sales reps and marketers alike. It's useful to know:
- Initial Referrer = the site that the lead was on before they landed on your site
- Initial Landing Page URL = the page on your site that the lead first entered on
- Conversion Page = the page where a conversation started on your site
All three of these parameters can be accessed through the Visitor data source and mapped into Salesforce, just like UTM Parameters and GCLID.
4) Tracking Custom URL Parameters
Finally, if you have any additional custom URL parameters that fall outside of those listed above, you can adjust the visitor field's API name to match the URL parameter to populate it with the value.
For example, let's say you have defined a campaign priority score and pass values such as ?priority=high or ?priority=low in your URLs. You can update the Visitor Field's API name to 'priority' to populate it with the URL parameter value.
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