Do you have data on your marketing activities like your newsletter links, banner advertisements, paid links, social media? A technique called “tagging” each call to action link enables tracking of these results. Google Analytics URL Builder (it’s free) makes tags for you and then puts the results in Google Analytics.

What is a “Tag”?

A “tag” HTML code that places a unique identifier on a link.  Every time that tag is clicked it is counted because of the tag. Every tag needs to contain identifying properties; source / referrer, medium, and campaign.

To understand a tag’s value take how to build them take a look at the post How to Move Beyond Open and Click Through Rates.

HTML coding NOT required with Google’s free URL Builder

You don’t have to know HTML to create your own tags. Google Analytics URL Builder is a free tool that creates a custom tag to track results for marketing activities like display / banner ads, newsletter links, email blasts, affiliate links, tweets and more. It’s a great way to get accurate and objective feedback on what was done well and what needs improvement.

How to make your own tags with Google Analytics URL Builder

Let’s assume you place an advertisement in an online publication and that ad contains a link back to your website.  To track the advertisement’s performance attach a unique tag to the link that takes viewers of your ad back to your website. Take these steps:

• Go to Google Analytics URL Builder
• Fill in the blanks; campaign source, medium and name are mandatory
• Click the button “create URL”
• Immediately below you are presented with your tag that is pasted into your advertisement.

Here is a sample of what a link with a tag for my website might look like:

https://birdseyemarketing.com/?utm_source=banner&utm_medium=publication&utm_campaign=june

All your results are in Google Analytics

For those with Google Analytics Accounts the clicks on each tag are identified under “traffic sources” > Search > Campaigns. All activity where a tagged link was used is captured in this single, which place which makes for easy comparisons.

I have a tag on my email signature so I know if email recipients are using it to access the website. Figure 2 shows how it is displayed in Google Analytics.

 

 

 

 

Let me know how about your tagging experiences.