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Google Analytics: UTM Link Tagging Explained

A customer developed some different campaigns, including blasting emails and flash banner ads. These campaigns centered around their new products and instructed them to visit different microsites (websites) about the new products.

Do you know how to track the number of people who received the emails or banner ads and visited the microsites.

The easily way is to use link tagging with Google Analytics UTM values. Then we could track the entire process in Google Analytics.

What are Google Analytic UTM Tags?

Google UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) tags allow you to add extra information to you the link you create. This extra information appears in the Google Analytics reports under Traffic Sources.

A Link with UTM tags added: http://www.yoursite.com/product.html?utm_source=Google &utm_medium=BannerAd01&utm_campaign=SGS1234

Required UTM Values

• utm_source=google (Campaign Source) * This is the source of the link or referrer: Example: Search Engine, another domain, or name of email list
• utm_medium=banner (Campaign Medium) * This is the method of delivery. Example: Postcard, Email, or Banner Ad
• utm_campaign=Project123 (Campaign Name) * This is a name that helps you keep track of your different campaign efforts, to identify a specific product promotion or strategic campaign. Example: utm_campaign=spring_sale.

Google Analytic UTM Tags - Traffic Report

If you publish advertising banners on your site, there is an easy way for you to track which banners visitors click on to leave your site and which advertisers they visit.

To track outbound clicks on an animated GIF or other type of static banner ad, add the following code within the <a> tag:

Google Analytics lets you track any browser based event, including Flash and JavaScript events by using the _trackPageview function, you can assign a page filename to any Flash action, and enter that filename into the appropriate goal or funnel step. Important: Please note that your analytics tracking code and calls to _gat._getTracker must be placed on the page above the call to _trackPageview.

If you wish to track downloads or individual clicks on files such as pdf, or word files you can do so using Google analytics.

Adding a small piece of JavaScript to any link will tell Google to track when someone clicks on that link. This works for pdfs, Word documents, email addresses and external links.

I bought a Pharos Trips and Pics, which is a GPS location tagger, and installed the software (Pharos Trips & Pics Version 1.7.0.0). The Trips & Pics is a great travel GPS tracker and a digital camera add-on. It recorded my trips and geotagged my photos offline by using the time stamp of the photos. (Note: Digital camera's clock must be calibrated against some accurate time source. The GPS gadget provides the most accurate time.) It also supports EXIF, Flickr and GPX. This is a picture opened with Adobe Bridge to see the extra EXIF Metadata include GPS Latitude, Longitude and Map Datum

Pharos Trips & Pics is a low-cost solution for recording trips and geotagging photos, ideal for leisure travelers, photographers, outdoor enthusiasts, field workers, real estate agents, conservationists, fleet managers... The applications of the product are limited only by your imagination.