Insights helps merchant advertisers understand which marketing channels contribute to website traffic and conversions. Depending on the channel, Insights can identify marketing activity using UTM parameters, or website referral URLs.
How Insights Identifies Marketing Channels
Insights can associate website traffic with a marketing channel using two primary methods:
- UTM parameter tracking: Insights looks for configured UTM parameter values in the incoming URL and maps those values to a marketing channel name.
- Referral URL tracking: Insights looks at the website referral URL provided by the visitor's browser and maps recognized referral sources to a marketing channel name.
AvantLink affiliate traffic is identified separately using AvantLink tracking parameters.
UTM Parameters vs. Referral URLs
UTM parameter tracking is the preferred and more reliable method for identifying marketing channels in Insights. Because Insights can look directly for a configured UTM parameter, it can more consistently identify and categorize that traffic.
Referral URL tracking is less reliable because it depends on the visitor's browser providing the referring website information. Some browsers, privacy settings, and browser extensions may block or remove referral information.
As a result, traffic identified through referral URLs may not provide as complete a picture as traffic identified through UTM parameters.
Marketing Channels Tracked by Default
When Insights is enabled, the following marketing channels are tracked by default:
- AvantLink: Identified using AvantLink tracking parameters.
- ChatGPT: Identified using UTM parameters.
- Facebook: Identified using referral URLs.
- YouTube: Identified using referral URLs.
- Gemini: Identified using referral URLs.
- Claude: Identified using referral URLs.
- Perplexity: Identified using referral URLs.
- Copilot: Identified using referral URLs.
Because Facebook, YouTube, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and Copilot are identified using referral URLs by default, some visits from these channels may not be identified when referral information is unavailable.
Add Additional Marketing Channels
Merchant advertisers can request tracking for additional websites or marketing channels beyond the default channels listed above.
To request an additional marketing channel, contact AvantLink Support.
Additional Questions?
If you have questions about Insights Marketing Channel Tracking or would like to add another marketing channel to your Insights configuration, please contact AvantLink Support.