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Adding UTM Parameters To Better Understand Campaign Performance

Updated

Want to better understand your customer affiliate activity? UTM parameters can be used to track performance of specific marketing activities giving merchants a better understanding of the performance of specific campaigns.

Using UTM Parameters

Merchants can append parameters that are both specific to AvantLink account information and specific to Google Analytics.  UTM parameters are short tags added to the end of a URL that tell your analytics platform, such as Google Analytics (GA4), where your website traffic came from. UTM parameters are attached to your tracking URL and are included on every affiliate click-through to your site. Your analytics platform reads these values and groups the visit by source, channel, campaign, and more.

Each UTM parameter has two parts: the analytics parameter (such as utm_source) and its value (such as reviewblog). Together, they form a query string at the end of the URL:

https://www.yourstore.com/?utm_source=reviewblog&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=summer_sale_2026

Analytics Parameters for Affiliate Programs

Merchants can append a number of Google Analytics parameters to enhance their activity tracking. They include: 

  • utm_source: Identifies where the traffic originated. Use the publisher company name or publisher id (for example, couponsite or reviewblog) to compare performance between partners.
  • utm_medium: Describes the marketing channel or traffic type, such as affiliate, email, or social.  For affiliate programs, affiliate is typically recommended.
  • utm_campaign: Identifies the overall campaign or promotion, such as summer_sale_2026, black_friday, or new_product_launch. Use a consistent name and avoid changing it mid-promotion.
  • utm_content: Differentiates links or creative within the same campaign, such as banner sizes, email versions, placements, or calls to action (for example, 728x90_banner, header_cta, or text_link).
  • utm_term: Captures keywords or audience segments when applicable, such as running_shoes, camping, or best_laptops. This is commonly used for paid search. Leave it blank if not needed.

Merchants can also enter custom value for Analytics Parameter if you use other analytics platforms. 

AvantLink Dynamic Variables

Merchants can use dynamic or fixed variables to pair with analytics parameters.  AvantLink dynamic values will fill in coordinating information automatically on each click. Dynamic values can be entered in the “Variable” field or selected from its most-used dropdown.

For example, setting utm_source to [PUBLISHER_COMPANY] shows each affiliate’s program name as the traffic source in your analytics.

  • [PUBLISHER_ID]: The AvantLink Affiliate ID for the affiliate.
  • [PUBLISHER_COMPANY]: The affiliate’s company name, or the affiliate’s first and last name if the account does not have a company name.
  • [WEBSITE_ID]: The website ID for the affiliate’s website. Affiliates may have multiple websites, and each is assigned its own website ID.
  • [WEBSITE_URL]: The website URL for the affiliate’s website. Each of an affiliate’s websites has its own URL.
  • [TOOL_TYPE]: The AvantLink tool type used, such as ml (merchant link, for banner and text ads), cl (Custom Link), or df (datafeed).
  • [AD_NAME]: The ad campaign name as displayed in Ad Management.
  • [AD_ID]: The ad ID as displayed in Ad Management.
  • [MERCHANT_TAG_GROUPS]: The tag group(s) assigned to the affiliate.
  • [MERCHANT_TAG_CATEGORY]: The tag category or categories assigned to the affiliate.

How to Add UTM Parameters

  1. From your AvantLink dashboard, open the hamburger menu and navigate to Account Settings > UTM Parameters.
  2. Click the plus (“+”) button to add a new parameter.
  3. In the “Analytics Parameter” field, enter a parameter name (such as utm_source) or select one from the most-used dropdown.
  4. In the “Variable” field, enter a value (such as affiliate) or a dynamic value (such as [PUBLISHER_COMPANY]), or select one from the most-used dropdown.
  1. Repeat steps 2–4 for each additional parameter.
  2. Review the query string preview at the bottom of the page to confirm your parameters look correct. (Please note: AvantLink appends a tracking parameter, avad=[COOKIE_STRING] to all affiliate links.  This cannot be edited or deleted).
  3. Click “Save” to apply your UTM parameters.

Note: Your UTM parameters are not applied until you click “Save.”

Editing or Removing UTM Parameters

You can edit or remove UTM parameters from the same “UTM Parameters” page.

  1. From the hamburger menu, navigate to Account Settings > UTM Parameters.
  2. To edit a parameter, update its “Analytics Parameter” or “Variable” field.
  3. To remove a parameter, click the “x” button for that parameter.
  4. Click “Save” to apply your changes.

Important Notes

  • Changes take effect immediately after you click “Save.”
  • Saved UTM parameters are applied to all affiliate click-throughs.
  • Additional UTM parameters are not required. AvantLink appends a tracking parameter, avad=[COOKIE_STRING] to all affiliate links.  This cannot be edited or deleted. 
  • Use lowercase letters and underscores instead of spaces. Most analytics platforms treat values as case-sensitive, so Affiliate and affiliate would appear as two separate sources.
  • Use the same naming conventions across campaigns so your data is easy to compare over time.
  • Traffic and sales in your analytics platform may not match AvantLink reporting exactly. To learn more, see Understanding Tracking Discrepancies Between AvantLink and Google Analytics (GA4).

Additional Questions?

If you have any questions about adding UTM parameters, please contact support@avantlink.com.

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