A user visits your website and buys your product. Fantastic, right? But can you tell where this customer came from, which search terms they used, and whether a specific campaign led them to your site?
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters help you understand how you gain traffic. This knowledge could play a big part in planning your next campaign.
If you run a WordPress or WooCommerce site, you need a reliable tool to track UTM parameters. Check out our AFL UTM Tracker review to learn why you need this plugin in your digital life.
Urchin Tracking Module
Listen to Rodney talk about tracking conversion rates and sources.
A Brief Recap of UTM Parameters
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are five URL parameters you can use to dissect your online marketing campaigns. Web developers capture them using the Hidden Fields function.
These parameters are:
- UTM Source: Which site did the traffic come from?
- UTM Medium: What type of link did the visitor use (email, PPC ad, organic search)?
- UTM Campaign: Did the user come from a specific campaign or promotion?
- UTM Term: What search term did the user enter?
- UTM Content: What did the user click to reach your site (e.g., a text link or banner ad)?
What’s the AFL UTM Tracker Plugin?
“I’m already using a gazillion of WordPress plugins, Rodney,” you might say. “Do I really have to install another one?”
You see, this is THE plugin that could take you from hit-and-miss campaigns to making informed decisions about online marketing. Let me explain.
If you use WordPress, you might be familiar with Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms, plugins that allow you to create contact forms and collect info.
With the AFL WordPress UTM Tracker, you can easily get marketing attribution data, meaning data that help you see which marketing tactics bring you conversions. For example, if you’re running a Google Ads campaign, the plugin will capture the GCLID (Google Click ID), a parameter that tracks your campaign plus other key data.
When viewing your forms with the AFL UTM Tracker installed, you’ll know:
- What campaign brought a user to your site
- Whether a click came from an organic search, a PPC ad, or social media
- Whether a site visit came from a referral
An Example of the Plugin in Action
Let’s say Cathy fills out a contact or order form on your website. How did she reach you? Where did she come from? You can easily see all that and more with the AFL UTM Tracker. You’ll know what marketing channel drove this customer to you.
Once you have that data, you can run it through HubSpot or other analytic tools. You can aggregate it to view marketing trends and determine your primary traffic sources. Then, you can use this info in your next campaign. For example, if you see you have a lot of traffic coming from certain Google search terms, you can say, “OK, let’s see how we can rank higher for these terms.”
How the AFL UTM Tracker Works
When someone visits your website, the server creates browser cookies. These tiny blocks of data collect the user’s browsing history, location, and other information. The AFL UTM Tracker uses these cookies to track visitors.
The plugin collects important attribution data like the time of the user’s first visit, their referring site, and the first landing page they visited. Whenever a user submits a form, the AFL UTM Tracker generates an attribution report, which you can view in the WordPress database. The plugin seamlessly integrates with WooCommerce, Gravity Forms, Ninja Forms, Fluent Forms, and more.
What You’re Getting
If you run a WooCommerce site and look at the summary of your recent orders, the AFL UTM Tracker gives you a bird’s-eye view of each conversion, with separate data for the first and last UTM. You can also see the conversion lag, an important but often-overlooked metric that shows how much time passed between clicking a link or an ad and the conversion action, like purchase, opt-in, or installation.
What a Conversion Attribution Report Includes
The AFL UTM Tracker gives you a detailed attribution report for each conversion, including:
- General information: First visit date, conversion date, first website referrer, first landing page, and conversion lag
- First and last touch UTM: UTM URL, UTM source, UTM visited time, UTM medium, and UTM campaign
- Click identifiers (Google, Facebook, Microsoft)
When looking at the report, you’ll know the key details about this customer: which website first referred them to you, which landing page they visited first, how long it took them to convert, and much more.
If you’re using Gravity Forms or Ninja Forms, the AFL UTM Tracker will work in the background once you install it, with no need to add form fields. Simple and hassle-free.
The Perks of the AFL UTM Tracker Plugin
Let’s recap the benefits of the AFL UTM Tracker:
- Effortless setup: Compared to Google Analytics, the AFL UTM Tracker is a breeze to set up and requires little effort to track conversions.
- A wealth of information: You’ll find out where your visitors come from, which marketing campaigns and landing pages generate conversions, whether users convert through organic searches or paid ads, how long conversion took, and more.
- Limitless data: Unlike some other pricey attribution services, this plugin doesn’t limit the number of events or users for which it generates data.
- Secure data collection: The AFL UTM Tracker uses safe first-party cookies to collect user information.
- Data ownership: Once attribution data passes into your WordPress database, you own it and can feed it to any analytic tools.
- Compliance with Apple privacy policies: The plugin works with ITP (Intelligent Tracking Prevention) and App Tracking Transparency.
You may ask how the AFL UTM Tracker compares to Google Analytics. While Google Analytics is a powerful tool, it will usually take you at least 48 hours to get attribution data in Analytics. With the AFL UTM Tracker, you’ll get conversion attribution data instantly, as soon as a visitor submits a form.
Additionally, browsers that use privacy technology can block tracking scripts and thus keep you from following your customers’ conversion journeys. Some companies use server-side Google Tag Manager to bypass these limitations, but this can get pricey for small businesses.
What To Do With AFL UTM Tracker Data
Once you have your attribution data, you can aggregate it, analyze it, and put it to good use.
Get More Actionable Metrics
Vanity metrics are the pitfall of many digital marketers. It’s easy to let page views, clicks, and shares dazzle you to the point of overlooking your business goals.
The AFL UTM Tracker plugin gives you solid, detailed data that translate into actionable metrics. You’ll know exactly:
- Where your traffic comes from
- Which of your campaigns are most successful
- Which links users are clicking in specific campaigns
- Your amount of paid vs. organic traffic
Plan Your Next Campaign
When you look into your customers’ conversion journey, you’ll be able to see patterns that help you plan your next marketing campaign.
For example, if you notice that only a small percentage of your clicks come from organic traffic even though you invest major resources in content marketing, you might want to rethink your content strategy. If one landing page generates three times more conversions than other pages, you might analyze it to figure out what makes this page so appealing to users and possibly make changes to your other pages.
Use Your Budget Wisely
Data from the AFL UTM Tracker plugin can help you make the most of your marketing budget. For instance, you may notice your Facebook ads generate significantly more traffic and revenue than Instagram ads, even though you split your budget evenly between both platforms. Based on this data, you might choose to focus on Facebook in your next campaign.
How Much Does the AFL UTM Tracker Cost?
To round up this AFL UTM Tracker review, let’s discuss pricing. The basic plugin costs $79 a year for a single site. If you run several sites
To round up this AFL UTM Tracker review, let’s discuss pricing. The basic plugin costs $79 a year for a single site. If you run several sites, each will need a separate license. You also have upgrade options you can choose from under your subscription page.
The deal includes plugin updates, email support, and a 20-day money-back guarantee if you’re unhappy with the Tracker. Once the year ends, your license will renew automatically unless you cancel the subscription before the renewal date rolls in. You can also choose manual renewal in your preferences.
Now for the million-dollar question: Is the AFL UTM Tracker worth your money? Definitely, especially when you consider all the priceless data you’re getting for under $7 a month with practically zero hassle.
Not sure whether the Tracker will work for your needs? Try the AFL UTM Tracker demo first to watch the plugin in action before you purchase.
Final Word
The AFL UTM Tracker collects a lot of important data effortlessly and at a highly affordable price. I hope my AFL UTM Tracker review helps you decide whether you should install this useful plugin. Follow our blog for more online marketing tips and strategies.
