Email marketing and Google Analytics go together like peas and carrots — or pizza and ranch if you aren’t the vegetable-eating type.
Which is why we’re pretty pumped to announce that we’ve enhanced the way you can automatically append links into your emails sent from our platform. Before, you could only decide at the account level whether or not Google Analytics append was automated, and we only had three of the five values available.
NOW, you can automate Google Analytics appending at an account and campaign level, and we’ve provided all five values for you. Additionally, the account level values will now function as default campaign values, and can be overridden at the campaign level during scheduling or deployment.
Here’s a quick breakdown for you:
Parameter Values
We now let you define all five of Google’s UTM Parameters at the account level. You’re free to customize them or leave any blank that you don’t need. If you’re not sure what to enter for all of these fields, don’t worry — you don’t have to use all of them. But you should at least include “UTM_medium” (e.g. Email) and “UTM_source” (e.g. WhatCounts).
Analytics Override
When turned on, the platform automatically attaches the parameters to link URLs. But don’t worry, we now let you override this at the campaign level. To do so, go to your advanced settings when setting up a campaign. Once there, go to the Google Analytics Override section and make your changes.
Adding Exclusions
If you need to add exclusions, you can find that feature under Reports and Event Tracking
Once there, enter the identifying string into the URL or pattern field and then select type rules you want, then click add.
Note that the filter field is used for finding a particular URL or pattern, and you can delete any exclusions you have set up.
Also, exclusions are applicable in real time, which can have a retroactive effect. The UTM parameters are appended to a URL link at the time it is clicked — not when the campaign is deployed.
If UTM parameters are setup, all links in the campaign will include the specified parameters when clicked on — unless (or until) a URL or pattern for a link is listed under the tracking exclusions.
Conversely, while a URL or pattern for a link is listed under the tracking exclusions, any particular instance of that link will not include UTM parameters when clicked on.
Not sure what this is all about? Check out these Google Analytics Help articles for more information:
- Understanding campaigns & traffic sources
- Custom campaign parameters
- Best practices for custom campaigns
- Escaping special characters
If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact your account manager and they’ll be happy to help you.
Note: This is release 11.10.
Also check out The Only Email Marketing Checklist You’ll Ever Need and Case Study: How 800razors Increased Repeat Buyers.