I sent the same link to three Slack channels last Tuesday and realized I had zero way of knowing which one drove the 47 signups I saw that morning. Honestly, it was a bit of a mess - I was using a basic URL shortener and had no idea how to track the performance of each link. Look, I know I'm not alone in this, but it got me thinking about UTM parameters and how they can help with link tracking.
Why UTM Parameters Matter
I was using a simple curl command to shorten my links, like this: curl -s -X POST https://linkcut.link/api -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"url": "https://example.com"}'. But this approach wasn't enough, as I soon realized I needed more detailed analytics to understand which links were performing well. I started reading up on UTM parameters and how they can be used to track links. Essentially, UTM parameters are tags that you can add to a URL to track its performance in Google Analytics. For example, you can add utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign parameters to a link to track its source, medium, and campaign.
The Spreadsheet that Saved My Sanity
I decided to try using UTM parameters to track my links, and I started by creating a spreadsheet to keep track of all my links and their corresponding UTM parameters. I was looking at the device breakdown in LinkCut and noticed that most of my traffic was coming from mobile devices - this was a surprise, as I had assumed most of my traffic would be from desktop devices. (I'm not sure why I assumed that, maybe it's just because I'm a developer and I'm used to working on a desktop.) Anyway, I started using UTM parameters to track my links, and it made a huge difference. I was able to see which links were performing well and which ones were not, and I was able to adjust my strategy accordingly.
Results and Surprises
The results were interesting - I saw that one of my links was getting a lot of traffic from Facebook, but it was also getting a high bounce rate. This was weird, as I had assumed that traffic from Facebook would be more engaged. I also saw that another link was getting a lot of traffic from Twitter, but it was also getting a high conversion rate. This was a surprise, as I had assumed that Twitter traffic would be more casual. Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of these results, but they've definitely given me some food for thought.
When This Approach Falls Apart
The thing is, using UTM parameters is not a silver bullet - there are some caveats to consider. For example, if you're using a URL shortener like LinkCut, you need to make sure that the UTM parameters are preserved when the link is shortened. I found that some URL shorteners would strip out the UTM parameters, which made it difficult to track the links. Additionally, if you're using a custom slug with LinkCut, you need to make sure that the UTM parameters are appended to the slug correctly. I'm not sure this is the best approach, but it's what I've found works for me so far.
I'm still experimenting with UTM parameters and link tracking, and I'm not sure I've found the perfect solution yet. Has anyone else hit this exact wall and found a way to overcome it?
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