UTM & URL tracking parameters

Accurately attribute traffic sources and avoid "Direct / None" data by using URL parameters. attribu.tech automatically picks up UTM tags, simple referral params, and ad platform click IDs.

Supported parameters

attribu.tech automatically detects and records these URL parameters:

Parameter	Purpose
`ref`	Simple referral source tag
`source`	Alternative referral source tag
`via`	Affiliate or partner referral
`utm_source`	Traffic source (e.g. google, newsletter, twitter)
`utm_medium`	Marketing medium (e.g. cpc, email, social)
`utm_campaign`	Campaign name or promo code
`utm_content`	Differentiates links within the same ad or email
`utm_term`	Paid search keyword

When someone visits your site with a URL like yourdomain.com?ref=twitter, attribu.tech records "twitter" as the referral source.

Simple campaign tracking

The easiest way to see where traffic and revenue originate is the ref parameter. Add it to any link you share:

https://yourdomain.com?ref=twitter
https://yourdomain.com?ref=newsletter-june
https://yourdomain.com?ref=producthunt

In your dashboard, these show up in the Campaigns tab as referral sources. If you have revenue attribution set up, you'll see revenue attributed to each source.

UTM parameters for detailed tracking

For more detailed campaign tracking, especially paid ads, use the full set of UTM parameters:

https://yourdomain.com?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_promo&utm_content=video_ad

What you'll see in your dashboard:

Breakdowns by campaign, source, medium, term, and content
Revenue attributed to each campaign
Conversion rates per traffic source
Customer acquisition cost when combined with ad spend data

Ad platform click IDs

attribu.tech automatically detects click IDs from major ad platforms. These are appended to URLs automatically when someone clicks your ad:

Parameter	Platform
`gclid`	Google Ads
`gbraid` / `wbraid`	Google Ads (iOS privacy)
`gclsrc`	Google Ads source type
`fbclid`	Meta (Facebook / Instagram) Ads
`msclkid`	Microsoft (Bing) Ads
`ttclid`	TikTok Ads
`twclid`	Twitter (X) Ads
`li_fat_id`	LinkedIn Ads

You don't need to do anything special for click IDs. The pixel captures them from the URL automatically and stores them alongside the visitor's first event.

Best practices

Tag every link you share - Email campaigns, social media posts, ads, partner links. Without a tag, the visit shows up as "Direct".
Be consistent - Use lowercase. utm_source=Facebook andutm_source=facebook will show up as two separate sources.
Use a URL builder - Tools like Google's Campaign URL Builder help create properly formatted URLs.
Keep campaign names readable - spring_sale_2025 is better than ss25_v3_final.
Don't use UTMs on internal links - Tagging links within your own site will overwrite the original traffic source.

How it connects to attribution

attribu.tech uses first-touch attribution. The parameters from a visitor's first pageview determine their attributed source for all future purchases. Later visits with different UTMs don't change the attribution.