102. Getting Started for HandL UTM Grabber V3

How to Use HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker How to add custom parameters How to Enable GDPR How to Set Cookie Duration How to Append UTM First / Last Touch Attribute How to Track Organic Traffic There is no UTM collected?

How to use?

1-WP’s Native Short Codes 2-Input Field Wrapper 3-Hassle Free Implementation (No Short code)

How to use?

Native WP Shortcodes

One great feature of the plugin is the UTM variables are saved in client’s browser and even though there is no UTM variables in URL, the variables can still be accessible via shortcode across any page/widget of your website.

UTM Parameters (Last Touch)

[utm_campaign] – Prints out utm_campaign variable.
[utm_source] – Prints out utm_source variable.
[utm_term] – Prints out utm_term variable.
[utm_medium] – Prints out utm_medium variable.
[utm_content] – Prints out utm_content variable.
[gclid] – Prints out gclid variable. Google Ads click ID
[fbclid] – Prints out fbclid variable. Facebook Ads click ID
[msclkid] – Prints out msclkid variable. Bing Ads click ID

UTM Parameters (First Touch)

[first_utm_campaign] – Prints out utm_campaign variable for first touch.
[first_utm_source] – Prints out utm_source variable for first touch.
[first_utm_term] – Prints out utm_term variable for first touch.
[first_utm_medium] – Prints out utm_medium variable for first touch.
[first_utm_content] – Prints out utm_content variable for first touch.

[ad_id] - Facebook Ad Id
[adset_id] - Facebook Ads Id
[ad_name] - Facebook Ads Name
[adset_name] - Facebook Adset Name
[placement] - Facebook Placement
//you can add many more using custom paramaters.

[campaignid] - Google Ads ValueTrack Campaign Id
[adgroupid] - Google Ads ValueTrack Ads Group Id
[keyword] - Google Ads ValueTrack Keyword
[placement] - Google Ads ValueTrack Placement
//you can add many more using custom paramaters.

Other HandL UTM Grabber Parameters

[handl_original_ref] - original referral - first touch!
[handl_landing_page] - landing page - first touch!
[handl_landing_page_base] - - landing page base domain - first touch!
[handl_ip] - ip of the user
[handl_ref] - last touch referral
[handl_ref_domain] - last touch referral - domain only
[handl_url] - last touch url
[handl_url_base] - base URL only of handl_url

[organic_source] - organic source href (e.g. https://www.google.com/some/path)
[organic_source_str] - organic source (Google, Bing, Instagram etc)
[gaclientid] - Google Analytics clientid
[user_agent] - user (browser) agent
[traffic_source] - (Last Touch) Paid, Organic, Direct, Referral, Social
[first_traffic_source] - (First Touch) Paid, Organic, Direct, Referral, Social

[handlID] - Unique ID generated by HandL UTM Grabber

See what is the difference of all the handl_ params here What is the difference between all the handl params?

You get the gist by now, you can add ANY custom parameter you defined in the settings

[user]
[email]
[affid]
[cid]

Other internal COOKIES not meant for tracking, but needed for our plugin to function

HandLtestDomainName - to automatically get the domain for tracking (via client side) - you can overwrite this using Domain under settings.
HandLtestDomainNameServer - to automatically get the domain for tracking (via server side) - you can overwrite this using Domain under settings.
How to use?

Input Field Wrapper

There are some places you are not able to use WP’s native shortcodes. One example is when you use HTML in WYSWYG editor. If you directly copy paste the HTML below in your WP editor, you will see that the shortcode breaks.

<input type="hidden" name="utm_campaign" id="utm_campaign" value="HandL UTM Grabber Readme" />

In order to prevent this, we recommend using the following shortcode wrappers.

UTM Parameters (Last Touch)

[utm_campaign_i]<input type="hidden" name="utm_campaign" value="%s" />[/utm_campaign_i]
[utm_source_i]<input type="hidden" name="utm_source" value="%s" />[/utm_source_i]
[utm_term_i]<input type="hidden" name="utm_term" value="%s" />[/utm_term_i]
[utm_medium_i]<input type="hidden" name="utm_medium" value="%s" />[/utm_medium_i]
[utm_content_i]<input type="hidden" name="utm_content" value="%s" />[/utm_content_i]
[gclid_i]<input type="hidden" name="gclid" value="%s" />[/gclid_i]

UTM Parameters (First Touch)

[first_utm_campaign_i]<input type="hidden" name="first_utm_campaign" value="%s" />[/first_utm_campaign_i]
[first_utm_source_i]<input type="hidden" name="first_utm_source" value="%s" />[/first_utm_source_i]
[first_utm_term_i]<input type="hidden" name="first_utm_term" value="%s" />[/utm_termfirst_utm_term_i_i]
[first_utm_medium_i]<input type="hidden" name="first_utm_medium" value="%s" />[/first_utm_medium_i]
[first_utm_content_i]<input type="hidden" name="first_utm_content" value="%s" />[/first_utm_content_i]

[ad_id_i]<input type="hidden" name="ad_id" value="%s" />[/ad_id_i]
[adset_id_i]<input type="hidden" name="ad_id" value="%s" />[/adset_id_i]
[ad_name_i]<input type="hidden" name="ad_name" value="%s" />[/ad_name_i]
[adset_name_i]<input type="hidden" name="adset_name" value="%s" />[/adset_name_i]
[placement_i]<input type="hidden" name="placement" value="%s" />[/placement_i]
//many more...

[campaignid_i]<input type="hidden" name="campaignid" value="%s" />[/campaignid_i]
[adgroupid_i]<input type="hidden" name="adgroupid" value="%s" />[/adgroupid_i]
[keyword_i]<input type="hidden" name="keyword" value="%s" />[/keyword_i]
[placement_i]<input type="hidden" name="placement" value="%s" />[/placement_i]
//many more...

Other HandL UTM Grabber Parameters

[handl_original_ref_i]<input type="hidden" name="handl_original_ref" value="%s" />[/handl_original_ref_i]
[handl_landing_page_i]<input type="hidden" name="handl_landing_page" value="%s" />[/handl_landing_page_i]
[handl_ip_i]<input type="hidden" name="handl_ip" value="%s" />[/handl_ip_i]
[handl_ref_i]<input type="hidden" name="handl_ref" value="%s" />[/handl_ref_i]
[handl_url_i]<input type="hidden" name="handl_url" value="%s" />[/handl_url_i]

[organic_source_i]<input type="hidden" name="organic_source" value="%s" />[/organic_source_i]
[organic_source_str_i]<input type="hidden" name="organic_source_str" value="%s" />[/organic_source_str_i]

[gaclientid_i]<input type="hidden" name="gaclientid" value="%s" />[/gaclientid_i]

[user_agent_i]<input type="hidden" name="user_agent" value="%s" />[/user_agent_i]

You get the gist by now, you can add ANY custom parameter you defined in the settings

[user_i]<input type="hidden" name="user" value="%s" />[/user_i]
[email_i]<input type="hidden" name="email" value="%s" />[/email_i]
[affid]<input type="hidden" name="affid" value="%s" />[/affid]
[cid]<input type="hidden" name="cid" value="%s" />[/cid]

To append all the UTMs to your link, you can use handl_all

[handl_all_i]<iframe src="https://someexternaldomain.com?%s" border="0" style="border: none; opacity: 1; visibility: visible;"></iframe>[/handl_all_i]

You can safely use the shortcode wrappers in your HTML content without worrying about breaking the code.

How to use?

Hassle Free Implementation (No shortcode)

Upon ativation of this plugin, it will fill the elements named “utm_source, utm_medium, utm_term, utm_content, utm_campaign, gclid” AUTOMAGICALLY! (by element name, id and class)

-Simple Examples:
<input type="hidden" name="utm_campaign" />
<input type="hidden" name="foo" id="utm_campaign" />
<input type="hidden" name="foo" class="utm_campaign" />
-More Complex Examples:
<div class="input-wrapper" id="utm_campaign">
	<input type="hidden" name="foo"/>
</div>
<div class="input-wrapper utm_campaign">
	<input type="hidden" name="foo"/>
</div>

If you are already using one of those names either in your form element name, id, or class. You do not have to use the shortcode or shortcode weappers. HandL UTM Grabber will automatically fill the corresponding fields.

Easy peasy 😃

How to add custom parameters?

How to add custom parameters?

Adding a Custom Parameter

Overview

The Custom Parameters feature allows you to track additional URL parameters beyond the standard UTM parameters that HandL UTM Grabber tracks by default. This feature is particularly useful when you need to capture custom campaign parameters or third-party tracking parameters that aren't part of the standard UTM set.

Default Parameters

By default, HandL UTM Grabber tracks the following parameters here Native WP Shortcodes

Adding Custom Parameters

How to Access

Configuration

  1. Enter your custom parameter names one by one in the provided input fields
  2. Each parameter should be entered without any special characters
  3. Click "Save Changes" to store your custom parameters

Important Notes

All native UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, etc.) and standard tracking parameters (fbclid, gclid) are already tracked by default Only add parameters that aren't already included in the default tracking Make sure to read the documentation before using this feature, as you may not need it for standard tracking scenarios

How It Works

When custom parameters are configured:

  1. The plugin will automatically look for these parameters in:
  1. The parameters are:

Usage Examples

Example URL with Custom Parameter

https://yourdomain.com/page?custom_param=value

Using Custom Parameters in Shortcodes

[custom_param]

Dynamic Content Example

[custom_param_i]Your custom parameter value is: %s[/custom_param_i]

Technical Details

Best Practices

  1. Only add parameters you specifically need to track
  2. Use descriptive parameter names
  3. Test parameters before deploying to production
  4. Regularly review and clean up unused parameters
  5. Consider GDPR implications when tracking custom parameters

Limitations

How to add custom parameters?

How to Add a fbclid as a custom parameter to track and collect?

Video Tutorial

How to add custom parameters?

How to add a 'affid' as a custom parameter to track and collect?

Video Tutorial

please click right to the video below and open link in new tab

How to add a 'affid' as a custom parameter to track and collect?

How to add custom parameters?

Track and capture fbclid, _fbc and _fbp

Add fbclid, _fbc and _fbp as custom parameters under UTM menu

ad they will be tracked and captured just like any other UTM parameters. So easy... :)

How to add custom parameters?

Track and capture gclid, wbraid and gbraid

GCLID is already being tracked by default, so no action is required for that.

Add WBRAID and GBRAID as custom parameters under the UTM menu

Add these parameters, and they will be tracked and captured just like any other UTM parameters. It's that easy!

How to Enable GDPR?

How to Enable GDPR?

'Enabling GDPR' documentation with screenshots

1.Click UTM, check the "Enable GDPR" box in the HandL Options tab and save changes

You can see the cookie alert below after refreshing the page

image-1598256876237.JPG

How to Enable GDPR?

'Enabling GDPR' documentation video tutorial

Please watch the related Video Tutorial below

and click right to the video and open link in new tab

Setting GDPR in HandL UTM Grabber is very easy.

It is literally a click of a button to enable GDPR. Once it is enabled, clients will see a message in the footer to either accept or deny data collection.

If GDPR is active, there will be no data collected in client's browser until client gives consent (hit "Accept" button). User decision will be kept in COOKIES, so when user visits your site, it will honor user's previous decision.

It is also easy to integrate with other similar WordPress plugin developed such as "Cookie Notice" plugin, so basically if you are already using a GDPR plugin, you can integrate HandL UTM Grabber to recognize the GDPR plugin of your choice.

How to Set Cookie Duration?

How to Set Cookie Duration?

Setting the Cookie Duration

Video Tutorial

please click right to the video below and open link in new tab

Adjust Cookie Time as You Wish

1.Click UTM and set the cookie duration below the HandL Options tab

You can see the expiration date on developer console

How to Append UTM?

How to Append UTM?

Appending UTM Globally

1.Click UTM, check the "Append UTM" box in the HandL Options tab and save changes

NOTE: This may not work for some of the themes that are not using native wp_content filter. Or may not work for some of the Content builder plugin. If this method does not work, you can always append UTMs individually to your loinks an buttons using class variables utm-out. Please see Appending UTMs to the buttons using class name attributes for more.

How to Append UTM?

Appending UTMs to the buttons using class name attributes (Selectively)

If you have a button or link that you would like to append all the collected UTMs to. Use the class variable utm-out as it is shown below.

This technique is extremely useful if you are sending out traffic (ouf of your domain). Or you want to specifically append UTMs to some links.

<a href="https://www.someoutgoinglink.com/" class="utm-out">

HandL UTM Grabber automatically scan all the links and buttons having utm-out class and append all the UTMs automatically so your final URL will be like this.

<a href="https://www.someoutgoinglink.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale&utm_term=term&utm_content=content" class="utm-out">

utm-out also works if it is at the parent level. For example

<div class="parent-div utm-out">
	<a href="https://www.someoutgoinglink.com/">
</div>

This will also populate all the UTMs like this

<div class="parent-div utm-out">
	<a href="https://www.someoutgoinglink.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale&utm_term=term&utm_content=content">
</div>
How to Append UTM?

Appending UTMs to the Iframe src

You can append all the UTMs to your target website URL within iframe. This is actually very helpful, if you are using iframe for your optin forms and you would like to pass the UTM values captured to prefill your form.

It works very simple.

Your iframe code normally look like this

<iframe src="https://yourwebsite.com/optin-form" frameborder="0" width="1000" height="700" scrolling="no"></iframe>

simply add the utm-src class to your iframe like this

<iframe src="https://yourwebsite.com/optin-form" class="utm-src" frameborder="0" width="1000" height="700" scrolling="no"></iframe>

And you are good to passing all the UTMs to your iframe URL :)

How to Append UTM?

Appending UTMs using Shortcode

If none of the other propsed solutions here How to Append UTM? worked, you can always pull the UTM parameters using the shortcode.

For example

<a href="https://www.domain.com?utm_campaign=[utm_campaign]"></a>

<div class="some-cool-div" data-url="https://www.domain.com?utm_campaign=[utm_campaign]"></div>
How to Append UTM?

Append UTMs upon DOM change

Here is an example of snippet you can use to append UTMs upon a DOM change. This requires advance coding skills.

setTimeout(function(){ 

var target = document.querySelector('#storepoint-results')
var observer = new MutationObserver(function(mutations) {
	console.log(jQuery(target).find('.storepoint-onlinestore').length)
  if ( jQuery(target).find('.storepoint-onlinestore').length > 0 ){
  	var a = jQuery(target).find('.storepoint-onlinestore')
  	var target_url = a.attr('href')
  	var merged = jQuery.extend( {}, handl_utm, getSearchParams(target_url) )
  	var src = target_url.split("?")[0];
  	if ( !jQuery.isEmptyObject(merged) ){
    	var final_target = src + "?" + jQuery.param(merged)
    }
    a.attr('href', final_target)
  }
});
var config = { attributes: true, childList: true, characterData: true };
observer.observe(target, config);

 }, 500);
How to Append UTM?

Selecting specific parameters for append utm

In some rare instances, you might want to specify certain parameters to append and exclude the rest. Make your selections below, and only the chosen parameters will be appended to the links. This also applies to the utm-out, utm-out-js and utm-src feature. If no selection is made below, all parameters will be appended by default.

Simply click Append UTM tab:

Select the fields you'd like to append.

Save the form.

Only the selected paramters will be appended to your links.

First / Last Touch Attribute

First / Last Touch Attribute

First Touch

1.Paste the link in the campaign url builder and fill the required fields.

3.Open developer console

First / Last Touch Attribute

Last Touch

1.Change values in the url and refresh the page.

New values will be seen in the fields.

The old values are in the "first_utm" field.

First / Last Touch Attribute

'First & Last Touch Attribute' documentation video tutorial

Overview

The HandL UTM Grabber plugin tracks various UTM parameters and other relevant data to help understand the source and behavior of website traffic. This documentation focuses on the first touch parameters, which capture the initial interaction a user has with the website, and the last touch parameters, which capture the most recent interaction.

First Touch Parameters

First touch parameters are captured when a user first visits the website. These parameters are stored in cookies and are not overwritten on subsequent visits. The following are the first touch parameters:

How It Works

When a user visits the website for the first time, the plugin checks if the first touch parameters are already set in the cookies. If the parameters are not set, the plugin captures the current UTM parameters and other relevant data and stores them in cookies with the prefix first_. These cookies are set with a long expiration time to ensure they persist across multiple sessions.

Last Touch Parameters

Last touch parameters capture the most recent interaction a user has with the website. These parameters are updated on each visit and provide insights into the latest source of traffic.

Conclusion

The first touch parameters provide valuable insights into the initial interaction a user has with the website, helping to understand the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and the original source of traffic. By capturing and storing these parameters in cookies, the HandL UTM Grabber plugin ensures that this data is preserved across multiple sessions, enabling more accurate tracking and analysis.

Please watch the related Video Tutorial below

and click right to the video and open link in new tab

HandL UTM Grabber/Tracker for WordPress website : First & Last Touch Attribute

How to Track Organic Traffic?

How to Track Organic Traffic?

Organic Traffic UTM Parameters

Are you tracking all of your Organic traffic in Google Analytics?


[organic_source] - organic source href (e.g. https://www.google.com/some/path)
[organic_source_str] - organic source (Google, Facebook, Bing, Instagram etc)
How to Track Organic Traffic?

What do the organic tracking values mean?

You will often see the following following if you are tracking organic traffic using HandL UTM Grabber.

There is no UTM collected

HandL UTM Grabber works well with cache enabled websites. In most of the cases, you do not need to any server-side adjustments. Because our plugin leverages tracking client-side. However, if you feel that the tracking is not working, please do the appropriate steps based on your setup and server configuration.

There is no UTM collected

WP Engine is my webhost

If you are on WP Engine, you need to contact WP Engine support and let them know that you want to whitelist the following QUERY ARGS & COOKIES to prevent caching.

COOKIES

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid
//and all the custom parameters created by you

QUERY ARGS

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
//and all the custom queries you are capturing

Usually, this process takes couple of hours to complete. Hoever, you may want to wait longer for changes to completely take effect.

Still having problems? Let us know, clicking the chat bubble at the bottom right of the page.

There is no UTM collected

I have WP Rocket installed

**HandL UTM Grabber works well with cache enabled websites. In most of the cases, you do not need to the following adjustments. Because our plugin leverages tracking client-side. However, if you feel that the tracking is not working, please do the following steps.**

Before whitelisting the following COOKIES, please make sure to remove UTM query strings from our ignore list. And then continue with the following. You can do this by installing and activating the following small plugin.

If you have WP Rocket installed, you need to go to "Advanced Rules" and put the following entries under "Never Cache Cookies" section.

s1_1colkpp.png

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid

After this is implemented, make sure you start with a clean cache (incognito preferred) or hard refresh your browser and test again. It should work.

Still having problems? Let us know, clicking the chat bubble at the bottom right of the page.

There is no UTM collected

Common Troubleshooting Tips

Check whether request is returned from cache

Visit your website making sure UTMs are appended to the URL. Open up the developer console and navigate to "Network" tab and select the page request (usually at the top) and Select "Headers" in the right panel. Check the cache related headers, if your server does not have any cache you should see "Cache-Control: max-age=0, no-cache, s-maxage=10"

If there is cache, you should see something like "if-modified-since" or other cache related headers.

image_1e359il.png

This will tell you whether caching is coming from server side (Varnish, CloudFlare) or WordPress site (such as WP Rocket, WP Super Cache etc). Your solution will vary depending on where the cache is coming from. You can whitelist the cookie paramters or/and query arguments used in HandL UTM Grabber V3 or you may have to add the page in the exclusion page altogether.

There is no UTM collected

I am with FlyWheel

If you are on FlyWheel, you need to contact FlyWheel support and let them know that you want to whitelist the following QUERY ARGS & COOKIES to prevent caching.

COOKIES

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid
//and all the custom parameters created by you

QUERY ARGS

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
//and all the custom queries you are capturing

Usually, this process takes couple of hours to complete. Hoever, you may want to wait longer for changes to completely take effect.

Still having problems? Let us know, clicking the chat bubble at the bottom right of the page.

There is no UTM collected

I have SiteGround (SG) installed

There is no UTM collected

I'm hosting with Pair

There is no UTM collected

I'm hosting with Pantheon

There is no UTM collected

I'm using CloudFlare (CF)

Make sure the caching level is set as "Standard" shown in the image below

image_a30f3g.png

There is no UTM collected

I'm using HummingBird WP plugin

Make sure "Cache URL queries" turned off

end exclude the following COOKIES and all the custom parameters created by you.

COOKIES

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid
//and all the custom parameters created by you
There is no UTM collected

Kinsta is my webhost

If you are on Kinsta, you need to contact Kinsta support and let them know that you want to whitelist the following QUERY ARGS & COOKIES to prevent caching.

COOKIES

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid
HandLtestDomainName
//and all the custom parameters created by you

QUERY ARGS

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
//and all the custom queries you are capturing

Usually, this process takes couple of hours to complete. Hoever, you may want to wait longer for changes to completely take effect.

Still having problems? Let us know, clicking the chat bubble at the bottom right of the page.

There is no UTM collected

I use WP Super Cache

There is known caching issues with WP Super Cache plugin. We'll update this document as we have more information. In the mean time, you can try the adding the following code in your functions.php

function handl_add_wpsc_cookie_banner() {
    do_action( 'wpsc_add_cookie', 'utm_campaign' );
    do_action( 'wpsc_add_cookie', 'utm_medium' );
    do_action( 'wpsc_add_cookie', 'utm_term' );
    do_action( 'wpsc_add_cookie', 'utm_content' );
    do_action( 'wpsc_add_cookie', 'utm_source' );
}
add_action( 'init', 'handl_add_wpsc_cookie_banner' );
There is no UTM collected

I'm using W3 Total Cache

Please do the following changes in the plugin

Go to Performance > Rejected cookies and copy/paste the following text in there and save

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid

It should look like this.

There is no UTM collected

I'm on CloudFront

Please do the following changes in v

Create a new policy in CloudFront and attach it to your distribution.

You can include the following cookie exceptions

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid

It should look like this.

There is no UTM collected

I'm using LiteSpeed caching plugin

If you are using the LiteSpeed caching plugin, you should do the following settings in your WP to effectively capture UTMs.

Go to Settings

lightspeed2.png

lightspeed1.png

Copy the list below and add it in "Do not cache cookies" field

COOKIES

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid
//and all the custom parameters created by you

lightspeed3.png

Copy the list below and add it in "Do not cache query strings" field

QUERY ARGS

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
//and all the custom queries you are capturing

That's it. You are ready to go collecting UTMs :)

There is no UTM collected

I've NitroPack plugin

1) Ignored parameters

Make sure "Include the default ignored parameters" is disabled.

2) Excluded Cookies (Now Obsolete, see Variation Cookies below instead)

Add the following cookies and all the custom parameters you created in "Excluded Cookies" section.

image

COOKIES

utm_campaign, utm_source, utm_term, utm_medium, utm_content, gclid, first_utm_campaign, first_utm_source, first_utm_term, first_utm_medium, first_utm_content, handl_original_ref, handl_landing_page, handl_ip, handl_ref, handl_url, organic_source, gaclientid
//and all the custom parameters created by you

2) Variation Cookies

With Excluded ones (the method above), NitroPack wouldn't generate any cache for the pages containing your cookies.

While with Variation cookie, a new optimization would be created based on the different cookie values.

Still having problems? Let us know, clicking the chat bubble at the bottom right of the page.

There is no UTM collected

I'm hosted on CloudWays

You should exclude cookies from varnish cache via the Cloudways platform.

Navigate to Application Management > Application Settings > Varnish Settings.

Add the following cookies in there

COOKIES

utm_campaign
utm_source
utm_term
utm_medium
utm_content
gclid
first_utm_campaign
first_utm_source
first_utm_term
first_utm_medium
first_utm_content
handl_original_ref
handl_landing_page
handl_ip
handl_ref
handl_url
organic_source
gaclientid
//and all the custom parameters created by you
There is no UTM collected

I'm using WP Fastest Cache

Exclude COOKIES

In order for HandL UTM Grabber to work more efficiently, you may want to whitelist some of the COOKIES our plugin uses so they are not cached.

You can do so very easily following the steps

  1. Go to the settings for the WP Fastest Cache plugin
  2. Click on the “Exclude” tab.
  3. Click the "Add New Rule" button associated with "Exclude Cookies"
  4. Type the cookie name you use from Native WP Shortcodes in the text box.
  5. Click "Save".

There is no UTM collected

I'm using Wordfence

Wordfence has a feature called Live Traffic that serves an extra blank pageview to every new(?) visitor to check if they are a bot or real traffic.It is reported by our clients that HandL UTM Grabber must have been picking up the wordfence pageview as the first pageview as handl_url.

Proposed Solution: Turn off Live Traffic (switched from ALL to Security Only)

https://www.wordfence.com/help/tools/live-traffic/#traffic-logging-mode

There is no UTM collected

I've WP Optimize

Add these thhree lines of code under Cookies which, if present, will prevent caching (one per line) utm_* handl_* HandLtestDomainName

How to track Paid Ads?

How to track Paid Ads?

Facebook Ads Tracking

In order to track your ads on Facebook Ads, make sure you included UTMs to your final destination URL (landing URLs) as shown below

if you happen to append any other parameters (other than UTMs) to your final URL, make sure you also add them into custom parameters section in the plugin settings in WordPress dashboard so you can track them just like any other UTM parameters.

[ad_id] - Facebook Ad Id
[adset_id] - Facebook Ads Id
[ad_name] - Facebook Ads Name
[adset_name] - Facebook Adset Name
[placement] - Facebook Placement
//you can add many more using custom paramaters.
How to track Paid Ads?

Google Ads Tracking

In order to track UTMs from your Google Ads, make sure you created tracking templates at the campaign level and parameters of interest are added to oyur final URL (landing page URL)

See the list of the parameters you can use in Google Ads Google Ads ValueTrack Parameters

if you happen to append any other value track parameters (other than UTMs) to your final URL, make sure you also add them into custom parameters section in the plugin settings in WordPress dashboard so you can track them just like any other UTM parameters.

[campaignid] - Google Ads ValueTrack Campaign Id
[adgroupid] - Google Ads ValueTrack Ads Group Id
[keyword] - Google Ads ValueTrack Keyword
[placement] - Google Ads ValueTrack Placement
//you can add many more using custom paramaters.

Tracking Template {lpurl}?utm_term={keyword}

Final URL Suffix: utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=EarlyAccessLaunchAds

Setting up a campaign-level tracking template in Google Ads is a process that involves several steps. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to go about it:

  1. Log Into Your Google Ads Account: Visit ads.google.com and sign in with your Google account.

  2. Navigate to the Campaigns Tab: Once you're logged in, click on "Campaigns" on the left-hand side of the page.

  3. Choose a Campaign: Look at the list of your campaigns and choose the one that you want to set up a tracking template for. Click on the name of that campaign.

  4. Go to Settings: Once you're in the specific campaign, click on the "Settings" tab.

  5. Scroll Down to Campaign URL Options: Scroll down until you see an option that says "Campaign URL options (advanced)". Click on it to expand the option.

  6. Enter Your Tracking Template: In the field that says "Tracking template", enter your tracking template. This should be a URL that includes any tracking parameters you want to use. A common example is {lpurl}?utm_campaign={your campaign name}&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc.

  7. Test the Tracking Template: To make sure your tracking template works properly, click on the "Test" button next to it. If it works, Google Ads will tell you "Landing page found". If there's a problem, it will give you an error message.

  8. Save Your Changes: Once you're happy with your tracking template and you've tested it, click on the "Save" button at the bottom of the page to save your changes.

Remember that the tracking template you use will depend on what specific data you want to track. The example given is quite common, but it may not be exactly what you need. Always make sure to tailor your tracking templates to your specific needs.

Also, be aware that tracking templates at the campaign level will apply to all ads in that campaign. If you want to use different tracking templates for different ads, you would need to set them at the ad level instead.

How to track Paid Ads?

LinkedIn Ads Tracking

Steps to Append UTM Parameters to LinkedIn Ads landing page

Identify the base URL of the landing page you want to track.

Decide on the parameters that you want to track. The possible parameters include:

utm_source:  Identify the source such as LinkedIn

utm_medium: Highlight the type of linkedin ad, like a paid ad.

utm_campaign: Specify the name of your LinkedIn ad campaign.

utm_content: Differentiate ads that share the same utm_campaign and utm_term.

utm_term:  Identify keywords for this specific ad (optional).

Let us assume you would like to track UTM parameters for your "summer sale campaign", using the medium "sponsored_ad" on the platform "linkedin".

The URL with parameters will look like:

https://www.yourwebsite.com/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=sponsored_ad&utm_campaign=summer_sale_campaign

N.B: Don't forget to use '%20' instead of 'space' if you have multi words for UTM parameters.

Use this formed URL with attached UTM parameters as your landing page in the LinkedIn ad creation process.

By appending UTMs to your LinkedIn Ad landing pages, you will have a valuable insight into which ads drive more traffic and generate leads or conversions, allowing you to refine your marketing strategy more efficiently.

Remember, consistency is key when creating UTM parameters. Establish a naming convention for your UTMs to ensure reliable data. Don’t worry about the extra steps involved in this process; the valuable data you gather will significantly increase your Return On Advertising Spend (ROAS) and overall marketing insights.

Setting domain name

For registering the cookies, we use the main domain for better accessbility. In some servers, the logic to get the main domain might fail. We highly recommend that you put the domain name in UTM Grabber Setting page as shown below.

What does new IOS 14 release (privacy) change in terms of tracking?

What is the new privacy change?

Starting from IOS 14, Apple asks users for their permission to allow/disallow to track their activity. This change means a lot especially for advertesing platforms (such as Google, Facebook) or similar others who does third-party trakcing.

What is third-party tracking?

Third-party web tracking refers to the practice by which the tracker, other than the website directly visited by the user, tracks or assists in tracking the user’s visit to the site. Tracking is performed using domains other than the website domain (e.g. fb.com, doubleclick.net etc), hence the name third-party.

I'm advertising on Facebook, do I need to do anything?

Yes, Facebook has a very good support page explaining what you need to do as an advertiser. It is mainly, instead of using their domain for tracking data about your user, they let you verify your domain in Facebook and use your domain, avoiding the third-party tracking limitation by IOS 14.

My ads reporting is changed

If you notice that some of the KPIs in your reporting in Google and Facebook have changed, this does not necessarily imply that you are losing conversions. It is most likely due to the manner in which Facebook and Google report statistics. Both platforms announced that they are estimating conversions based on a model of similarly behaving users. You can read more here for Google about modeled online onversions and for Facebook about estimated reporting.

My tracking is impacted

If you think your tracking is impacted. Please see some of the major troubleshooting guides compiled here There is no UTM collected.

Has HandL UTM Grabber effected by this change?

No, HandL UTM Grabber never uses third-party tracking. All the assets come within the plugin file and there is no external script/cookies run on your server. All the tracking parameters are recorded on your domain and no where else!

Predefined parameters

Sometimes, you don't use the regular utm parameters as is (e.g. utm_campaign), and you need to use some other parameters instead to pass the data 3rd party site or forms.

Sometimes the form embed you created (iframe) expects parameter different than utm to prefill hidden fields.

In order to accomplish this:

First create the new parameter matching the name (in predefined variables)

So, here we are creating new_param and assigning the value of utm_campaign parameter.

Add the same parameter as custom parameter so it will be recognized as shortcode and included in utm-out and utm-src

You can use "Predefined value" for assigning default value for UTM parameters as well. For example. If you would like to assign a default value for utm_source. Simply type utm_source as key and 'Direct' as value. This value will be used when there is no utm_source present.

After completing the two steps above

You can use the new_param just like any other parameters in your site

[new_param] -> will pring the value of utm_campaign

Or you can append the new_param to your anchor link

<a class="utm-out" href="https://www.outlink.com/"> Test Link </a>

will append all the UTMs including the new_param like this

<a class="utm-out" href="https://www.outlink.com/?utm_campaign=campaign1234&new_param=campaign1234"> Test Link </a>

Or you can append the new_param to your iframe source

<iframe class="utm-src" src="https://www.outlink.com/" />

will append all the UTMs including the new_param like this

<iframe class="utm-src" src="https://www.outlink.com/?utm_campaign=campaign1234&new_param=campaign1234" />

UTMs disappear in URL, does the plugin still track?

Short answer is "absolutely yes"...

HandL UTM Grabber is a cookie based tracker. As soon as prospects hit your site with UTM data, they will be recorded in the COOKIES (client-side). And when ever they are needed (for conversion), they will be accessed from COOKIES. Hence, you don't need UTMs appended to every single URL in your website at all. You only want to append UTMs to the landing page URL to get recorded.

Having said that, if you are sending traffic outside of your site and want to pass UTMs to external domain. You can do so in two ways...

  1. You can append UTMs globally to all the URLs in your site. See this article for more information Appending UTM Globally

  2. You can append all the UTM parameters to a specific outbound link. Please see the article here Appending UTMs to the buttons using class name attributes (Selectively).

Generating dynamic content based on UTM parameters

There are three different ways of accmomplishing this...

  1. Using shortcode method. You can place any shortcodes in your site and it will print the value of the parmeter directly. See here for the list of the parameters Native WP Shortcodes.

  2. Add these two lines into wp-content/plugins/handl-utm-grabber-v3/js/handl-utm-grabber.js After line 76
jQuery("[class*="+v+"_out]").html(curval)
jQuery("[id*="+v+"_out]").html(curval)

And then you can add HTML templates like this in your page

<div class="utm_campaign_out"></div>

When there is utm_campaign present in the Cookies, the value will be printend between the div tag you created.



3) Client side integration You can check whether certain cookies present by using Cookies function that comes with our plugin and then integrate your own logic around that.

For example: Let's print some dynamic content if utm_campaign is present.

var cmp_value = Cookies.get('utm_campaign')
if ( cmp_value != undefined ){
	var my_html = `<p>This is the value of utm_campaign: ${cmp_value}</p>`
	jQuery('.dynamic_content_class').html(my_html)
}

Differentiate whether Paid / Organic / Direct / Referral

As of v3.0.36, there is a new cookie named traffic_source.

Even if you do not use any query arguments (e.g., utm_ params) in your link, we can accurately identify the traffic source based on various signals.

This cookie enables you to capture the source of traffic, whether it's paid, organic, direct, referral, or other forms.

In order to capture traffic_source information in your forms, you may have to add traffic_source as custom parameters in UTM. See How to add custom parameters?

traffic_source is a last-touch attribute. If you want the first-touch version of this parameter, use first_traffic_source.

What is the difference between all the handl params?

[handl_original_ref] - original referral - first touch!
[handl_landing_page] - landing page - first touch!
[handl_ref] - last touch referral
[handl_url] - last touch url

Let's say you have a link to your website from google.com to domain.com/page1 And user click from Google, he/she lands on page1 and after that they go to page2 to convert

So it is like Google -> Page1 -> Page2 (Conversion)

The params will populate the following data:

handl_original_ref = Google.com handl_landing_page = domain.com/page1

handl_ref = domain.com/page1 handl_url = domain.com/page2

Can't activate the license - Not Found

If you encounter an error like this:

And have WPCodeBox 2 installed, please try disabling that plugin and then reactivate the license.

Facebook Conversion API (FB CAPI)

As of HandL UTM Grabber v3.1, we have started supporting the Facebook Conversion API on the following plugins. Please bookmark this page as we add new support every day.

Send Events from WooCommerce to Facebook Ads

We currently send AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, AddPaymentInfo, and Purchase events. Please refer to these instructions for setup details.

Send Lead Events from Gravity Forms to Facebook Ads

Send Lead Events from Contact Form 7 to Facebook Ads

Send Lead Events from Ninja Forms to Facebook Ads

Tracking conversion start time, end time, and duration

Using our custom version, you can track the start time, end time, and duration of your conversions.

Please request the custom version via chat, and we'll provide it to you.

After you activate the custom version, you will have three additional cookies (parameters) added:

  1. Tracking conversion start time, end time, and duration:
    • handl_journey_start: This is an epoch timestamp in milliseconds indicating when the user started the journey for the first time.
    • handl_journey_end: This is an epoch timestamp in milliseconds indicating when the user ended the journey for the first time.
    • handl_journey_duration_hrs: This is the duration of the conversion in hours (rounded).

Please let us know if you have any further questions.

No License Key Field Appears in WP Admin > Plugins

When you click "License" and no license field appears, or if you see the console log print a "javascript:void()" error message, follow these steps in your browser to make the field visible:

  1. Navigate to WP Admin > Plugins > HandL UTM Grabber v3.
  2. Right-click on "License" and select "Inspect Element."
  3. Once you are there, locate the class shown in the image and remove "display: none."
  4. This action will make the license field appear.

Image

Define Your Own Custom Logic

Introduction

The "Define Your Own" feature in HandL UTM Grabber v3 allows you to create custom logic for tracking and manipulating UTM parameters and other tracked fields. This powerful tool enables you to define conditional rules that create new parameters based on existing ones, giving you more control over your tracking and marketing efforts.

When to Use This Feature

Use the "Define Your Own" feature when you need to:

  1. Create new parameters based on existing UTM parameters or tracked fields.
  2. Implement complex tracking logic specific to your marketing campaigns.
  3. Customize parameter values based on certain conditions.
  4. Enhance your analytics by creating more detailed or specific tracking parameters.

How to Access the Feature

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel.
  2. Navigate to the HandL UTM Grabber settings.
  3. Click on the "Define Your Own" tab in the settings menu.

Features and Functionality

Creating Custom Logic

The "Define Your Own" tab allows you to create multiple custom logic rules. Each rule consists of:

  1. A condition based on an existing parameter
  2. A new parameter to be created when the condition is met

Available Fields

The feature uses all fields generated by HandL UTM Grabber

These fields include standard UTM parameters and additional tracked fields provided by the HandL UTM Grabber plugin.

Operators

You can use various operators to define your conditions:

These operators allow for precise control over when your custom logic should be applied.

How to Use the Feature

  1. For each rule, follow these steps:

    a. Select the parameter you want to base your condition on from the first dropdown.

    b. Choose an operator from the second dropdown to define how you want to compare the parameter's value.

    c. Enter the value you want to compare against in the text field.

    d. In the "Then set" section, enter a name for your new parameter.

    e. Enter the value you want to assign to this new parameter when the condition is met.

Examples

  1. Campaign Source Tracking:

    • If utm_source equals "facebook"
    • Then set "social_campaign" = "fb_promo" or
    • If utm_source equals "facebook"
    • Then set "phone_number" = "5125005050"

  2. Content Type Flagging:

    • If utm_content contains "video"
    • Then set "content_type" = "video_ad"

  3. Specific Campaign Tracking:

    • If utm_campaign starts_with "summer2023"
    • Then set "seasonal_campaign" = "summer_promo"

  4. Excluding Certain Traffic:

    • If referrer not_contains "ourpartner.com"
    • Then set "non_partner_traffic" = "true"

  5. Advanced Regex Matching:

    • If utm_term matches regex "^(red|blue|green)product$"
    • Then set "color_category" = "primary_colors"

How It Works

When a visitor comes to your site, the HandL UTM Grabber plugin checks these custom logic rules. If a condition is met, it creates a new cookie with the specified parameter name and value. This information is then available for your analytics tools and can be used in your marketing workflows.

Best Practices

  1. Use meaningful names for your new parameters to ensure they're easily understood in your analytics.
  2. Be cautious with regex operations, as they can be more resource-intensive.
  3. Regularly review your custom logic to ensure it's still relevant to your current marketing strategies.
  4. Test your logic thoroughly to make sure it's working as expected.

Limitations

Troubleshooting

If your custom logic isn't working as expected:

By leveraging the "Define Your Own" feature, you can create a more tailored and powerful tracking solution that meets your specific marketing and analytics needs. This flexibility allows you to extract more value from your UTM parameters and other tracked fields, leading to more insightful data for your marketing decisions.

Enforce Consent From 3rd Party (e.g. GTM)

Overview

Enabling the Feature

To enable this feature:

The relevant setting can be found here:

How It Works

Once enabled, HandL UTM Grabber will:

The main logic for this feature is implemented in the following JavaScript functions:

isConsentDenied();
removeHandLCookies();

You may use these functions as you see fit in your project. The isConsentDenied() function returns a Boolean value indicating whether consent is denied. The removeHandLCookies() function removes all HandL-related cookies (e.g., when consent is denied).

The plugin checks for consent using the getConsentStatus() and isConsentDenied() functions. These functions look for consent information in the dataLayer object, which is commonly used by consent management platforms.

Integration with Google Tag Manager (GTM)

To use this feature with Google Tag Manager:

Compatibility

This feature is designed to work with various consent management platforms that use the dataLayer to communicate consent status. It has been tested with Google Tag Manager but should be compatible with other similar systems.

Troubleshooting

If you're experiencing issues with this feature:

Important Notes

By implementing this feature, you're taking an important step towards respecting user privacy and complying with data protection regulations.

Full Tracking Mode

Overview

The Full Tracking Mode is a powerful feature of the HandL UTM Grabber plugin that allows you to track detailed user journeys across your website. When enabled, it captures data on every page visit for each session, providing insights similar to Google Analytics 4 (GA4).

Enabling Full Tracking Mode

  1. Navigate to the HandL UTM Grabber settings in your WordPress admin panel.
  2. Look for the "Full Tracking Mode Settings" section.
  3. Check the box labeled "Enable Full Tracking Mode".
  4. Save your changes.

What Data is Collected

When Full Tracking Mode is enabled, the plugin collects the following data for each page visit:

This data is stored in three main tables in your WordPress database:

Viewing Reports

To access the Full Tracking Mode reports:

  1. Go to the HandL UTM Grabber menu in your WordPress admin panel.
  2. Click on the "Full Tracking Report" tab.

The report page offers several features:

Filters

You can filter the data by:

Session Counts by Page

This section shows:

You can drill down into each page to see a breakdown of UTM parameters and referrers.

User Journey

This section displays:

You can drill down into each session to see detailed information about the pages visited and UTM parameters used.

Exporting Data

You can export the collected data to a CSV file for further analysis:

  1. Apply any desired filters.
  2. Click the "Export to CSV" button.

Database Management

As Full Tracking Mode collects a significant amount of data, it's important to manage your database effectively:

Viewing Database Statistics

The "Danger Zone" section of the report page shows the current number of rows in each tracking table.

Resetting Tracking Data

If the database becomes overwhelming or you need to start fresh:

  1. Scroll to the "Danger Zone" section at the bottom of the report page.
  2. Click the "Remove Tracking Tables" button.
  3. Confirm your action in the popup dialog.

This action will delete all collected tracking data and cannot be undone.

Important Considerations

  1. Database Size: Full Tracking Mode will increase your database size. Monitor your database usage regularly.
  2. Performance: While designed to be efficient, tracking every page visit may have a slight impact on site performance. Monitor your site's performance after enabling this feature.
  3. Privacy: Ensure that your privacy policy reflects the additional data being collected when Full Tracking Mode is enabled.
  4. Compliance: Make sure you're compliant with relevant data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) when using this feature.

Conclusion

Full Tracking Mode transforms HandL UTM Grabber into a powerful analytics tool, providing detailed insights into user behavior on your website. Use this data to optimize your marketing strategies, improve user experience, and drive conversions.

Auto-Populate Source/Medium Documentation

Overview

The Auto-Populate Source/Medium feature automatically sets utm_source and utm_medium parameters based on the detected traffic source and organic source string. This is particularly useful for tracking organic and referral traffic without manually setting UTM parameters.

How It Works

Server-Side Tracking

When enabled, the plugin will:

Set utm_source to the value of organic_source_str cookie

Set utm_medium to the value of traffic_source cookie

Client-Side Tracking

The traffic source is determined as follows:

Paid: When fbclid, gclid, or msclkid parameters are present

Organic: Traffic from search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo)

Social: Traffic from social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)

Direct: When no referrer is present or internal traffic

Referral: All other external traffic sources

Configuration

Admin Settings

The feature can be enabled/disabled through the HandL UTM Grabber settings page under the "Options" tab.

Value Mapping

Traffic sources are mapped as follows:

utm_medium will be set to one of:

Paid

Organic

Social

Direct

Referral

Other

utm_source will be set to the specific source:

Google

Bing

Yahoo

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Direct

Internal

etc.

Usage Examples

Tracking Organic Search Traffic

When a visitor comes from Google search:

utm_medium = "Organic"

utm_source = "Google"

Tracking Social Media Traffic

When a visitor comes from Facebook:

utm_medium = "Social"

utm_source = "Facebook"

Tracking Referral Traffic

When a visitor comes from a blog that linked to your site:

utm_medium = "Referral"

utm_source = [referring domain]

Important Notes

The feature only sets UTM parameters if they're not already present

Values are stored in cookies for consistent tracking across sessions

Respects GDPR settings and cookie consent

Works with both server-side and client-side tracking

Compatible with the plugin's custom parameter feature

Troubleshooting

If UTM parameters are not being set:

Verify the feature is enabled in settings

Verify no conflicting UTM parameters are present in URLs

Implementing Custom Consent Management with HandL UTM Grabber Plugin

To integrate your custom consent management system with the HandL UTM Grabber plugin, follow these steps:

Here is an example implementation using JavaScript:

window.addEventListener('ConsentUpdated', function() {
    if (typeof ConsentTool !== 'undefined') {
        const consentString = Cookies.get('CookiesForConsentData');

        // Assuming consent data is available in cookies or as an event
        const consentData = parseConsentString(consentString);

        if (consentData.good2go === 1) {
            RunHandL();
        } else {
            removeAllHandLCookies();
        }
    }
});

function parseConsentString(consentString) {
    // Parse the consent string to extract consent data
    // This is a placeholder function, implement the actual parsing logic as needed
    return {
        good2go: consentString.includes('good2go=1') ? 1 : 0
    };
}

Explanation

  1. Event Listener: The window.addEventListener listens for a custom event CustomConsentUpdated which is triggered by your consent management system.
  2. Check Consent Management System: Ensure that the custom consent management system is available.
  3. Get Consent Status: Retrieve the consent status from event or cookies.
  4. Run or Remove Cookies: Depending on the consent status, either run the RunHandL() function or call removeAllHandLCookies() to remove all cookies