What is a parameter?
A parameter in the context of URLs or web development is a key-value pair that is appended to the end of a URL to pass specific information to the server or application.
Parameters are used to customize the behavior of the link, track data, or pass information between web pages.
Here’s how parameters work:
Key: This is the name of the parameter. It identifies what type of information is being sent.
- For example,
utm_source
is a key that specifies the source of your web traffic.
Value: This is the actual data or value associated with the key.
- For example, in
utm_source=google
, “google” is the value that indicates the traffic source.
Parameters are added to a URL after a question mark (?
). If there are multiple parameters, they are separated by an ampersand (&
).
For example:
https://example.com/page?utm_source=google&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring_sale
In this example:
utm_source=google
specifies that the source of the traffic is Google.utm_medium=email
indicates that the traffic came through an email.utm_campaign=spring_sale
identifies the specific campaign, “spring_sale.”
Parameters are often used in analytics, marketing, and web development to track user behavior, personalize content, or pass information between pages or applications.
What is the difference between UTM parameters and custom parameters?
Understanding the difference between UTM parameters and custom parameters is crucial for effective tracking and analysis.
UTM parameters
UTM parameters are predefined tags (like utm_source
, utm_medium
, and utm_campaign
) used to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns.
These parameters are standardized and recognized by analytics tools like Google Analytics, making it easy to see where your traffic is coming from and how users interact with your content.
Custom parameters
Custom parameters, on the other hand, are user-defined and offer more flexibility. They allow you to track specific information that doesn’t fit into the standard UTM framework.
For example, you might create a custom parameter like referrer=JohnDoe
to track referrals from a particular person or device=mobile
to track the user’s device type.
In short, UTM parameters are great for general campaign tracking, while custom parameters give you the ability to track unique data points specific to your needs.
Does Linko support custom parameters?
Yes, Linko supports custom parameters in addition to UTM parameters. This flexibility allows you to tailor your URL tracking to fit your specific needs.
Whether you want to use standard UTM parameters to track marketing campaigns or define your own custom parameters to capture unique data, Linko has you covered.
You can easily add custom parameters to any shortened link you create with Linko. These parameters will be appended to the destination URL, enabling you to track and analyze the data that matters most to you.
Learn more about how to add UTM parameters to a link.
How to add custom parameters to a URL?
Adding custom parameters to your links in Linko is straightforward.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Login to your Linko account,
- Paste your destination link for shortening,
- Click on the advanced icon and then advanced option,
- Scroll down to the UTM tags section,
- Navigate to the Extra parameters and add your keys and values,
- Then shorten the link.
Example of short link with UTM parameter
https://allmylink.me/custom-parameter
Result of UTM parameters forwarded from short link to the destination URL
https://minitools.me/?website=MiniTools&founder=Milad-Azami&free_tools=100
What are the keys and values in the URL?
Keys
webiste=
founder=
free_tools=
Values
MiniTools
Milad-Azami
100
What are dynamic parameters (parameter forwarder)?
Linko’s system includes a feature called dynamic parameters, or parameter forwarder.
This feature automatically forwards parameters to the long URL when someone clicks on your shortened link.
This allows you to track and analyze the performance of each link based on the parameters you’ve set.
For example, if you shorten Linko.me
to abc.com/xyz
and add the parameter utm_campaign=affiliate-link
, the UTM parameter will be forwarded to the final destination abc.com/xyz/?utm_campaign=affiliate-link
.