Campaign tracking (UTM)
In short: UTM tags are labels at the end of a link. The analytics tool on the site the link opens reads them to tell you where a visitor came from. hrva.cc only keeps them as part of the address.
What UTM tags are
A UTM tag, also called a UTM parameter, is a name and a value added to a link's address, such as utm_source=instagram. Tools such as Google Analytics, Plausible or Matomo read them when someone arrives, so a visit is counted under the right source and campaign. For example:
https://shop.example/sale?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=autumn-sale
Someone who opens this link lands on the shop's sale page, and the shop's analytics records the visit as coming from Instagram, a social post, in the autumn-sale campaign.
Add them with the builder
When you create a link while signed in, on the home page or with New URL on your dashboard, open Campaign tracking (UTM). Fill in what you need:
- Source: where you share the link, for example
instagramornewsletter. The quick picks above the Source box fill in Source (X (Twitter) fills inx), and Medium too when it's empty or still holds what the last quick pick put there. Press a picked one again to clear it. - Medium: the kind of channel, for example
socialoremail. - Campaign: the name of the campaign, for example
autumn-sale. - Term (optional) and Content (optional): extra detail, such as a keyword, or which button in an email was clicked.
A line under the fields says Use lowercase and dashes, for example autumn-sale. Most analytics tools count Instagram and instagram as two sources. A space in a value is saved as %20.
Your link will open: shows the full destination with the tags. If you paste a long URL that already has tags, the fields switch to its tags so you can change them. If you set Medium or Campaign without a Source, it says Add a Source too. Most analytics tools ignore campaign tags without one. A link can be up to 2048 characters with its tags; if the tags make it longer, the link isn't saved until you shorten a value or the long URL.
Values you used recently are offered as suggestions; they're kept in your browser only. After you shorten a link on the home page, the fields are cleared and the section closes. The What are UTM tags? link in the section opens this page.
Who reads them
The analytics tool on the destination site reads the tags. hrva.cc doesn't track or count them: it saves the destination you see in the preview, tags included, and sends visitors there. It doesn't store the tags separately or send them anywhere else. The link's analytics page lists them under Campaign tags, so you can see which tags a link carries.
Remove them
- Open Campaign tracking (UTM) and clear the fields: one to remove that tag, or all of them to remove every tag, including tags that were already in the long URL.
- Or collapse the section to save the link exactly as you typed it. The values in the fields are then left out, and the collapsed row says so, for example off, 3 values not added. Turn on opens it again.