Tracking links in WordPress via Google Analytics is a way to get more information about the traffic you are generating, which banners are clicked the most and also, what type of content is more popular in regards to click rates. This can give you more of a hint of what users might be more attracted to on your website, so you will know what type of advertisements to make use of; therefore, increasing your website’s productivity. This can be extrapolated and more info can be extracted out of your website, allowing you to produce or implement better social media campaigns and so on.
Google Analytics via utm_source
Google Analytics has a feature called custom campaigns which can be used to input utm parameters and to add a URL to be recorded within. Google Analytics also has a URL Builder tool that can generate its own utm parameters within.
The tool has the following fields that help you to generate a campaign:
- utm_source: which will track the source of the traffic
- utm_medium: is used to describe the medium – the form in which content is distributed
- utm_campaign: defines a campaign via a campaign name, slogan, promo code – if applicable, etc
- utm_term: this simply identifies the paid keyword/the keyword that generates the income
- utm_content: this simply helps differentiate between campaign types
Outgoing Campaign Tracking
An outgoing campaign is a type of campaign that tracks outbound links to your website. These types of links lead back to your website, but are located on other websites. Tracking these gives you a good amount of information in regards to what websites generate more traffic for you and which ones do not. Creating a better strategy for exposure on other websites is crucial to getting more links.
In order to activate this Google Analytics option you have to install the Google Analytics for WordPress plugin and then insert the code it generates into your WP blog. The UA code should be the only code you use. If you had a previous installation of the Google Analytics for WordPress, make sure you uninstall it. Each code will be used to refer to a single WP blog and so, if you are tracking more than one website/blog you should use more versions.
Google Analytics can be then used to see your outgoing links via the Content – Events – Top Events list, which tracks your URLs, which stacks them in the order of number of events, both ascending and descending; the choice is yours as you can choose the sort type from the drop down menu.