Link tracking creates a unique URL that is only used with one activity. By including a unique link on one activity, you can see which activity has been the most effective at driving traffic and deeper engagement with the website.


How do I set up a tracked link?

 

Use Google’s UTM generator tool to create trackable links, and then shorten them using Bit.ly. 

 

EIT Food colleagues in all regions and areas should use this framework to create trackable links:

 

  • URL – always link to an EIT Food-owned web property.

  • Source – this is the referrer you’re linking from (e.g. facebook, twitter, linkedIn, google, newsletter, mailchimp, an external website etc). Please make sure you use small caps.

  • Medium – this is the type of post (e.g. cpc, organic, email, affiliate).

  • Campaign name – use this as the descriptor to detail the following information: 

    • Region/Team/Agency

    • Campaign indicator 

    • Month and year 

    • For example: 

      • South_RISFellowships_0620

      • West_FoodWaste_0620

      • NorthWest_MOOCs_0620

      • EventsTeam_AnnualEvent_0523

  • Campaign term – for paid search campaigns, name target keywords. If you are unsure, ask your Digital Marketing agency for support on this.

  • Campaign content – use to differentiate between content and test variables (e.g. A:B, personal, professional, toolkit, community video, newsletter name/edition).


Here is an example link for a regional (West) food waste campaign, linking from a Facebook ad to the EIT Food blog:

Other examples:

Link shortening tools such as Bit.ly are then used to take longer URLs and change them into a shortened link of around 20 characters, that will take users to the same destination. This can be used to disguise URL parameter links, cut down on the characters needed, or just to look neater visually. 



The data collected via link tracking provides insight into exactly where traffic is coming from.  


For EIT Food, it means we will be able to keep track of how we are doing and optimise our performance accordingly. It means we are able to: 

  • Analyse our content performance: We will be able to work out which types of content (formats, topics etc.) are most ideal for driving valuable traffic, measuring the value of the links we are sharing across our channels, whether on social media or in our different newsletters. This means that if we all use the correct UTM links, overtime we will be able to optimise the performance of all links shared across EIT Food channels – getting more relevant link clicks and therefore more high-quality traffic. 

  • Promote cross-functionality across teams: We support multiple teams across EIT Food. Using unique UTM links will allow us to set up unique campaigns based on the respective goals of each team, thus allowing different teams to seamlessly access the data they need in the dashboard. For example, EIT Food South may not be interested in overall traffic and click-through data on the EIT Food website, but they will be very interested to see how much traffic is being sent to their regional page and specific project pages (and from where).

  • Measure impact: Using different UTM links per project or campaign or team will allow us to organise and track the progress of these and see how much value they are adding to EIT Food. We will also be able to work out which channels are bringing the most added value (eg. Is it paid? Is it employee activity? Is it organic social media? Is it influencer marketing?) and therefore work out if our investment is paying off (eg. Using UTM links will give you a better idea of how your paid campaigns compete against your organic ones).  


Please note: this can only work if we all commit to using the same process for link tracking, as detailed in this article. 


Correctly labelling your links in this way is also important if you want your content to appear in our data dashboard. To find out more, go to: How to use the EIT Food data dashboard. 



This article was last reviewed in April 2023 and will be reviewed again in September 2023. 

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