UTM tags are special marks that are added to the link to the website. They transfer detailed information about the traffic channel and allow analytics systems to sort users who came through links from different sources.
If you're promoting a site (the Site ad objective), you can add tags automatically or manually. If you're promoting a survey (the Lead Form objective), you can only add tags to the link manually.
How to add tags
For sites
To add tags to the Site advertising campaign:
- Start creating your campaign as usual.
- On the step 2. Ad Groups go to URL Parameters block. Choose one of the options:
- Add UTM tags automatically. Tags are automatically applied to all ads in an ad campaign: utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=vk_ads&utm_campaign={{campaign_id}}&utm_content={{banner_id}}
This option is enabled by default when creating a campaign. - Add UTM tags manually. Here you can add custom tags. For example: utm_campaign={{campaign_id}}&utm_content={{banner_id}}&utm_term={{geo}}_{{gender}}_{{age}}
List of available tags - Do not add UTM tags. When this setting is selected, tags are not added.
- Add UTM tags automatically. Tags are automatically applied to all ads in an ad campaign: utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=vk_ads&utm_campaign={{campaign_id}}&utm_content={{banner_id}}
- Proceed to create an ad in the ad set. For each ad, use a link to the landing page without UTM tags: they will be added from the group settings.
Please note!
The URL settings at the ad set level (under URL Settings) are prioritised over the link markup in the ad.
If in step 2. Ad Set you specify Add UTM tags automatically or Add UTM tags manually, and then in step 3. Ad add a link with tags, the ad will use the tags you added at the group level.
For lead forms
To add tags to the Lead Forms advertising campaign:
- Start creating the lead form as usual.
- In the Result step, manually add UTM tags to the link in the Link to site field.
- Create a campaign with the Lead Forms object.
UTM tags are stored separately from ad links and are added to them automatically at the time the ad is displayed.
Please note: if you use UTM-tags at the ad set level, you don't need to add them at the ad level.
For product feeds (sites, apps, marketplaces)
If you are advertising product catalog:
1. Start creating a campaign: instructions for sites and apps and for marketplaces.
When advertising products from the VKontakte community, adding UTM tags is not available.
2. On the step 2. Ad Groups go to URL Parameters block. Choose one of the options:
- Add UTM tags automatically (by default). Select to automatically add tags to all ads in the ad campaign.
- Add UTM tags manually. Select if you want to specify custom labels.
List of available tags - Do not add UTM tags. Select if you do not want to add labels.
3. Proceed to create an ad in the ad set. For each ad, use a link to the landing page without UTM tags: they will be added from the group settings.
Desktop campaigns - websites, marketplaces
If you use the Add UTM tags manually option, add UTM tags from the list below.
Example of UTM tags added manually:
utm_source=vk_ads&utm_campaign={{campaign_id}}&utm_content={{banner_id}}&utm_term={{geo}}_{{gender}}_{{age}}
Mobile campaigns - apps
Application link markup will help to correctly attribute clicks in app tracker statistics.
Different kinds of tags are used for mobile trackers.
- For MyTracker
mt_sub1={{campaign_id}}.{{banner_id}} - For Appsflyer for campaign type Dynamic retargeting
af_c_id={{campaign_id}}&af_adset_id={{banner_id}}&c={{campaign_name}}&pid=mail.ru_int&is_retargeting=true - For Appsflyer for the campaign type New clients acquisition
af_c_id={{campaign_id}}&af_adset_id={{banner_id}}&c={{campaign_name}}&pid=mail.ru_int - For Adjust for a regular tracking link
campaign={{campaign_id}}&adgroup=RU&creative={{banner_id}} - For Adjust for tracking link in Universal Link format
adjust_campaign={{campaign_id}}&adjust_adgroup=RU&adjust_creative={{banner_id}}OR
adj_campaign={{campaign_id}}&adj_adgroup=RU&adj_creative={{banner_id}} - For AppMetrica
pid=mail.ru_int&c={{campaign_id}}&banner_id={{banner_id}} - For Branch
~campaign={campaign_name}&~campaign_id={campaign_id}&~ad_id={banner_id}
For mini-apps
To add tags to campaigns with the VK Mini Apps advertising object:
- Start creating a campaign as usual.
- In the Mini App field, enter a link to your app. A list of dynamic macros that can be added to the link below
- Select your campaign settings and ad groups.
- On the step 2. Ad Groups go to URL Parameters block. Choose one of the options:
- Add UTM tags automatically. Tags are automatically applied to all ads in an ad campaign: utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=vk_ads&utm_campaign={{campaign_id}}&utm_content={{banner_id}}
This option is enabled by default when creating a campaign. - Add UTM tags manually. Here you can add custom tags. For example: utm_campaign={{campaign_id}}&utm_content={{banner_id}}&utm_term={{geo}}_{{gender}}_{{age}}
List of available tags - Do not add UTM tags. When this setting is selected, tags are not added.
- Add UTM tags automatically. Tags are automatically applied to all ads in an ad campaign: utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=vk_ads&utm_campaign={{campaign_id}}&utm_content={{banner_id}}
- Go to creating an ad in the ad group (step 3. Ads). For each ad, use a link to the application without UTM tags: they will be added from the group settings.
If you add tags manually, follow the rules:
- The link must not contain question marks ?
- Parameters are separated from the application address with a lattice sign #
- Parameters are separated from each other with an ampersand &
Available custom tags
To mark up a link, templates are used that are enclosed in {{figure brackets}}. When an advertisement is displayed, the text inside the brackets will be replaced with the corresponding value.
For example, if a user arrives via a link marked {{banner_id}}, it will be clear in the statistics which ad was clicked on.
Available tags are different for site ads, lead forms and product catalogs.
| Tag | Value | Sites | Lead forms | Catalogs | Mini-apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{advertiser_id}} | advertiser id | + | + | + | + |
| {{campaign_id}} | ad group id | + | + | + | + |
| {{campaign_name}} | ad group name | + | + | + | + |
| {{banner_id}} | banner id | + | + | + | + |
| {{geo}} | region id according to the geotree | + | - | + | + |
| {{gender}} | gender of the user who followed the link | + | - | + | + |
| {{age}} | age of the user who followed the link | + | - | + | + |
| {{random}} | a random number. Often used in links (tracking pixels) to count impressions more accurately. Accepted values: Number. Example: http://tag.com?utm_campaign=abc&rnd={{random}} | + | + | + | |
| {{impression_weekday}} | returns the day of the week when the banner was displayed. Used in a URL parameter. Example: mon, tue, sat | + | + | + | |
| {{impression_hour}} | returns the hour when the ad was displayed in the 24-hour format, Moscow time. Example: 01, 11, 22 | + | + | + | |
| {{user_timezone}} | returns the time zone of the user who saw the ad. Example: +3 | + | + | + | |
| {{search_phrase}} | returns the search query of the user who was shown the ad (not available for lead forms) | + | - | + | |
| {{lead_form_id}} | lead form id | - | + | - | |
| {{lead_form_name}} | lead form name | - | + | - | |
| {{ad_plan_id}} | id of the campaign in which the lead form is used | - | + | - | |