URL Tracking Parameters
Learn how to use URL parameters to improve traffic attribution in Flowgrid. This guide walks you through setting up ?ref= and utm_ tags to better track where your visitors and conversions are coming from.
Note:
Using tracking parameters helps make sure your traffic isn't labeled as “Direct”, “Unknown” or “Null” in your analytics. Add them to your links so you always know where your visitors are coming from.
1. Basic Campaign Tracking with ref
To quickly track where a link was shared, use the ?ref= parameter. This works well for newsletters, social media posts, or community links.
Example:
https://yourwebsite.com?ref=twitter
What Flowgrid does:
- Logs
ref=twitteras the referral source - Attributes visitors, conversions, and revenue to "twitter"
- Groups this under each of your custom events on your charts or most likely tabular pointing the campaign to the unique visitor id
When to use it:
- Manually sharing links across platforms
- Quick promotional campaigns (e.g.
?ref=launch-week) - One-off tests for influencer or partner traffic
Other lightweight params Flowgrid picks up:
| Parameter | Purpose |
|---|---|
?ref= | Primary referral source |
source | Alternative to ?ref= (e.g. ?source=google) |
via | When a platform or aggregator links to you (e.g. ?via=producthunt) |
2. Advanced Campaign Tracking with UTM Parameters
For more detailed analytics, use UTM parameters. These are standardized tags widely supported across analytics platforms — including Flowgrid.
Supported UTM Parameters:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
utm_source | Where the traffic originated (e.g. google, newsletter) |
utm_medium | The channel or medium (e.g. email, cpc) |
utm_campaign | The specific campaign name or promotion |
utm_term | (Optional) Keywords used for paid search campaigns |
utm_content | (Optional) Variant of the ad or link (e.g. cta_button) |
Example of a full UTM-tagged URL:
https://yourwebsite.com?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_launch&utm_content=video_ad
What Flowgrid tracks:
- Each parameter is parsed and stored
- You'll see breakdowns by source, medium, campaign, and more
- Conversions and revenue get tied back to these attributes
Use cases:
- Paid ads (Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, etc.)
- Email newsletters and automated email flows
- Landing pages with multiple traffic sources
3. Best Practices for Clean Tracking
- Tag all links: Emails, paid ads, social posts, partnerships
- Be consistent: Use lowercase values and avoid spacing (e.g.
utm_campaign=spring_sale) - Use a URL builder: Tools like Google's UTM Builder help keep your tags clean
- Avoid duplicates: Don't mix
?ref=and?utm_on the same link unless you have a good reason
🔒 Privacy-Friendly, Clean Attribution
Flowgrid uses URL parameters instead of third-party cookies or fingerprinting. This keeps your tracking lightweight, fast, and compliant—while still giving you deep insight into what’s working.
Use this setup to tie conversions and revenue back to marketing actions in a way that’s developer-friendly and marketer-approved.