UTM and Tracking Setup
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      3. UTM and Tracking Setup

      How to set up Tracking Parameters

      This document was created to educate on how to properly set up tracking parameters to ensure the best tracking in Wicked Reports

      Table of Contents

      What Are Tracking Parameters?

      Tracking parameters—most commonly UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules)—are extra pieces of information added to the end of your URLs. These parameters tell Wicked Reports where a click came from, what campaign it was part of, and more.

      You've likely seen these on URLs before and they look something like this: 

      mywebsite.com?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=my-marketing-campaign

      The five standard UTM parameters are:

      • utm_source: Identifies the platform (e.g., facebook, google, email)

      • utm_medium: Identifies the marketing medium (e.g., cpc, email, social)

      • utm_campaign: Names the specific campaign (e.g., spring_sale)

      • utm_term: (Optional) Used to track paid keyword terms

      • utm_content: (Optional) Used to differentiate variations of ads or links

      Wicked Reports uses these parameters to track every click across your marketing funnel—from first touch through to repeat purchases and beyond.

      Why Are Tracking Parameters Important?

      Without tracking parameters, we can’t track your marketing. Full stop.

      Every click that leads a prospect to your website needs to include tracking parameters. These identifiers allow Wicked Reports to attribute that click to the correct campaign, ad, and platform.

      Here’s why this is crucial:

      • Full Journey Attribution: We track every click from a new lead’s first interaction all the way through to their latest purchase—giving you unmatched visibility into what’s truly driving revenue.

      • Smarter Decision-Making: With proper tracking in place, Wicked Reports can provide ROAS, lead value, and long-term customer impact—not just superficial metrics.

      • Data You Can Trust: Incomplete tracking means incomplete data. The more consistent your tracking, the more accurate your reporting.

      How To Set Up Tracking Parameters

      Native Ad Platforms (Auto-Tracking or Simplified Setup)

      Wicked Reports simplifies setup for the major ad platforms by using our proprietary tracking parameters:
      WickedSource and WickedID. These are used instead of traditional UTMs and allow us to pull rich, native platform data directly into Wicked Reports such as the actual Campaign Name, Ad Set and Ad Name from a Facebook Ad.  

      Ad Platforms with Auto-Tagging Support:

      • Facebook Ads: Enable Auto-Tagging during Facebook authorization in Wicked Reports or later in your authorizations.

      • Google Ads & Microsoft Ads: We automatically add WickedSource and WickedID at the account-level URL template, ensuring every ad click is tracked without extra work from you.

      • YouTube Ads: Tracked automatically via the connected Google Ads account.

      Ad Platforms Requiring Manual Setup:

      For platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat, you’ll need to manually add the Wicked tracking parameters to your ad URLs.

      To make your reporting easier to use, when using WickedSource and WickedID with these native platforms we’ll automatically pull the names you've created in the platform so there's no confusion about what the data represents:

      For example,

      • For Facebook: Campaign, Ad Set, and Ad Names

      • For Google/Microsoft: Campaign Name, Ad Group, and Keyword

      • For other platforms: Similar data will be pull and used for reporting

      Native Contact Systems 

      You will want to ensure that every email you send has tracking parameters.  Wicked Reports will handle the tracking automatically if you're sending email using one of these CRMs:

      If you're using one of these platforms, you don’t need to manually add UTMs—we’ve got it covered.

      For All Other Email Providers:

      You’ll need to manually append UTMs to every link in your email campaigns. At a minimum, we recommend:

      utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=[Your Campaign Name]
      For deeper email tracking, we recommend 
      utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=[Your Campaign Name]&utm_term=[list or segment of contacts]&utm_content=[subject of email]

      Non-Native Platforms (Organic Social, SMS, etc.)

      For non-native channels like organic posts, SMS, or third-party email tools, it’s essential to manually tag every link using UTMs.

      Examples:

      • Text/SMS: Needs utm_source=text or utm_source=sms OR utm_medium=text or utm_medium=sms

      • Organic Social Posts: Typically show up under the "Other" channel unless tagged otherwise and identified by the valued used in utm_source=

      Where Will I Find My Data in Wicked Reports?

      Wicked Reports automatically organizes all tracked activity into Marketing Channels based on the UTM or Wicked parameters you use.

      • We use predefined rules based on utm_source, utm_medium, and sometimes utm_term.

      • For clicks with WickedSource and WickedID, the platform and campaign data are mapped into our system automatically.  For example, when looking at reporting for each channel, you should see the actual campaign names you created in the platform.

      • You can review all predefined channels and tracking rules here:
        👉 Marketing Channels Defined

      If tracking is set up correctly:

      • Email clicks will show in the Email Channel

      • Paid clicks from platforms like Facebook or Google will be under Facebook or Google Ads

      • SMS or text message clicks will appear in the Text/SMS Channel

      • Unclassified or improperly tagged links will fall into the "Other" Channel