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Web Analytics: Will using both Google Adwords Auto-Tagging AND Manual Tagging with UTM variables create any tracking problems in Google Analytics?

Michael Lommel, Founder at Karina Library Press answered:

I've done a lot of complex analytics installations, usually cross-domain and including AdWords and manual tagging with conversion tracking of ecommerce transactions.

The gclid by default will override the manual UTM values in Analytics so that is what you are looking for. If you are just grabbing the manual tags from the URL for your own purpose, this should be OK. However, if you at some point want to import conversions (say) connected to your manual tag, then you would want to enable UTM overriding the gclid: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033981?hl=en.

Do you have AdWords and Analytics accounts linked? Where and how are you tracking commerce conversions, if you are? Do you feel you are getting the insights you need from your current custom reporting? Let me know if I can help with a call about those or further optimization of your analytics capture.

Best - Michael

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Question

I want to use Auto-Tagging in Adwords because it passes a lot more data automatically to Analytics.
The problem is that I need to also use utm_source, utm_campaign, etc. and some of them with ValueTrack so when a lead signs up I can $GET that data from the URL and append it to the lead/client record.

So my URLs end up looking like this:
www.domain.com/page&utm_source=adwords&utm_campaign=[camp-name]&utm_content=[something]&utm_term=[keyword]&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CNfm29qkpb0CFewRMwodXEIAFg

As you may notice, the URL has utm parameters AND gclid.

Will this create any tracking problems in Analytics?

I know I could use another variable names instead of utm_source, utm_content, etc. for adwords, but then when the traffic comes from let's say "facebook" or "bing"... I do want that tagged and passed to my lead and the form logic + having a double standard for URL becomes complex.

Thanks so much for your help!

Google Analytics

Answer

Michael Lommel answered

I've done a lot of complex analytics installations, usually cross-domain and including AdWords and manual tagging with conversion tracking of ecommerce transactions.

The gclid by default will override the manual UTM values in Analytics so that is what you are looking for. If you are just grabbing the manual tags from the URL for your own purpose, this should be OK. However, if you at some point want to import conversions (say) connected to your manual tag, then you would want to enable UTM overriding the gclid: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033981?hl=en.

Do you have AdWords and Analytics accounts linked? Where and how are you tracking commerce conversions, if you are? Do you feel you are getting the insights you need from your current custom reporting? Let me know if I can help with a call about those or further optimization of your analytics capture.

Best - Michael