The easiest way to capture UTM parameters in Everest Forms
Learn how to capture UTM parameters (and other lead source data) in Everest Forms so you can track where your leads are coming from.
If you're having a hard time figuring out how many people are actually converting into customers after clicking your Google Ads, you're not alone. Google Analytics is great for tracking website traffic, but it's not always clear how many of those visitors are turning into leads and sales.
The good news is that there's a solution! In this article, we'll show you how to use Attributer to capture UTM parameters in Everest Forms, so you can finally track where each lead is coming from.
4 steps for capturing UTM parameters in Everest Forms
Using Attributer to capture UTM parameters in Everest Forms is easy. Here's how to do it in 4 easy steps:
1. Add UTM parameters to your ads
Firstly, it's important to make sure you've added UTM parameters to your paid advertising campaigns. This is relevant for ads on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as search engines like Bing and Google.
2. Add hidden fields to your forms
The second step is to incorporate hidden fields into your Everest Forms on your website. As the name suggests, hidden fields are not visible to visitors on your site but are still included on the form. These fields allow tools such as Attributer to add information like UTM parameters without visitors noticing.
Thankfully, Everest Forms simplifies the process of adding hidden fields to your forms. Simply drag and drop a "Hidden" field to the bottom of your form.
To use Attributer, you'll need to add these specific hidden fields:
- Channel
- Channel Drilldown 1
- Channel Drilldown 2
- Channel Drilldown 3
- Landing Page
- Landing Page Group
3. Attributer automatically completes the hidden fields with UTM data
After setting up the hidden fields, Attributer will monitor where your website visitors are coming from and automatically populate the hidden fields when they complete the Everest Form on your site.
For example, imagine you're the marketing lead at Olmo Software, and someone searches for your company name on Google, clicks on one of your ads, explores your site, and fills out a demo request form.
Attributer will use the UTM parameters you added to your ads to complete the hidden fields, such as:
- Channel = Paid search
- Channel Drilldown 1 = Google
- Channel Drilldown 2 = Brand campaign
- Channel Drilldown 3 = Olmo Software
Additionally, Attributer will keep track of the visitor's initial landing page and include it in the hidden fields. So, for Olmo Software, it may appear like this:
- Landing Page = www.olmosoftware.com/landing-pages/brand
- Landing Page Group = Landing Pages
4. UTM parameters are captured in Everest Forms
Once the form is submitted, Everest Forms not only records the information provided by the lead (such as name, email, and company) but also the UTM parameters included in the hidden fields by Attributer.
This captured data can be integrated into CRM systems (like Salesforce, Hubspot, etc), added to Everest Forms' email alerts for new submissions, saved in a spreadsheet, or transferred to various other tools via Zapier.
What is Attributer?
Attributer is a simple code snippet that you can add to your website. When someone visits your site, it looks at a bunch of technical information about where they came from (similar to what Google Analytics does) to determine the source of the visitor.
Attributer then sorts visitors into distinct channels (such as Paid Search, Paid Social, and Organic Search) and saves this information in a cookie in their browser. This ensures that UTM parameters and other information are not lost as they navigate around your site.
Finally, when a visitor fills out an Everest Form on your site, Attributer writes the UTM parameters and other attribution data into the form's hidden fields. This data is captured along with the lead's information, including their name, email, and company.
Initially developed by a marketing consultant that needed to get a more accurate understanding of which channels generated the most leads and customers for clients, Attributer provides a better alternative to simply seeing the number of visitors from each campaign.
Today, Attributer is used on thousands of sites and provides attribution data for over 7 million monthly visitors.
Why using Attributer is the best way to capture UTM parameters in Everest Forms
Attributer is the best way to capture UTM parameters in Everest Forms. Here's why:
1. Captures the source of all leads
Attributer offers attribution information for all your leads, not just those that come from paid ad campaigns with UTM parameters. This includes leads from organic channels like Organic Social, Organic Search, Direct, Referral, and more.
This gives you a more complete understanding of the channels that generate leads and customers for your business, enabling you to make informed decisions about how to grow.
For example, if you discover that your SEO efforts generate more leads than your Google Ads campaigns, it may be worth reallocating some of your budget to SEO.
2. Remembers the UTM parameters as visitors browse your site
Other ways of capturing UTM parameters in Everest Forms require the parameters to be present in the URL of the page where the form is completed. This approach can produce inaccurate data on the number of leads generated from various campaigns.
For example, imagine a visitor clicks on one of your Google Ads and lands on your homepage. They then proceed to click the "Get A Quote" button and navigate to your Quote Request page to complete the form.
Without Attributer, the UTM parameters would not be captured because the page where the lead filled out the form is different from the initial landing page.
Luckily, Attributer works differently. It saves the UTM parameters in a cookie in the visitor's browser, enabling them to be captured in Everest Forms regardless of the page where the form is completed.
3. Provides cleaner data
Using other methods to capture UTM parameters in Everest Forms may lead to inaccurate and jumbled data in your reports.
For instance, suppose you labeled some of your Google Ads campaigns with UTM_Source=google ads, some with UTM_Source=google, and others with UTM_Source=adwords (which is common when multiple individuals or agencies manage your ads over time).
If you were using a different method and only capturing these raw UTM parameters, your reports would show three distinct lead sources, and you would have to manually add them up to determine how many leads came from your Google Ads.
Thankfully, Attributer was created to address this issue. It takes into account potential inconsistencies in your UTM parameters (such as capitalization and different naming conventions) and assigns leads to the correct channel (in this case, Paid Search). This guarantees that your reports are precise and easy to comprehend
4. Captures landing page data as well
Aside from gathering Google Ads data, Attributer also captures the landing page URL (e.g., https://attributer.io/blog/capture-utm-parameters-happyforms) and landing page group (e.g., /blog).
This allows you to produce thorough reports that illustrate the number of leads and customers produced from particular parts of your site, like your blog.
Moreover, you can even analyze how many leads and customers are generated by each blog post.
Wrap up
Attributer is a valuable tool for capturing UTM parameters in Everest Forms. However, it offers more than just that. It also offers information on leads from organic sources such as Organic Search, Organic Social, Referral, Direct traffic, and more.
This provides you with a broader perspective of where your leads and customers come from, enabling you to make informed decisions about growing your business.
Interested in trying it out? Attributer offers a 14-day free trial to help you determine if it's the right tool for you. Begin your trial today.
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About the Author
Aaron Beashel is the founder of Attributer and has over 15 years of experience in marketing & analytics. He is a recognized expert in the subject and has written articles for leading websites such as Hubspot, Zapier, Search Engine Journal, Buffer, Unbounce & more. Learn more about Aaron here.