The links to recommended content through the |related| widget automatically include URL parameters, which help measure how much traffic the widget directs to each piece of content. These parameters provide data to the destination site's Google Analytics or other analytics system.
The tracking parameters (UTMs) allow you to see exactly where visitors are coming from when clicking on a specific link. They help measure the effectiveness of campaigns, identify traffic sources, and compare the performance of different channels.
Standard Behavior
Every outgoing link automatically includes the following standard UTM parameters:
?utm_source=related&utm_medium={domain}&utm_campaign=widget-{widget}The purpose of these parameters:
utm_source: indicates that the traffic originated from the [related] systemutm_medium: the domain name of the site (e.g.,starity.hu)utm_campaign: the unique identifier of the widget, e.g.,widget-1234567
This setup is standard and active without request, and most analytics systems (e.g., Google Analytics) automatically interpret it.
Advantages:
- Measurable traffic: It is clear how many visitors the widget has directed.
- Google Analytics compatibility: Automatically appears among traffic sources.
- Unified reporting: If the widget runs on multiple sites or campaigns, traffic is easily comparable.
Disadvantages to be aware of:
- If the widget recommends another subpage within its own site, UTM parameters may cause a new session to start in analytics, which may distort reports (e.g., conversion paths).
- In some cases, URLs may be too long or difficult to read.
- Systems using custom tracking (e.g., custom-built statistics) may not recognize UTMs.
Custom Parameterization or Full Deactivation
If you don't want the links to be tagged with UTM parameters or if you want to use custom parameters that match your system (e.g., relatedid, src, ref, etc.), there is an option for that. Both the name and value of the parameters can be customized.
Examples:
- Only custom parameter:
?relatedid={widget}- Combined solution:
?src=related&article={article_id}&ts={timestamp}Available dynamic values (macros):
| Macro | Description |
|---|---|
{site} | The name of the referring site or app |
{domain} | The domain name (e.g., starity.hu) |
{widget} | The unique identifier of the widget |
{article_title} | The title of the recommended content |
{article_id} | The identifier of the recommended content |
{timestamp} | Timestamp of when the widget was rendered |
{device} | User’s device: desktop or mobile |
{blocked} | Ad blocker detection: true if active, false if not |
How to request custom settings?
If you want to deviate from the default functionality, let us know, and we will customize the parameters according to your needs.
You do not need to handle the technical settings yourself, all modifications will be done in the background by us.
Send your request via email to your customer service contact or to [email protected].
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