Mass UTM URL Builder Google Sheet for Tracking Marketing Campaigns — free download.
We all need to build links with UTM tracking. However, building each link is time-consuming and cumbersome. I looked at my team's process and realised that mistakes are inevitable when you create each Tracked URL or Custom Redirect in separate screens. So with that, I decided to build my own Mass URL Builder for Tracking Marketing Campaigns.
Background
We recently needed to build around 15 links for our Spring Release, and I gave that to my team. Looking at Google Analytics last week, I realised that we hadn’t been consistent with the Campaign name and a few other UTM attributes. That made my blood boil.
So I built this Google Sheet at the weekend:
Download it here: Free Mass URL Builder for Tracking Marketing Campaigns
How I did it
I knew that I wanted to build my app in Excel or a Google Sheet. That way, when you’re working on a Campaign, you can drag down the value of the Campaign down the column, and it will always be consistent.
I opted for Google Sheet because the doc could then be shared/accessed by my entire team and kept up to date in real-time.
Step One
I created columns for the required UTM parameters and URL for my tracked links.
Step Two
I found some nifty code through Google Analytics Academy, which would allow me to run a script within a cell that builds Tracked URL’s from the corresponding rows in each column.
Step Three
Being a geek, I integrated my Google Sheet with the Bit.ly URL Shortener. This is great for saving time, but you also get the benefits of Bit.ly’s Link Performance Reporting. You can find out more about that here.
Step Four
I soon found that Bit.ly API calls run out pretty quickly on free accounts. I attempted to integrate the Google URL shortener but failed. I am a marketer, not a developer, after all. If anyone can get that working, I’d love to share it here.
A Note for Pardot Users
There are some cases where Pardot Custom Redirects will be your preferred route, as you can apply actions off the back of Prospects accessing them. This is often not necessary for newsletters, banner adverts and content marketing, but it depends on what you want to achieve.
That’s It
I hope you enjoy using it.
