WEBSITE PLANNING

Name Campaign Links Consistently

Use a small naming dictionary to make external campaign links understandable in later reports.

Choose names before distributing links

Define who maintains the link list and agree on source, medium and campaign conventions. Google’s campaign parameters describe traffic origin and campaign context; values are case-sensitive. Consistent spelling matters more than inventing a complicated code nobody remembers. Keep the dictionary short enough that the person posting a link will actually use it.

Build a hypothetical link record

For an imaginary autumn customer newsletter, record source as customer_newsletter, medium as email and campaign as autumn_service_guide. Add content labels only when you need to distinguish placements such as a header link and a footer link. These are planning examples, not evidence that a campaign ran or produced results. Never place customer names, email addresses or confidential information in the URL.

Validate the destination

Open the final link without completing a transaction or form. Check that the correct page loads and that any redirect preserves the intended campaign information. Record the untagged destination and tagged version together so future editors can understand both. Do not reuse external campaign tagging as a substitute for measuring navigation between pages on your own site.

Maintain the reporting contract

After authorized distribution, review the relevant acquisition report using the agreed names. If the label is wrong, document the correction date instead of merging unlike campaigns silently. Keep organic search, paid activity and owned communications distinct. A campaign parameter labels incoming activity; it does not itself generate traffic or prove that the visitor became a customer.

Apply this to your website

Bring the relevant URL and a description of the decision to request a scoped website review. Do not send passwords or private customer records. The primary reference is the linked technical guidance.