Wondering how to track LinkedIn ads in Google Analytics? Yes, you are at the right place to learn about tracking LinkedIn ads in Google Analytics.
Whenever you are spending on ads on any social media platform, it is important to verify the clicks reported by the platform from another analytics software. You should not take the clicks reported by the ad platform as the final.
In the case of LinkedIn ads, it is super important to track ads on LinkedIn because LinkedIn has the highest CPC rates compared to any other social media platform.
Before proceeding further, you can watch some of the best LinkedIn Ads of 2022 here.
So, if you are doing ads on LinkedIn, then it is important to verify the clicks reported by the LinkedIn Campaign Manager. Google Analytics is the right platform to track the ad performance of the LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
In case, if there is a considerable difference in clicks reported by LinkedIn Campaign Manager and Google Analytics, then you should contact LinkedIn to report it.
We will cover the following topics in this guide.
How to track LinkedIn Ads in Google Analytics?
What to do if there is a discrepancy between LinkedIn Campaign Manager and Google Analytics?
We will discuss each of these in detail below.
How to track LinkedIn Ads in Google Analytics?
Follow the below steps to track your LinkedIn ads in Google Analytics:
1. Create Tracking Link in Google Analytics using URL Campaign Builder
2. Fill Campaign Source, Medium, and Name
3. Fill Campaign Term and Campaign Content
4. Create Tracking Link in Google Analytics
5. Linking LinkedIn Ads to Google Analytics
6. Track LinkedIn Ad Performance in Google Analytics
We will discuss each of these steps in detail below.
Create Tracking Link in Google Analytics using URL Campaign Builder
The first step is to create a tracking link in Google Analytics for your LinkedIn ad campaign. For creating a tracking link, you need URL parameters.
URL parameters are used to track information about a click. In addition to presenting you with accurate information on clicks, URL parameters also help you to differentiate between the traffic you get from LinkedIn organic (your LinkedIn posts) and LinkedIn ads.
URL parameters consist of a key and a value separated by an equals sign (=) and joined by an ampersand (&). The first parameter always comes after a question mark in a URL as shown in the example below:
By using URL parameters, you’ll know exactly which LinkedIn ad campaign, and which ad set is driving traffic to your website, and you can also track conversions on your website that way.
To generate URL parameters, you can use a free tool by Google called Campaign URL Builder.
To begin with, just go to the page/post that you wish to promote on LinkedIn.
Copy the URL and paste it into the website URL box.
You can provide the Campaign ID as you wish.
Fill Campaign Source, Medium, and Name
The next field is Campaign Source. You can either mention “LinkedIn ad” as the campaign source or you can just mention “LinkedIn”.
In order to differentiate between the traffic from LinkedIn organic posts and traffic from LinkedIn ads, you can mention “LinkedIn ad” here.
Next, mention “CPC” as your campaign medium if you’re tracking link clicks or “CPM” if you’re tracking impressions. You can alternatively use any meaning full terms, if required.
Next, enter the Campaign Name. It should be the same as the name of your LinkedIn ad campaign in LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
Fill Campaign Term and Campaign Content
Now you have filled all the mandatory fields. You can proceed to the next step if required. But if you fill in the rest of the field, it will help you to pinpoint the ads which are working and ads that are not working well. This will be more useful if you are running multiple ads.
You can either use common terms or be more specific with the terms to define your parameters, especially in the case of Campaign Term and Content.
As mentioned, the more specific you get with your URL parameters, the better it will be, and you’ll know exactly which campaign is driving traffic to your site and which campaign needs to be improved.
In case you’re using different ad formats (image, video, carousel, etc.) under an Ad Set to promote the same post, you can use the Campaign Content field to differentiate these ads. Just remember that you need to generate a different campaign URL for each ad to track them accurately in Google Analytics.
Create Tracking Link in Google Analytics
Now that your form is filled, your campaign URL will get auto-generated. Just scroll down to see your generated campaign URL.
In order to start tracking LinkedIn ads in Google Analytics, you’ll need to copy the portion of the URL that starts after the question mark.
Make sure you preview your new URL to check if the URL parameters are visible on the new URL opened in a new tab.
You also have the option to convert the generated URL into a short link.
Linking LinkedIn Ads to Google Analytics
Now you have a campaign URL generated with all the URL parameters.
You can use this newly-generated URL in your LinkedIn ads and start tracking traffic in Google Analytics.
Add it to the LinkedIn campaign manager at the required position.
Now, you are all set to track the performance of your LinkedIn ads in Google Analytics.
Track LinkedIn Ads in Google Analytics
Follow the below steps to track LinkedIn Ads in Google Analytics.
Login to your Google Analytics Account.
In the left side menu, click on Acquisition.
Click on Campaigns.
Click on All Campaigns.
Now you can see the campaign name for LinkedIn Ads there. From this report, you can understand your LinkedIn ad campaign performance.
How to Track LinkedIn Ads in GA4?
Follow the below steps to track LinkedIn Ads in GA4.
Open GA4.
Click on Reports.
Click on Acquisition.
Click on User Acquisition to view the user acquisition report.
Click on ‘+’ sign.
Click on Traffic source. Select First user campaign.
Now you can see the campaign name for LinkedIn Ads there.
From this report, you can understand your LinkedIn ad campaign performance.
What to do if there is a discrepancy between LinkedIn Campaign Manager and Google Analytics?
LinkedIn has one of the highest CPCs among the social media network. So, even if there is a small variation in the number of clicks reported by LinkedIn Campaign Manager and Google Analytics, you need to contact LinkedIn.
There are different ways to contact LinkedIn customer support team. A few of them are mentioned below.
- Get answers from LinkedIn Help Center
- Contact LinkedIn support via Report/Report Abuse/Block
- Contact LinkedIn Customer Support by raising a ticket
- Get answers from Quora and Reddit
- Contact LinkedIn Support via Twitter
- Use Linkedin contact emails
- Use a direct link to contact LinkedIn Customer Services
- Contact Linkedin Customer Service via chat
- Message consultants/schedule a call
- Contact LinkedIn Customer Support directly
Detailed step-by-step instruction regarding each of these methods is provided in the following article.
10 trusted ways to contact LinkedIn customer support
Wrapping Up
Getting a clear picture of your LinkedIn ad performance will not only allow you to evaluate how well your advertisements are performing, but it will also allow you to make changes to improve their reach and effectiveness.
By following the procedures explained in this guide, you may begin analyzing your LinkedIn advertising in Google Analytics and optimize your LinkedIn campaigns.
Hope you found this article useful. Kindly let us know if you have any queries.
Check out some more articles on LinkedIn Ads.
How to do LinkedIn Ad Targeting?
Jasper Reed is the founder of heyhowtodoit.com with 8+ years of experience in Search Engine Optimization.He has researched, tested, and written hundreds of articles ranging from social media platforms to messaging apps.
With a passion for technology and a natural aptitude for understanding consumer behavior, Jasper has built a successful career in blogging.He has been quoted and referenced by major publications and media companies.
An avid traveler and tech enthusiast, Jasper loves to explore new places and experience different cultures. With his thick-rimmed glasses and geeky demeanor, Jasper is a true tech nerd at heart.
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