Attribution
Custom URL parameter & keyword tracking: your data key to true attribution
Automatically capture UTM tags, GCLIDs and keywords from every visitor, so you can connect each call to the exact ad, campaign and search term that drove it.
14-day free trial · No credit card · Billed per answered call
URL params0 custom
Reusable params for custom sources, workflows and reporting.
- promo
- adgroup
- location
URL parameter name
In Data Tools > Sources, then a field in your own sources
Christy M.'s call4m 02s
Jordan P.'s call2m 18s
Campaign attribution
- Tracking source
- Generative AI
Technical details
- Referrer
- claude.ai
Campaign attribution
- Source
- Medium
- cpc
- Campaign
- spring_sale
Custom parameters
- promo
- spring25
- adgroup
- water_heaters
- location
- austin
Technical details
- Click ID
- Cj0KCQjw8
What is custom URL parameter tracking?
URL parameters are the tags at the end of a link, like ?utm_source=google&utm_campaign=spring, that tell you where a visitor came from. Custom URL parameter tracking captures those values from each visitor and attaches them to the phone call they make, so calls get the same campaign, ad and keyword attribution as clicks.
Nimbata reads UTMs, GCLIDs, keywords and your own custom parameters from the landing page URL of each visit, and can send them on with each call to Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads.
How does URL parameter and keyword tracking work?
Add parameters to your ads. Nimbata does the rest.
Add your parameters
Include utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign and keyword in your ad URLs. Nimbata detects and stores them from each visit.
1Add
Map and capture data
Every tracked parameter is read from the landing page URL and matched to the exact visitor session and call.
2Capture
Attribute and analyze results
See every UTM and keyword in your call reports, and send accurate conversion data back to Google Ads.
3Attribute
From every click to keyword visibility
Data that connects every call to what drove it.
See every click that drives calls
Nimbata captures every UTM tag, GCLID and keyword, so you see which ads, sources and search terms drive real conversations.
Uncover caller intent
Go beyond who called to why. See the keyword, campaign and page that led to each call.
Attribute revenue with precision
Connect each call to the campaign and keyword that sparked it, and prove ROI with confidence.
Custom parameters, too
Track the custom parameters you add to your ad URLs, alongside utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign and keyword.
Calls from AI assistants
Generative AI is a default source of its own, so calls from visitors who came from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Grok and 24 more assistants are counted apart. Add a source for one assistant to see ChatGPT on its own, organic, paid or both.
Accurate data in Google Ads
Send accurate conversion data back to Google Ads to optimize performance and prove ROI.
Every call, with its click attached
Parameters like these are captured on every visit and stay with the call.
Christy M.'s call, with its click attached
From click to conversion
What happens to the parameters behind every call.
- Click
Visitor lands on /plumbing?utm_campaign=spring
Nimbata stores the parameters from the landing page URL.
- Call
Session matched to the call
The call inherits the visitor's source, campaign and keyword.
- Conversion
Send a Google Ads conversion
Bidding learns which keywords drive calls, not just clicks.
Source-level vs keyword-level call tracking
Knowing the channel is a start. Knowing the keyword is attribution.
| Source only | With URL parameters | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see per call | The channel, for example Google Ads | Source, medium, campaign, keyword, GCLID and landing page |
| Answers the question | Which channel made the phone ring? | Which ad, campaign and search term drove the call? |
| Google Ads optimization | Calls counted, not tied to keywords | Conversions tied to the click and keyword |
| Custom parameters | Set by hand for each number | Any parameter in your ad URLs |
| Matches form tracking | No, calls use different labels | Yes, calls use the same UTMs as your forms |
Who uses URL parameter tracking?
PPC teams
See which keywords drive calls, not just clicks, and bid on them.
Agencies
Report call ROI by campaign and keyword to every client.
Marketing teams
Compare channels using the same UTMs as your forms and analytics.
Multi-location
Pass location or offer parameters and compare branches.
Frequently asked questions
What are URL parameters?
URL parameters are key and value pairs added to the end of a link after a question mark, like utm_source=google. Marketers use them to record where a visit came from, such as the source, medium, campaign and keyword.
What is custom URL parameter tracking in call tracking?
It captures the URL parameters from each visitor's landing page and attaches them to the call that visitor makes, so every call carries the same campaign, ad and keyword data as a click.
Which parameters does Nimbata capture?
utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term and utm_content, the keyword and the referrer domain, plus any custom parameter you name in Data Tools > Sources. It also captures the ad click ID, whether that's Google's GCLID, GBRAID or WBRAID, Microsoft's MSCLKID, Meta's FBCLID or ChatGPT Ads' oppref.
Can Nimbata track calls from ChatGPT and other AI assistants?
Yes. Generative AI is one of the default tracking sources, so visits from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot, Grok and 24 more assistants are counted under it, whether they came from a link in an answer or from a ChatGPT ad. To see one assistant on its own, add a Generative AI source and pick it as the partner, with organic traffic, paid or both.
Can I create my own sources?
Yes. Add a custom source (Build your own) and match it on utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_app, the referrer domain or any parameter you've named, exactly, or with * for what a value starts with, ends with or contains, and ! to leave a value out. A Generative AI source can be narrowed to one partner, such as ChatGPT or Claude, and to organic or paid traffic. Copy a source to your other projects, or import one from them, when you're done.
Which sources are built in?
Paid search and display, organic search, social, AI assistants, email and newsletters, SMS, referrers, direct, Google Business Profile and Google Ads call extensions, plus offline channels like TV, radio and print. Search can be narrowed to Google, Microsoft, Yahoo or Yandex (and DuckDuckGo for organic), and social to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok or X (Twitter).
Do I need to set anything up?
Install the DNI script on your site and UTMs are captured from every visit. For a custom parameter, add it once in Data Tools > Sources, then show it as a column in Activity > Calls.
How is a call matched to a visitor's parameters?
With dynamic number insertion, each visitor's session gets its own tracking number, so the call is matched to that session and the parameters it landed with.
Can I send keyword data back to Google Ads?
Yes. Send calls back to Google Ads as conversions tied to the click, so bidding learns which keywords drive calls.
Where do I see the captured UTMs and keywords?
In each call's details, as columns in Activity > Calls, and in your reports and exports.
Still unsure? Talk to a human
Everything you need for call tracking.
Connect every call to the ad, campaign and keyword behind it.
- 14-day free trial, no credit card
- Billed per answered call
- 24/7 expert support
- No long-term contracts