CampTag’s simple yet powerful URL builder spreadsheet

Struggling with copy-pasting utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign parameters into URL builders? Try out CampTag’s URL builder spreadsheet for super-charged campaign URL tagging.

If you are new to the world of paid marketing campaigns, or if you have been using free URL builder tools, it’s time to graduate one step towards URL builder spreadsheets that help you generate URLs in bulk.

Here’s how to use CampTag’s simple yet powerful URL builder spreadsheet

Open CampTag’s URL builder.
Sheet 1 is the main sheet where you have all the UTM parameters and the final URL.
Enter your website URL in Column A.
Columns B to E have data validation enabled, though you should also be able to type in the values you want. The sheet will show you an error when you type in values that don’t fall within the input range.

Changing values in the data validation table

Data validation values are added to Sheet 2, so that your campaign managers will not type in random values, resulting in data entry errors and bad campaign analytics.

Sheet 2 has standard values for utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content and utm_geography.

Remove a value from there, or add a new value to the respective column based on your requirement. The values will get updated automatically in Sheet 1.

Remember that you can type these in capital letter, small letter or Title case, and the final formula will convert them to small letters.
The values currently on this sheet are dummy values. Go ahead and delete them, and populate with the values relevant to your campaigns.
Columns G, H and I are custom dimension fields which are added for your convenience. You can replace them with the custom dimensions you want, and the formula will change automatically.
If you do not want any custom dimensions, keep these columns empty. Do not delete these fields as it might affect the formula.
Any spaces entered in the values are automatically converted to + sign. But be advised that it is better not to have spaces in the URL.
Data validation will help ensure that your campaign managers don’t make data entry errors. But they can tamper with the data validation values. Here’s the solution:
Right click on the sheet name called Parameter values at the bottom of the sheet. Click on Protect the sheet. Specify who can edit the parameter values.

This step will ensure that the parameter values are not manipulated or modified by all the users of this spreadsheet.
Please do not reach out to us for access to this spreadsheet. We will not be sharing this spreadsheet. You have to either Download it to your PC, or make a copy of it in your own Google Drive to use it.

Limitations of this spreadsheet

While CampTag's URL builder spreadsheet is simple and powerful. It also has some limitations.

Data entry errors are still possible. Even though there is data validation for the main columns, you can still type in random values.
You have to create separate sheets for different campaigns, and manage access to different team members.
You cannot define roles for team members.
Spreadsheets have some limitations in terms of customization and scalability.
There are limited custom dimensions you can add without making the spreadsheet cumbersome.

If you come across these limitations, please reach out to us. CampTag’s marketing taxonomy and Custom URL builder tool can help you create hundreds of custom dimensions efficiently. It’s error-proof, and also offers different Workspaces to separate your campaigns.

Common terms used in this URL builder spreadsheet

Column A – URL : This is the website landing page URL that you want your visitors to land. Make sure to use the full URL including https://, but do not add any spaces or ? at the end.

Column B – Source: This is the utm_source parameter which denotes the source your traffic is coming from, like Google Ads, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram etc.

Column C – Medium: This is the utm_medium parameter which specifies the channel you use for the paid marketing campaign like PPC, Email, Affiliate, Directory submissions etc.

Column D – Campaign Name: This is the utm_campaign parameter which is the name of you campaign and will help you distinguish this campaign from others.

Column E – Content: This is the utm_content parameter which specifies the type of campaign like Text Ads, Banner Ads, Carousel, Email Signature etc.

Column F – Term: This is the utm_term parameter which specifies the keyword used for that specific campaign. These are derived from keyword research tools, and usually cannot have data validation.

Column G, H, I – Custom dimensions: These are dummy values for custom dimensions you could add to your campaign. Replace them with the values you would like.

What if you do not want custom dimensions?

In this case, leave the column empty, or change the formula to remove the column values. Otherwise, the formula would throw an error.

What if you want to add more custom dimensions?

You could add more columns to this sheet, and then modify the formula to take care of the extra columns.

Base formula

=IF(A3="",,IF(OR(C3="",B3="",D3=""),"You must enter MEDIUM, SOURCE and CAMPAIGN NAME",SUBSTITUTE(LOWER(CONCATENATE(A3,"?","utm_source=",B3,"&utm_medium=",C3,"&utm_campaign=",D3,IF(E3="","","&utm_content="&E3),IF(F3="","","&utm_term="&F3),IF(G3="","","&utm_"&G2&"="&G3),IF(H3="","","&utm_"&H2&"="&H3),IF(I3="","","&utm_"&I2&"="&I3)))," ","+")))

Modified formula with extra parameters

We hope that CampTag’s simple yet powerful URL builder spreadsheet makes your campaign tagging, and reporting easier and more efficient. Get in touch with us if you need help with marketing taxonomy or URL building.