Campaign tracking

Every short link can carry UTM parameters, so traffic arriving through it shows up properly in your analytics rather than as direct or referral.

Set a default for the site, and override it on any entry that needs something different.

Defaults

Short.io → Settings → Campaign tracking holds a default for each of the five parameters:

Parameter	Typical value
utm_source	shortio, or the name of the channel
utm_medium	short-link
utm_campaign	{slug}
utm_term	usually blank
utm_content	usually blank

A blank default is not added at all. Leave the whole section empty and no link gets campaign parameters.

Each value can be an object template, so a default can still vary per entry:

{slug}                    → launch-day-2025
{section.handle}          → blog
{postDate|date('Y-m')}    → 2026-08

That is how one default gives every entry its own campaign name.

Per-entry overrides

The entry sidebar has a Campaign tracking section, collapsed unless the entry has overrides of its own. The summary line shows what will actually be sent, so you can see it without opening the section.

• Type a value to override the default for that entry.
• Leave a field blank to inherit. The default appears as the field's placeholder, so it is clear what a blank field will send.
• Switch off "Add campaign tracking" to give that one entry no parameters at all, without losing the values you have typed - switching it back on restores them.

Overrides and defaults mix freely: overriding utm_campaign alone keeps the default source and medium.

Editing these needs the Create, rename and remove short links permission. Without it the fields are read-only, and posted values are ignored server-side rather than only being disabled in the markup.

What actually happens

Short.io holds the parameters as fields on the link and folds them into the destination when someone follows it:

https://go.example.com/launch
  → https://example.com/posts/launch-day-2025?utm_source=shortio&utm_medium=short-link&utm_campaign=launch-day-2025

Two consequences worth knowing:

• An existing query string is preserved. A destination that already has ?ref=x keeps it, and the campaign parameters are appended.
• Short.io rewrites the link's stored destination to include them. The plugin keeps the clean URL in its own table, which is what lets it tell that nothing has actually changed and skip the API call on a routine re-save.

Changing the defaults later

Changing a default does not rewrite existing links on its own - links are only updated when their entry is saved. To roll a change out across a section:

php craft short-io/links/sync --section=blog

Interaction with the destination template

Destination template shapes the URL before it reaches Short.io; campaign parameters are added by Short.io on top. Use one or the other for UTM, not both, or you will get the parameters twice.