Home / Link problems

Link problems

Plain-English explanations of the mistakes that stop campaigns being tracked.

App Store App Store downloads don't show up by campaignThe App Store ignores UTM tags; it reports campaigns through a provider token (pt) and a campaign token (ct) of up to 30 characters.Links The link has more than one question markOnly the first ? starts the tracking part of a link, so a second ? turns the next tag into part of a value and it's lost.Links A link you're sharing contains an ad click IDClick IDs such as gclid and fbclid belong to one ad click, so copying them into a link you share ties every visitor to that one click.Apps App link only works if the app is installedLinks that start with an app's own scheme, such as myapp, open an app that is already installed, but show an error to everyone else.UTM The same UTM tag appears twice in a linkA link with two utm_source or utm_campaign values gives reports a choice, and you can't be sure which one they keep.Links Campaign link uses http instead of httpsAn http link usually has to redirect to https, and each redirect is one more chance for tracking tags to be dropped.Links The campaign link has spaces in itA space isn't allowed in a web address, so links with spaces get cut short, encoded differently or split in two.Apps App links open the website inside InstagramInstagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn open links in their own in-app browsers, which often show your website instead of opening your app.UTM Campaign link is missing UTM tagsWithout utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, visits show as direct, referral or (not set) instead of your campaign.Apps One link can't send people to both app storesA Play Store link only works on Android and an App Store link only on iPhone, so one link for everyone needs a smart link that detects the device.Links UTM tags come after the # in the linkAnything after # stays in the browser and is never sent to the website's server, so tags placed there are easy to lose.Play Store Google Play link opens the wrong page or appA Play Store link needs the right address and your app's package name in id=, or it opens a search, an error or someone else's app.Play Store UTM tags on a Play Store link don't reach the appOn Google Play links, campaign tags must sit inside one URL-encoded referrer value, or the app can't read which campaign drove the install.Links Short link loses your UTM tagsA short link is a redirect, and if the redirect doesn't carry the full address through, your tags never reach the page.UTM Traffic lands in the wrong channel or UnassignedGoogle Analytics sorts visits into channels mainly by utm_medium, so an unusual medium can push paid traffic into Organic Social or Unassigned.UTM UTM values are written differently across linksInstagram, instagram and insta are three different sources to an analytics tool, so one channel ends up split across several rows.Apps Deferred deep linking explained for marketersA normal deep link only works if the app is installed. Deferred deep linking keeps the destination through the install, and you can test it with two phones.Apps OneLink, onelink.me and onelink.to, told apartOneLink is AppsFlyer's smart link, onelink.to is a separate service, and since 15 Sep 2026 AppsFlyer's free plan has no deferred deep linking or branded domains.Apps Deep linking tool checklist: six things to checkDeep linking tools put deferred links, branded domains and attribution on different plans. Six checks, and one live test, to compare them fairly.

FAQ

Common questions

What are UTM parameters?

UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a link, such as utm_source and utm_campaign, that tell analytics tools where a visit came from. They let you see which campaign, channel and ad brought each visitor.

Which UTM parameters are required?

Use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign on every campaign link. utm_term and utm_content are optional and help you compare keywords or ad variants.

Are UTM values case-sensitive?

Yes. Analytics tools usually treat Instagram and instagram as two different sources, so pick lowercase and stick to it.

Is my link sent anywhere when I check it?

No. The checker runs in your browser, so the link you paste never leaves your device.

Do UTM tags work on App Store and Play Store links?

Not directly. On Google Play, UTM tags go inside the referrer parameter. The App Store ignores UTM tags; it uses its own campaign token (ct) and provider token (pt).

Why do my UTM tags disappear?

Usually a redirect drops them, they sit after a # in the link, or the link has a second question mark. Paste the final address from the browser into the checker to see.