Search traffic source
Track YouTube Ads with UTMCAP
YouTube Ads is a search traffic source. Below are the macros UTMCAP fills in for it, the tracking URL it builds, and what happens to cost and conversions.
No redirect link: a Final URL instead
YouTube Ads runs parallel tracking: the visitor goes straight to your page and the tracking URL is fetched in the background, so a redirect link never gets used. The campaign’s Tracking tab in UTMCAP builds the Final URL for you — your page address with the macros below and the campaign’s utm_id on it — and the tag on your page records the click.
Put that Final URL in the ad, not your plain page address. The plain address still loads, which is why the mistake is quiet: the click lands on whichever campaign last used that page. How parallel tracking works
What each macro records
YouTube Ads replaces each macro with the real value when the ad is clicked, and UTMCAP stores it in the matching field — so reports can be grouped by campaign, placement or device.
| Field | What it records | YouTube Ads macro |
|---|---|---|
| sub1 | Campaign ID | {campaignid} |
| sub2 | Ad Group ID | {adgroupid} |
| sub3 | Creative ID | {creative} |
| sub4 | Placement | {placement} |
| sub5 | Device | {device} |
Worth knowing
Served through Google Ads, so the same ValueTrack parameters apply — there is no separate YouTube macro set.
Macros from YouTube Ads’s own documentation.
How conversions get back to YouTube Ads
Same as Google Ads — it is the same account and the same gclid.
Set it up in three steps
- 1. Add YouTube Ads as a traffic source in UTMCAP and choose its template — the macros above are filled in for you.
- 2. Create a campaign with that source, and open its Tracking tab for the Final URL and the tag.
- 3. Put the Final URL in your YouTube Ads ad and install the tag on your page.
Every field of the traffic source form is explained in the traffic sources guide.
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