This is a free alternative to using Google Ads Tracker for Gravity Forms by Super Useful Plugins, Attributer plugin, or AFL UTM Tracker plugin by Appfromlab. There's nothing wrong with those plugins, but I didn't feel like spending hundreds of dollars a year for this one feature across all my sites.
Problem: If you're running Google Ads (or any other ads) to your WordPress website and having visitors fill out a Gravity Form as a conversion, there's no built-in way to see on the entry if that visitor originated from your paid Google Ads campaign.
Popular Solutions: There are plugins (mentioned above) that do that job for you, but I didn't feel like spending hundreds of dollars a year for a multi-site license to handle this functionality across several of my sites. Call me cheap I guess. I pay for a lot of software licenses already!
Complex Solution: You can use ChatGPT to custom write JavaScript for you that sucks up the UTM Parameters, creates a cookie to store the data as the user browses multiple pages of your site, and then add the UTM Parameters to your Gravity Form.
Easy / Free Solution: Use the HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker Plugin by Haktan Suren. He offers documentation on how to integrate it with Gravity Forms and other popular WordPress form plugins. The free version of his plugin does the trick.
Here's a breakdown of the steps you'll need to take:
Step 1: Add a UTM Parameter template to your Google Ads Campaigns. Below are quick instructions. Here are more detailed instructions.
- Google Ads
- Campaign Settings
- Additional Settings
- Campaign URL Options
- Add this to your Final URL Suffix: utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_term={keyword}
Step 2: Install the Handl UTM Grabber / Tracker Plugin
Step 3: Create hidden fields on your Gravity Form and allow them to be dynamically populated with utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, and utm_term
- Edit Gravity Form
- Add “Single Text Input Field”
- Name it “utm_source”
- Click “Advanced” settings on the new field
- Check “Hidden” under Visibility setting
- Check “Allow field to be populated dynamically”
- Enter “utm_source” as the Parameter Name
- Repeat those same steps above for “utm_medium, utm_campaign, and utm_term”
- Save your Gravity Form
Step 4: Test your new setup
- Go to this url: https://www.example.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=workfromsomewhere&utm_term=dummy
- (Replace “example.com” with your actual website, dummy!)
- Submit a Gravity Form on your website
- Check the Entries (or view your e-mail notification) and you should see the new fields that read:
utm_source: google
utm_medium: cpc
utm_campaign: workfromsomewhere
utm_term: dummy - Now wait for your next real lead to come through Google Ads and it should work!
Hope that the advice above helps you have better insights into which one of your Google Ads campaigns are working best.
