There is a new trend on Instagram: using the website Linktree to have multiple links instead of one on your profile. I have very quickly joined the trend since I have many things to promote to my subscribers! My Facebook page, my newsletter, etc… Unfortunately, I soon realized that my Google Analytics acquisition data wasn’t accurate anymore.
Visitors now came from the referral category and then from link.tree. For me, these visitors come from Instagram. I wanted them to appear under “Acquisition > Social > Instagram” as they do by default! Statistics are crucial to know where to put our promotion efforts. I started looking for a way to allow my traffic from Linktree to merge and back into the Social> Instagram category.
The problem
As mentioned in the introduction to the article, the problem is on Google Analytics. If you do not do anything, your visitors coming through Linktree will be in the Acquisition > Referral > Linktree.com category.
These visitors come from Instagram! They should be in Acquisition > Social > Instagram.
Update 2021: It seems that Linktree now offers a fix directly from their website.
The solution
To fix this, we’ll create a filter on a Google Analytics view! The screenshot above was taken in Acquisition > Social.
Good Practices
A good practice when you have an analytics account is to have multiple views in order to do tests:
- Your main view
- One for tests
- Raw data
Before applying my advice, I suggest you make sure that you have these three views in place. You should create the filter in the “Test” view and when you see that it works for you, put it in your main view!
Steps to create the filter
- Login to Google Analytics
- Select the view where you want to make the change. For me, it’s Master – because I tested the filter before and it works well!
- Click on “Admin”, then “All filters”, under “Account”
- Click on the red button “add a filter”
- Make the required changes as shown in the screenshot below:
- Enter the name of the filter. I wrote « link tree ».
- Type of filter : custom. Choose “search and replace”.
- Filter field: campaign source
- Search string: linktr.ee
- Replace string: Instagram
I used Instagram with a uppercase I because that is what I have at the moment in Acquisition > Social > Instagram. Use a lowercase i if that’s what YOU use.
- Select your view. Mine is “Master” .
- Click on save, and you’re done!
Conclusion
I hope this guide will help you to keep your data intact and truthful! If you have any problems during the steps on Google Analytics, feel free to leave a comment. It will be my pleasure to help you.
30 comments
Oh..let me try
Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi! I just stumbled upon your blog and I found many useful articles, so I just want to thank you for sharing!
Hi Helena!
Thank you so much for your kind words omg you made my day!!!! Seriously.
I hope to see you come back here!
Xxxx
Marie
thats help me to configure multiple blog on my instagram profile. i will try this solution for my instagram to allow analytic..
thank you so much
Hi Fajar!
Let me know how this goes for you 😀
Marie
It’s nice to hear that LinkTree is working for you. I tried a competitor product before and it only confused my audience – so I have been hesitating trying to LinkTree. Thanks for sharing your experience!
No problem Lillian! 😀
I have switched back to just the address of my blog, but I don’t know… still experiencing 🙂
Marie
I’ve noticed that you did go back to your girlknowstech.com link.
Are there any problems with LinkTree?
Do you have a plan to write about an experience? I’ve love to read.
Hi,
I just had a problem 1 time where Linktree was down so that’s unfortunate because no one can access our links during that time.
But I changed because I wanted to have the girlknowstech.com link visible from my bio, that’s all 🙂
I don’t know what else I’d say 😀
Marie
Thanks for this tutorial! I just started using Linktr.ee and was like “oh crap” how is that going to affect my google analytics. Just the right answer to my question!
Hi Tricia!
It’s awesome that you had a thought for your analytics!! 😛
Glad to help,
Marie
I tested it today and immediately took a look at my analytics. I didn’t find it at all, other than a visitor in real time, and looked up “is linktree trackable in Google Analytics” and got your blog. Thanks for the help.
One thought, with that Search and Replace, that means you could only use LinkTree in one place otherwise your analytics would always attribute to Instagram (in this case). Have I got that right?
Hi, Kerry!
Yes, it means you can only use linktree in one place. But I thought LinkTree is best on Instagram only anyway? I wouldn’t put it on Twitter for example, who someone can click on it from a desktop and see this page optimized for mobiles? I don’t know! I don’t find any useful reason to use it elsewhere, do you?
Marie
Hi Marie! (Friend from Montreal)
Thank you for this neat blog post! It has been a great help when I was playing with Linktree
Since, I decided to build my own similar tool to actually serve the purpose where I can use my link everywhere for my professional profile and my social networks as well: https://profilr.io/@renaudin_yann. I think this can be useful to focus your audience on one place to find your stuff, but I would love to have your input on it! (https://profilr.io) .
Feel free to reach me out on any network on my card ✌
Yann
Hi Yann!
Nice to meet someone that’s also from Montreal!
Seems like a great product, good luck with what’s next!
Marie
Thank you for great read 🙂 Have you tried ContactInBio?
Hello Andrew!
No, I have not, but it seems interesting!
Marie
Hello Marie,
I’m in the process of implementing this filter but noticed that the “Search and replace” option is no longer there. Can you recommend another Filter Field to use?
Hello, Ola! Just saw your other comment that you found the option! 🙂
Glad I could help you with your Google Analytics!
Marie
My apologies… found it!
Awesome! 🙂
Marie
I’m looking for an answer to my question as to why anyone with a website would want to use linktr.ee in the first place. I can create a page on my website with buttons or links to anywhere I want on a very simple page that I design just for that purpose. And if it’s on my site, then I can control the brand experience. You don’t have that at all in linktr.ee. It seems to me linktr.ee is just for people who don’t have a website, but you do and you love it, so thought you’d be a good one to ask. Why not just create a page like this on your site? Thanks!
Hello Kathy!
You are right. I don’t use Linktree. Another reason for us not to use it if we already have a blog is that if Linktree is down (which I saw it happens) then people can’t even visit our links. I think creating a landing page on our own blog is definitely a great idea and one I would do if I had a bit more time! 🙂
Did you create a landing page for your Instagram account?
Best,
Marie
Ooh, thanks! I had exactly this problem and didn’t know enough about it. Thanks for the walkthrough! 🙂
Hello Esther! Amazing, that’s exactly why I wrote this blog post! 🙂
Marie
does this solve the problem fully now? https://help.linktr.ee/en/support/solutions/articles/48000956515-how-to-add-utm-parameters
Yes, it seems like it does!
Does this make the changes immediate? Or does this impact all future navigations from linktree?
The changes are not immediate, it impacts all future navigations. But since I posted this article, Linktree actually fixes this issue itself. So in 2022, you shouldn’t have to do this anymore!