Using Tracking

  • Dynamic tracking for landing page URLs allows you to track incoming website traffic from Hotel campaigns in Google Ads.

  • Users who click your ad will be redirected to an expanded link that includes tracking information after setting up dynamic tracking.

  • The URL used for dynamic tracking can include variables.

  • To add tracking capabilities, it is recommended to use tracking templates and final URL suffixes in your Google Ads account.

  • To use dynamic tracking, you need to specify the full URL including tracking information in the <URL> element, the non-tracking portion in the <LPURL> element, and the tracking portions in your Google Ads account.

To track website traffic from Hotel campaigns in Google Ads, you should use Google Ads tracking features in conjunction with your landing page configuration in Hotel Center. The recommended approach is to provide a clean, final landing page URL in the <LPURL> element and manage all tracking parameters within your Google Ads account.

To implement dynamic tracking:

  1. Specify the final landing page URL in <LPURL>: This element should contain only the direct URL to the user's final destination on your website, without any redirects or ads tracking parameters. xml <LPURL>http://partner.com/landing?hid=(PARTNER-HOTEL-ID)</LPURL> The <LPURL> value is treated as the final URL. Google Ads will handle any necessary escaping when combining it with tracking templates.

  2. Configure Tracking in Google Ads: Use the features within your Google Ads account to manage all tracking:

    • Tracking Template: Add any third-party trackers or necessary redirects here. The {lpurl} ValueTrack parameter will represent the URL from <LPURL> in the Hotel Center landing page configuration. Example: https://example.tracker.com?t_url={lpurl}
    • Final URL Suffix: Append additional tracking parameters (e.g., gclid={gclid}, custom parameters) that should be added to the end of the <LPURL>.
    • ValueTrack Parameters: Utilize ValueTrack parameters within your Tracking Template and Final URL Suffix to dynamically include campaign, ad group, and other contextual information.

  3. <URL> as a Fallback: The <URL> element is used only if <LPURL> is not provided. If you provide <LPURL>, the content of <URL> is not used for determining the final URL for ad clicks. xml <!-- This will be used only if <LPURL> is not set --> <URL>http://partner.com/landing?hid=(PARTNER-HOTEL-ID)</URL>

Example Scenario:

  • In Hotel Center Landing Page file: xml <LPURL>http://partner.com/landing?hid=(PARTNER-HOTEL-ID)&amp;type=hotel</LPURL>

  • In Google Ads Account:

    • Tracking Template: https://example.tracker.com?redirect={lpurl}
    • Final URL Suffix: utm_campaign=(CAMPAIGN-ID)&amp;utm_source=google

  • Resulting Click URL (Simplified): When an ad is clicked, Google Ads will combine these. The user will first be taken to: https://example.tracker.com?redirect=http://partner.com/landing%3Fhid%3D123%26type%3Dhotel%26utm_campaign%3D456%26utm_source%3Dgoogle And the tracker should redirect to the URL specified in the redirect parameter, which is the <LPURL> with the Final URL Suffix appended: http://partner.com/landing?hid=123&amp;type=hotel&amp;utm_campaign=456&amp;utm_source=google

For more details on Google Ads tracking setup, see Set up dynamic tracking for a Hotel campaign.