The perfect Tracking!
A UTM code is a simple text code that can be added to any link to reveal the origin of web traffic. Example:
https://example.com/?utm_source=display_ad01
Regarding to Steam, if you use UTMs in your links, Steam will inform you about the origin of your traffic on the Steam store page. Your links with UTMs might look like this:
1) example.com/?utm_source=display_ad01
2) example.com/?utm_source=facebook_post04
3) example.com/?utm_source=homepage-about
You would use the first example in your display ad campaign, the second in a Facebook post, and the third in a banner in the “about section” of your homepage. So, you know exactly how many visitors come to your Steam shop page via which link.
Ok, but why use UTMs when I can track this with Google Analytics? Because UTMs are more effective.
- You get the information for each and every click, regardless of cookie consent and other privacy issues.*
- They are very easy to use, just change a link and get all the information. No need to set up complex analysis tools and tag links with scripts.
*Theoretically, UTMs do not collect any information about users. They simply tell you in numbers how many people accessed a particular link. I say theoretically because you can combine UTMs with cookies and in that case, you would need a privacy consent tool.
Because Steam UTMs are processed by Steam, you’ll receive two important additional analytics about your Steam-hosted game:
- The origin of wish lists and purchases
- How many of your visitors were Steam users (logged in)
These two numbers combined are the perfect tool to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of different campaigns.
Would you like to know more about Steam UTMs? Read the Steamworks Documentation (external link).