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Tracked WhatsApp link: the source of every conversation

Updated

In Settings › Tracked links, click New link. Each click on the /w/your-link address opens WhatsApp with a message that carries a code (e.g., #K7P2M); when the person sends it, TraceClose ties the conversation to the click, the UTMs and the ad.

Step by step

  1. Create the link

    Go to Settings › Tracked links and click New link.

  2. Fill in the fields

    Name, Slug (shows up in the URL: /w/slug; lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens), WhatsApp number and, if you want, a Fixed salesperson (empty = rotation).

  3. Keep {codigo} in the message

    The Prefilled message starts as “Hi! I'd like to know more {codigo}”. You can change the text, but leave {codigo} in: it’s what ties the conversation to the click.

  4. Use the link

    Copy the link and paste it into your website’s WhatsApp button, your bio or an email. In ads that point to a website, use the For ad button, which copies the URL with Meta’s parameters.

Why UTMs alone don’t make it to WhatsApp

A regular WhatsApp link opens the conversation, but the UTMs in the address get lost along the way. The tracked link records the click (UTMs, Meta click identifiers, browser) and puts a code in the message. When the message arrives, the code ties both ends together.

How the source is decided

  • Tracked link: the message arrived with the code from a click up to 7 days old.
  • Tracked link (probable): the person deleted the code, but there was exactly one click on links for the same number in the previous 10 minutes.
  • Two or more clicks in those 10 minutes, or an expired code: TraceClose doesn’t guess, and the conversation has no source.
  • If utm_content has the ad’s numeric ID (as with the For ad button), the lead is tied to the ad, ad set and campaign in reports.

Example

Fictional example: Example Co. creates the link “Website - button” with the slug site-example, number sales-1 and no fixed salesperson. A visitor clicks, WhatsApp opens with “Hi! I'd like to know more #K7P2M” and they send it. In the inbox, the lead shows up with the link as its source and the click’s UTMs, and is assigned by the rotation. In the Clicks 7d column, the link shows 342 clicks for the week.

Details worth knowing

  • Bots and link previews (when someone pastes the link into a chat) are sent to WhatsApp without a code and don’t count as clicks.
  • Inactive links answer “Link not found”.
  • Changing the slug breaks the URL already in your ads.
  • A fixed salesperson overrides the rotation, even if paused (as long as they’re active).
  • Clicks that didn’t turn into a conversation are deleted after 8 days; for those that did, browser data is deleted after 90 days and the UTMs are kept.

Click-to-WhatsApp ads don’t need a link: attribution comes in the message itself (see how). Each link’s results show up in Analytics › UTM and links, on the Tracked links tab (UTM and links).

Didn’t work? See…

  • Conversation with no source: the code was deleted from the message or there were several clicks at the same time (conversation with no source).
  • “No number connected” when creating the link: connect WhatsApp first (connect WhatsApp).
  • Slug already in use: slugs are unique; choose another.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use UTMs in a WhatsApp link?

Yes, in a tracked link: it stores the click’s UTMs and ties them to the conversation through the code in the message. With a regular wa.me link, UTMs never reach the conversation.

Does the link work with Google ads or other sources?

The link stores UTMs from any source, and they show up in Analytics › UTM and links. Reading ad spend, however, is Meta-only for now.

Does the customer see the code?

Yes, in the prefilled message, after whatever text you choose to put before it.

See the path from ad to sale in your WhatsApp.

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