About URL parameters in Search Ads 360

Advertisers often add parameters to their URLs to send data to the landing page. URL parameters are made of a key and a value separated by an equals sign (=) and joined by an ampersand (&). The first parameter always comes after a question mark in a URL. 

Search Ads 360 provides a few different ways to add URL parameters. The method you use depends on the purpose of the URL parameters, the source of data for the URL parameters, and the type of engine account.

Purpose	Source	Google Ads	All other engine accounts
Data that determines the content on your landing page	Static text and dynamic parameters	Final URL Suffix if you use the same parameters and values for many URLs Landing page URLs if each URL specifies unique parameters or parameter values	URL template (recommended), or the landing page URL
	Search Ads 360 macros	Custom parameters in a Final URL Suffix or landing page URL	URL template (recommended), or the landing page URL
Tracking data for your landing page	Static text and dynamic parameters	Final URL Suffix if you use the same parameters and values for many URLs Landing page URLs if each URL specifies unique parameters or parameter values	URL template (recommended), or the keyword landing page URL
	Search Ads 360 macros	Custom parameters in a Final URL Suffix or landing page URL	URL template (recommended), or the keyword landing page URL
Tracking data for a third‐party trackers	Static text and dynamic parameters	URL template	URL template
	Search Ads 360 macros	Custom parameters in a URL template	URL template
Third-party redirect	Static text	URL template	URL template

 

Examples of URL parameters

Determining the content of the landing page

Retail web sites are often set up to display information about a specific product if the landing page URL contains a URL parameter with a product ID. In this case, a retail advertiser can add a URL parameter to a keyword or ad's landing page URL. When a user clicks the ad, the click passes a specific product ID and triggers the landing page to display information about the product associated with the ad.

Here's how to pass a URL parameter that determines the content on the landing page:
Landing page URL: http://example.com?sid=1234567

Providing tracking data for the landing page

Some advertisers add scripts to their sites so they can collect tracking data on their own. For example, an advertiser may add a URL parameter to indicate that a visit came from a Google paid search click.

Here's how to pass a URL parameter such as src=google to provide tracking data for the advertiser's site:
Landing page URL: http://example.com?sid=1234567
Final URL suffix (Google Ads only): src=google
URL template (Microsoft Advertising and other non-Google Ads engines): {unescapedlpurl}?src=google

URL that is sent to the landing page:
http://example.com?sid=1234567&src=google

Providing data for a third-party tracking service

Some advertisers use tracking services in addition to Search Ads 360. 

Here's how to pass a URL parameter such as cid=99999 to a third-party tracker in addition to the parameters from the previous examples:
Landing page URL: http://example.com?sid=1234567

Google Ads only:
Final URL suffix: src=google
URL template: https://example.tracker.com/?cid=9999&lp={escapedlpurl}

Microsoft Advertising and other non-Google Ads engines
URL template: https://example.tracker.com/?cid=9999&lp={escapedlpurl}%3Fsrc%3Dgoogle

URL that is sent to the landing page:
http://example.com?sid=1234567&src=google

Ready to get started?

Use the table above to decide the right place to add your URL parameters. Then add parameters to landing page URLs, a Final URL Suffix, or URL templates.