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Building a link

A link is built in one form: first the page it opens, then the tags that describe where it will be used. The finished link appears at the bottom of the form and updates as you type. Use the sections that describe where the link is going and leave the rest. A field left blank is left off the link.

Signing in

  1. Open linkbuilder.n3o.cloud/eu1 and sign in with your N3O Cloud account. Where the subscription menu in Engage shows Link Builder, it opens the same screen.
  2. If your account can reach more than one subscription, the Link Builder asks you to Select a subscription. Choose the one for the organisation the link is for.

The subscription you are working in is named at the top of the form. Where you have more than one, select that name to switch.

Your browser remembers the form for each subscription, so it opens with the tags of the last link built there.

  1. If the form still holds tags from a previous link, select Reset all parameters at the bottom of the form. This clears every tag and deselects any preset, and leaves the page address in place. The preset itself is kept.
  2. In Page URL, enter the full address of the page the link should open, including https://.
  3. Select Go. The page loads in the preview beside the form, so you can check it is the right one.
MockupPage URL holds the address of the page the link opens. Go loads that page in the preview on the right.

Some websites do not allow their pages to be shown inside another screen, and the preview says so. The link itself still works.

If you move to another page inside the preview, Page URL follows only where the website has the Link Builder helper script installed. Otherwise, paste the address of the page you want into Page URL yourself.

Adding the source, medium and campaign

  1. Under Standard UTM Parameters, open Add a standard UTM parameter… and choose Source.
  2. Type where the link will be placed, such as newsletter or facebook.
  3. Add Medium the same way, and type the kind of placement, such as email or paid-social.
  4. Add Campaign, and type the campaign value your team has agreed, such as winter-emergency.

The values to use for common placements are listed under Recommended source and medium.

MockupSource, medium and campaign added under Standard UTM Parameters. Each field shows the tag name it adds to the link.

The standard list holds nine fields.

FieldTagUse it for
Sourceutm_sourceWhere the link is placed, such as facebook or newsletter
Mediumutm_mediumThe kind of placement, such as paid-social or email, which decides the channel
Campaignutm_campaignThe appeal or campaign the link promotes
Contentutm_contentTelling apart links to the same page, such as two buttons in one email
Termutm_termThe keyword a paid search advert was shown for
Campaign IDutm_idThe campaign's identifier
Source platformutm_source_platformThe platform the visit came from, such as an advertising platform
Creative formatutm_creative_formatThe format of the advert, such as display or video
Marketing tacticutm_marketing_tacticHow the campaign is targeted, such as brand or prospecting

Adding advertising details

Under Engage Analytics, Add an Engage Analytics parameter… offers the analytics fields your organisation has set up, such as Ad Platform, Ad Campaign and Ad for adverts. Filling these in is covered in Advertising campaigns.

Adding a custom parameter

A custom parameter is a tag of your own, for anything the other sections do not cover.

  1. Under Custom, select Add a custom parameter.
  2. Enter a Name, such as Placement, and a value, such as footer-button.

The Link Builder turns the name into the tag's full name and shows it beside the field: lower case, words joined by underscores, and ntm_ in front, so Placement becomes ntm_placement. A name that already starts with utm_ or ntm_ keeps that start. Two tags with the same name are not allowed.

MockupA custom parameter. The name typed as Placement is added to the link as ntm_placement.

The finished link sits at the bottom of the form. Beneath it are three small icons; point at one to see its name. From left to right:

  • Copy, two overlapping squares, copies the link, ready to paste into the advert, the email or the post. A Copied to clipboard message confirms it.
  • QR Code, a grid of squares, opens the link as a QR code, covered in Presets and QR codes.
  • Open in new tab, a box with an arrow, opens the link, so you can check it reaches the page you intended.

A copied link shows some characters in coded form, such as %3A for a colon, and works as it is.

MockupThe finished link, with the Copy, QR Code and Open in new tab icons beneath it.