ClickMagick Setup Guide - From Signup to First Tracked Sale (2026)

Before You Start

Getting ClickMagick working well takes an afternoon, not a week. The basic tracking code takes ClickMagick's estimated 20 to 30 minutes; connecting sales and ad accounts takes a little longer. Have these ready before you begin.

• Admin access to your website, store or funnel builder.
• Access to your checkout or payment platform (Shopify, Stripe, SamCart, ClickFunnels and so on).
• Logins for the ad accounts you want to connect.
• Access to your domain's DNS settings, if you'll set up a custom tracking domain.
• A list of what counts as a conversion for you: opt-ins, sales, upsells, booked calls.

If you haven't started yet, the 14-day free trial covers everything below.

Step 1: Add Your Site and the Tracking Code

Register the website or store you want to track, then copy ClickMagick's click tracking code. Add it to every page you send traffic to, the same way you'd add a Google Analytics tag or Meta pixel.

• WordPress: paste it into your header through your theme settings or a header-scripts plugin.
• Funnel builders: add it in the funnel-level tracking settings so every step is covered, not just the first page.
• Shopify: use ClickMagick's Shopify app, which manages the store integration for you. See ClickMagick for Shopify.

Step 2: Tag Your Traffic With UTM Parameters

ClickMagick's own setup instructions say to add industry-standard UTM parameters to your URLs if you aren't already using them. UTMs tell ClickMagick which source, campaign and ad each visitor came from.

Consistency matters more than cleverness. Pick one naming style, such as lowercase with hyphens, and stick to it across every platform. Our UTM guide has a naming template you can copy.

Step 3: Track Opt-Ins and Leads

If you collect leads, add ClickMagick's conversion tracking code to your thank-you page, set to an "Action" type conversion. Each time someone reaches that page, ClickMagick records a lead and credits it to the right source.

No thank-you page? ClickMagick's knowledge base covers alternatives, such as tracking the opt-in and then redirecting to an affiliate offer.

Step 4: Connect Sales Tracking

ClickMagick now tracks most sales through direct integrations rather than code on a thank-you page. Each platform has its own steps in ClickMagick's knowledge base.

Step 5: Set Up a Custom Tracking Domain

Pointing a subdomain such as track.yourdomain.com at ClickMagick makes your tracked links look like your own and makes the tracking code harder for ad blockers to stop. ClickMagick has long recommended a custom domain for links used on Facebook and in email.

It's a quick DNS change. Our custom tracking domain guide explains the steps and why a subdomain is the safe choice.

Step 6: Connect Your Ad Accounts

Enable integrations from the account menu at the top right of ClickMagick, then authorize your Google, Facebook, TikTok or Microsoft Ads accounts. ClickMagick's Auto Cost Update then pulls your spend in, so your reports show return on ad spend rather than just sales.

Step 7: Turn On Audience Optimization

Audience Optimization sends your conversions back to the ad platforms in real time. Choose which conversions to send, such as purchases and qualified leads, and map them to each platform's conversion events. It takes a few minutes more than the basics, but it's the step that helps the platforms' algorithms find more buyers. Platform-specific walk-throughs are in our Facebook, Google Ads and TikTok guides.

Step 8: Review Bot Filtering and Set Up Click Shield

Bot filtering works automatically, so your reports start clean. If you run pay-per-click ads, set up Click Shield next: create a rule, build an exclusion page, and exclude that audience in your ad platform. Our Click Shield guide walks through it.

Step 9: Test Everything

1. Click a tagged ad or link yourselfUse a URL with your UTM parameters attached.
2. Complete an opt-in and a test purchaseUse your checkout's test mode or a low-priced product where possible.
3. Check ClickMagick's reportsConfirm the visit, lead and sale appear once, credited to the right source.
4. Check the ad platformIf you turned on Audience Optimization, confirm the conversion arrived.
5. Refund the test orderSome platforms take an hour or more to report refunds to ClickMagick, so check back later.

Common Setup Mistakes

• Tracking code on the landing page but not the checkout or upsells. Add it at the funnel or site level.
• Old sales code left in place after connecting an integration, which double-counts sales.
• Inconsistent UTMs, such as "Facebook", "facebook" and "fb" for the same source.
• Two tools sending conversions to the same ad platform, which inflates the platform's numbers.
• Judging results on day one. Give it a week of normal traffic before comparing numbers.

Stuck on something specific? See our ClickMagick troubleshooting guide.