Pick Your Starting Point
Every guide here explains one tracking job in plain English. They're grouped by what you're trying to do, and each one links to the next useful step.
Tracking Basics
The foundations. Start here if you're new.
- What Is Click Tracking — what it is and why it matters
- How to Track Link Clicks — tracking any link's clicks
- UTM Parameters Guide — tagging links so you know the source
- Conversion Tracking Guide — recording sales and leads
- What Is a Tracking Pixel — how pixels work, and where they fail
- Event Tracking — tracking clicks, forms, videos and scrolls
- Click IDs Explained — GCLID, fbclid and other click IDs
- Tracking Glossary — every term in plain English
Attribution and ROI
Knowing which ads really make money.
- What Is Ad Attribution — attribution in plain English
- Multi-Touch Attribution — sharing credit across the journey
- Cross-Device Tracking — following buyers across devices
- Offline Conversion Tracking — crediting phone and in-person sales
- How to Calculate ROAS — working out return on ad spend
- How to Calculate CPA — working out cost per acquisition
- Customer Lifetime Value Tracking — judging ads by lifetime value
- Incrementality Testing — proving ads cause sales
- Marketing Mix Modeling — MMM vs attribution
Privacy and Data Loss
Why numbers go missing, and the fixes.
- iOS Tracking Changes — how Apple's rules changed tracking
- Facebook Ads Not Tracking Conversions — fixing missing Meta conversions
- First-Party Tracking — first-party vs third-party cookies
- Server-Side Tracking — sending events from a server
- Conversions API Explained — Meta's Conversions API
- Custom Tracking Domain — tracking on your own subdomain
- Cookie Consent Tracking — consent banners and Consent Mode
Ad Platform Setup
Getting each platform's own tracking right.
- Google Ads Conversion Tracking — Google Ads conversion tracking
- Enhanced Conversions — enhanced conversions
- Google Ads Tracking Template — tracking templates and ValueTrack
- Facebook Attribution Settings — Meta attribution windows
- TikTok Events API — TikTok Events API
Affiliate and Link Tracking
For affiliates, list builders and link-heavy marketers.
- How to Track Affiliate Links — affiliate links end to end
- Postback URL Tracking — S2S postbacks explained
- Affiliate Link Cloaking — branded links without breaking rules
- How to Track Solo Ads — independent solo ad tracking
- Email Link Tracking — tracking email clicks to sales
- How to Track Social Media Clicks — tracking bio and post links
Testing and Traffic Quality
Protecting spend and improving results.
- Split Testing Links — finding the page that sells
- What Is a Link Rotator — rotators vs split tests
- Click Fraud Prevention — stopping bots and invalid clicks
Ready for a Tool?
Once the concepts click, see how a dedicated tracker handles them in our ClickMagick review, or compare options in our best click tracking software roundup.
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm a beginner. Which guide should I read first?
Start with what click tracking is, then UTM parameters, then the conversion tracking guide. Those three cover the foundations everything else builds on.
Why are my ad platforms reporting fewer sales than I make?
Privacy changes, blockers and device switching hide many conversions from browser pixels. Our iOS tracking, server-side tracking and Conversions API guides explain the fixes.
Are these guides specific to ClickMagick?
No. Each guide explains the concept for any tool, then shows how ClickMagick handles it where that's relevant.