Now that the Preserve and Pass UTM plugin has been completed, we have decided to release it to the public and make it available on the WordPress plugin database. In the following documentation, we will give instructions on the installation and use of this plugin.
Lastly, we tried using the various available plugins claimed to be able to do this. None of these plugins worked. Thus, we, the creators of the DayZim.com website, decided to develop our own solution. The goal was to create a system of preserving and passing UTM parameters that was simple, effective, and required little to no coding on the part of the end-user. This system should ideally work in any WordPress installation despite what theme or plugins are in use.
We tried manually adding the UTM parameters to the final URLs. This was cumbersome and errors were made. We tried coding up a solution in which the site would read the incoming URL, and if it contained UTM parameters, the site would store these in session variables and then redirect to a UTM-less URL where the UTM parameters would be added back in via the session variables. This solution had potential but it felt like reinventing the wheel.
When a web designer or developer creates a new website for a client, often this website will begin life on a development or staging URL. Later, when the new website is ready for launch, the client will want the website migrated from the development URL to the final live URL. Additionally, clients who are internet savvy may have marketing campaigns with custom URLs containing UTM parameters for tracking. Preserving and passing these UTM parameters can be a real challenge. We felt this pain first hand.
