How to Set Up Affiliate Tracking with Google Tag Manager

In 2025, a full-fledged tracking environment will become the standard tool for most professionals, with Google Tag Manager playing a key role. It allows affiliates to effectively collect data, manage tags, create events, and optimize performance without the need to involve developers.

For partners working in the casino niche, accurate tracking is critical. It’s not just about clicks — it’s important to record deep interactions such as registrations, deposits, slot play, or live betting. Without understanding which page, ad, or format works best, scaling traffic becomes a game of blind guesswork. That’s why proper affiliate tracking setup through Google Tag Manager allows you to literally “see” the user’s path from click to conversion.

Moreover, modern affiliates are not limited to a single source of data. They combine GTM, Google Analytics 4, affiliate dashboards (such as 1xBet or 1xCasino Partners), as well as additional services for server-side tracking. All this forms a complete analytical ecosystem where every number matters.

In general, GTM is not just a tracking tool, but a full-fledged platform for building event-based analytics. The more accurately the tags are configured, the more effective the affiliate strategy works. Combined with the right content, convenient landing pages, and network-side analytics, this allows you to significantly increase your conversion rate and, accordingly, your commissions.

Google Tag Manager affiliate tracking: how to customize events for real results

Using Google Tag Manager (GTM) in affiliate marketing allows you to automate analytics and improve the quality of monitoring user interactions with affiliate content. But to get the most out of it, it is important to set up event tracking correctly.

First, you need to create a set of variables that GTM will use to read data:

• Click URL — helps track the links that the user clicks on
• Page Path — allows you to understand on which page the action takes place
• Referrer — shows the source of traffic, which is especially important for paid promotion

The next step is to build triggers — conditions under which a specific tag will be activated. These can be simple clicks or complex combinations of conditions.

• Trigger “Click – Just Links” with the condition Click URL contains “affiliate”
• The “Page View” trigger with the condition Page Path contains “thank-you” to track the completion of actions
• The “Custom Event” trigger for integration with external trackers (Postback, Pixel, etc.)

To make reporting clearer, each event should be named according to a separate logic. This will help you create visual reports in Google Analytics 4 or other systems in the future.

• “affiliate_click” — for a basic click on an affiliate link
• “registration_complete” — confirmed registration after transition
• “first_deposit” — financial activity that is especially valued by the affiliate program

Next, you need to create the tag itself. The most common option is GA4 Event Tag, in which the event name and parameters are specified.

• Event Name: “affiliate_click”
• Event Parameters: {“click_url”: {{Click URL}}, “page_path”: {{Page Path}}}
• Link to the appropriate trigger for accurate activation

It is important not to limit yourself to just one tag. All key conversion points must be recorded separately.

• A separate tag for clicks on each group of offers (e.g., casino, sports, slots)
• Tag on the “Thank You” page with registration confirmation
• Tag with transaction_id parameter for accurate commission calculation

After configuration, all tags must be checked via GTM Preview and GA4 DebugView. This will help identify errors and avoid data loss. Remember that even a slight inaccuracy in the event parameter structure can lead to a lack of conversions in reports.

Constantly updating the event structure and adding new tags based on changes in site logic and user behavior allows you to flexibly adapt analytics to current needs. It is thanks to this approach that affiliate marketers get real tools for optimizing campaigns and increasing profits.

Track affiliate links: how to track revenue-generating clicks

Tracking clicks on affiliate links is the foundation of successful affiliate marketing. If you don’t know who clicked your link, when, and where, you lose control over your campaign and cannot optimize your profits. Modern solutions based on Google Tag Manager allow you to easily and accurately record all this data.

First, you need to understand that not every click has the same value. Some may lead to the casino login page, others to a specific slot game. That is why it is important to distinguish between different types of links:

• Buttons labeled “Register” or “Play Now”
• Text links in a blog or news feed
• Banners in the sidebar or during scrolling

For each of these types, you can create a separate trigger and tag in GTM. This allows you to see which elements work best and which bring in up to 80% of all transitions.

The next step is to filter the links. For example, in most affiliate programs, links have specific markers (?ref=, ?aff_id=, clickid=), so you can add conditions:

• Click URL contains “aff”
• Click URL contains “1xBet”
• Click URL matches RegExp “.(casino|slot|bet).”

This allows GTM to automatically recognize clicks that lead to affiliate pages. Important parameters are transmitted in the event:

• click_text — button name or anchor
• click_url — where the user went
• page_title — on which page the click occurred

All of this can be viewed in Google Analytics 4, filtered by category, and used to generate reports. It is especially effective to create a Custom Dimension for analytics by link type.

But that’s not all. It is important to set up conversion goals based on clicks. For example, if an affiliate program pays for a click, then recording the click is already part of the earnings. In this case:

• The click becomes the primary conversion
• You can evaluate cost per click (CPC) even within the CPA model
• Compare traffic sources by number of clicks, not just registrations

Additionally, it is recommended to use UTM tags on all affiliate links – this allows you to detail each source even outside GTM.

Accurate click tracking is the first step towards analytics at the level of events that bring in money. And as the practice of leading 1xBet partners shows, it is this level of detail that allows you to increase your profit by 15–25% in the first weeks of optimization.

Tracking affiliate links is a basic but critically important element in the affiliate analytics system. It is the starting point for building an effective monetization strategy. Without proper tracking, no traffic, even the most expensive, has any real value because you don’t know if it converts. Tracking allows you to understand which platforms, ad formats, or pages are profitable and which are just wasting your resources.

Google Analytics affiliate tracking: how to connect GA4 with partner campaigns

After setting up click tracking in Google Tag Manager, it is important to transfer these events to Google Analytics 4. This allows you not only to see traffic, but also to analyze its quality, engagement, and paths to conversions. Without proper integration with GA4, partners lose up to 30% of analytical data that could help in decision-making.

For the integration to work effectively, you first need to create an event in GTM that records a click on an affiliate link and specify:

• Event Name, for example affiliate_click
• Event Parameters: link_url, link_text, page_path, outbound_status

Next, this event must be sent to GA4 using a tag of the type “Google Analytics: GA4 Event.” It is advisable to add the following attributes to the event parameters:

• traffic_source — traffic channel, for example, “organic,” “ads,” “social”
• destination_domain — to see which site the link leads to
• affiliate_program — which affiliate program this link works with

When events from GTM appear in GA4 reports, you should proceed to setting up goals (Conversions). This can be done in a few clicks:

• Select the affiliate_click event
• Enable it as a Conversion
• Create a report called “Conversions by Page title” or “Conversions by Source/Medium”

This allows you to analyze effectiveness not only in general, but also for each page of the site or type of traffic. For example, you will see that the landing page with bonuses brings 40% of all clicks, and traffic from Facebook is the most engaged.

It is also worth activating the Enhanced Measurement feature in GA4 — it automatically tracks scrolling, video interactions, and exit clicks, even if you have not configured them manually. This is useful for additional validation that all actions are recorded correctly.

Another tool is Explorations in GA4. In it, you can build a funnel: from page view → to click on an affiliate link → to return. These reports allow you to improve the user journey and increase conversion.

And finally, be sure to separate data by affiliate sources so as not to mix it with general traffic. To do this, use Custom Dimensions or User Properties, specifying the name of the affiliate program or campaign type.

The combination of GTM + GA4 is a reliable foundation for long-term growth. And in the competitive gaming niche, every tracked click and conversion is another step towards stable profits and transparent analytics.

Affiliate conversion tracking: how to track what really generates income

For most affiliates, the main goal is not just to generate clicks, but to record specific conversions — registrations, deposits, bets. But without accurate tracking, the partner will not know which page or traffic channel is actually working. According to statistics, up to 40% of newcomers do not set up affiliate conversion tracking at all — and lose valuable data.

First, you need to agree with the affiliate network or operator (for example, 1xCasino or another brand) to get access to the postback URL or API integration. These tools allow you to receive feedback on the user’s actual actions.

After that, a unique Click ID is set up, which is transmitted from the affiliate’s website to the partner:

• A parameter of the type ?click_id={{Click ID}} is added to the URL
• In GTM, it is stored in cookies or localStorage
• After conversion, the partner sends a signal with this ID back

For the integration to work correctly, it is worth using server-side tracking or services such as RedTrack, Voluum, or Binom. They allow you to:

• Track the exact sources of revenue (which traffic the player came from)
• Optimize campaigns in real time
• Generate detailed reports on EPC (earn per click) and ROI

At the same time, you can set up event tracking in Google Ads or Meta Ads to launch optimized ad campaigns based on real data, not just clicks. This gives you access to strategies for automatically increasing bids only for traffic that converts.

It is also important to understand the type of model: CPA, RevShare, or Hybrid. Each of them has its own nuances in tracking:

• The CPA model requires the most accurate recording of the first deposit
• RevShare requires long-term analytics and regular signals from the back-end affiliate program
• Hybrid requires tracking of both types of events

Audience segmentation is equally critical. With tracking, you can separately evaluate the behavior of users from Facebook, Telegram, or SEO. For example:

• Users from organic traffic may have a higher LTV
• Telegram users often convert quickly but rarely return
• Contextual advertising brings expensive but stable traffic

Affiliate conversion tracking is not just a technical feature, but the foundation of effective affiliate marketing. Successful affiliates understand that without clear data on revenue sources, business scaling becomes impossible. Conversion tracking answers key questions: which campaign is profitable, which type of traffic converts better, which pages work more effectively, and which ones need improvement.

This is especially important in the iGaming niche, where the cost of user acquisition is high and the player’s life cycle can significantly change the final picture. This is where the correct configuration of conversions — registrations, deposits, bets — allows you to build a realistic and flexible marketing strategy. Google Tag Manager, combined with Google Analytics 4, becomes a powerful tool that paves the way for deeper audience segmentation and data-driven decision making.

How to track affiliate conversions: a step-by-step strategy for effective analysis

Successful affiliate marketing is impossible without a clear understanding of what exactly leads to conversion. It is conversion tracking that allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of each campaign, optimize costs, and scale the approaches that generate revenue. In 2025, over 82% of experienced affiliates will use tracking systems that include both external services and Google Tag Manager.

The first step is to understand what conversion means in your specific case. It could be:

• a new user registering on the operator’s website
• the first account top-up
• participation in a game or bet
• subscription to a newsletter or app download

The next step is to choose the tool you will use for tracking:

• Google Analytics 4 — a convenient option for websites and landing pages where you control the page code
• Google Tag Manager — allows you to add and edit tags without access to the site code
• Affiliate platform — most affiliate programs such as 1xBet or Melbet already have built-in conversion tracking

For those who want more detailed control, it is important to integrate several sources. For example:

• Connect server-side tracking to avoid data loss when blocking cookies
• Use pixel tracking on buttons or forms to determine the source of the click
• Set goals in Google Analytics that trigger when actions are performed

To avoid data chaos, follow a clear structure:

• All links must have unique UTM tags that allow you to identify the source, type, and channel of traffic
• Events must be standardized — for example, each registration is marked as event: registration_complete
• Reports are generated weekly or daily, depending on traffic volumes

One of the biggest challenges is tracking postback URLs, which allow conversion data to be transferred from the affiliate system back to tracking. This scheme is often used for CPA offers, where it is important to know which ad led to the payment.

Proper tracking setup is not just a technical task. It is a strategy that allows you to understand which advertising solutions work and which do not. And for affiliates in the casino niche, this is especially critical, because the market is dynamic, and conversion depends on the smallest details. That is why Affiliate Guru recommends tracking from the first day of the advertising campaign launch.

Affiliate marketing tags: how to organize effective event tracking through tags

One of the most convenient ways to organize accurate monitoring in affiliate marketing is to use tags. With the right affiliate marketing tags, you can not only understand which traffic channel is bringing results, but also distribute rewards among several sources. In 2025, more than 75% of affiliates working with large programs already use tags as part of their marketing strategy.

A tag is a conditional marker that allows you to structure data about traffic, clicks, events, and conversions. For example, the tag utm_source=telegram&utm_campaign=1xbet_afropari allows you to accurately determine which channel and campaign a player came from.

The most common types of tags used in the affiliate environment are:

• UTM tags — a standard Google Analytics tool for determining traffic sources
• Custom tags — created in affiliate programs (for example, in 1xBet or Parimatch) to analyze the profitability of specific advertising spaces
• Event tags — track specific actions, such as clicking a button or watching a video

In addition to classic utm tags, it is worth paying attention to tags in Google Tag Manager. There you can:

• Create separate tags for tracking affiliate links
• Determine which banner or CTA button generates more clicks
• Analyze scroll depth and time spent on the landing page

For the system to work stably, you should adhere to the tag structure:

• utm_source – traffic channel (e.g., Facebook, email, YouTube)
• utm_medium – placement type (CPC, banner, organic)
• utm_campaign – campaign or partner name (1xbet_promo, casino_bonus)
• utm_content – clarification (e.g., header_banner or footer_link)

Developed affiliate networks also provide dynamic tags that are automatically substituted, such as GEO, user device, or conversion time. These parameters allow you to build the most accurate analytics and increase the effectiveness of all subsequent actions.

Tags are not just additional parameters in a URL, but the key to scaling campaigns. Without well-designed tags, it is impossible to understand which tools really work.

Properly configured affiliate tracking via Google Tag Manager is not just a way to count clicks. It is a strategic tool that allows you to know exactly which sources bring real revenue and which ones only spend your advertising budget. This information allows you to optimize advertising, improve landing pages, conduct A/B testing, change the location of links, or adapt content to the preferences of your target audience.

In a highly competitive world with ever-increasing demands for efficiency, analytics is becoming the main ally of any affiliate. And it is Google Tag Manager that makes this process flexible, accurate, and adaptive. If you want to build a long-term affiliate strategy with steady profit growth, tracking should not just be part of the process — it should be the foundation of your model.

Platforms such as Affiliate Guru emphasize the importance of a competent analytical approach right from the start. Because analytics is the key to stable growth in affiliate marketing, where every bit of traffic, every event, and every decision affects profits.