# Tracking template

> A field in Google Ads (and similar ad platforms) where you define the URL — UTM parameters plus ValueTrack macros — appended to every ad click's landing page, so AnyTrack receives full campaign context.

A tracking template is a field in Google Ads — and similar ad platforms — where you define the URL appended to every ad click's landing page. It combines [UTM parameters](/glossary/utm-parameter) with the platform's dynamic macros (Google's ValueTrack macros like `{campaignid}` and `{keyword}`), which the platform fills in at click time. It is the mechanism that gets campaign context onto the URL so AnyTrack can attribute the [conversion](/glossary/conversion) that follows.

## Tracking template vs UTM Parameter vs AutoTag

- [UTM Parameter](/glossary/utm-parameter) — the individual tags (`utm_source`, `utm_id`, …); the tracking template is the field that assembles and writes them.
- [Ad-Platform Auto-Tagging](/glossary/ad-platform-auto-tagging) — the platform appending its *own* click ID (`gclid`); your tracking template appends *your* UTMs. They run together.
- [AutoTag](/glossary/autotag) — AnyTrack's client-side feature that tags *outbound* links on your site; a tracking template tags the *inbound* ad-click URL at the ad platform. Different ends of the journey.

## How AnyTrack uses the tracking template

AnyTrack publishes a recommended Google Ads tracking template you paste at the account level so it applies to every campaign automatically. When a visitor arrives, AnyTrack reads the UTM values the template produced and stores them alongside the [Click ID](/glossary/click-id) (`atclid`); on conversion it joins them for the [Campaign Report](/docs/campaign-report) and forwards them as [event attributes](/glossary/event-attributes) to your ad platforms. Always use `{campaignid}` (a stable numeric ID), not hardcoded campaign names, and test the template in Google Ads before going live.