How to Create and Manage Conventions

Conventions are a powerful feature that lets you create standardized rule sets for your URL builder. Using them ensures that tracking parameters, like UTMs, are consistent and accurate across your teams and marketing channels.

This article will guide you through building a complete Convention from scratch using a real-world example, managing your conventions, and enforcing their usage.

Understanding the Goal: An Example

Let's say your team runs email campaigns, and you need your URLs to follow a specific structure. For example:

We will build a Convention that enforces this exact structure in the URL builder.

Step 1: Identify and Create the Fields

First, we need to break down our desired output into individual components, or "fields." The requirements above can be generalized as:

This gives us four distinct fields to create. 

• Interval – A dropdown field with options for weekly and monthly
• Send Date – Date field with format YYYY_MM_DD
• Email Medium – Constant field with a value of email.
• Email Source – A dropdown field with options newsletter and leads

To start, navigate to Tools > Conventions > Fields and click the Create a New Field button for each field below.

A. Create the 'Interval' Field 

This field will let users choose between weekly and monthly.

• Name: Interval
• Type: Option
• Option values: Add weekly and monthly as options.
• Click Save.

B. Create the 'Send Date' Field 

This field will be a date picker.

• Name: Send Date
• Type: Date
• Format: YYYY_MM_DD
• Click Save.

C. Create the 'Email Medium' Field 

This field will always be email, so we will set it as a constant value.

• Name: Email Medium
• Type: Constant
• Value: email
• Click Save.

D. Create the 'Email Source' Field 

This field will allow users to select the specific email audience.

• Name: Email Source
• Type: Option
• Option values: Add newsletter and leads as options.
• Click Save.

After saving the last field, you will have the four necessary building blocks for the convention.

Step 2: Combine Fields into Reusable Formats

Next, we will assemble our fields into "Formats." Formats are reusable patterns that can be used across many different conventions. For example, the campaign format we create here for email could also be used in a new Social Media convention later.

Navigate to Tools > Conventions > Parameter Formats and click the Create a New Format button for each format below.

A. Create the 'Main Campaign Format' 

This will combine the interval and date for our utm_campaign.

1. Name: Main Campaign Format
2. Separator: Choose a separator; – (dash) or any other character (optional)
3. Click Next.

4. Drag the Interval and Send Date fields from the Available Fields on the left to the Configured Fields section on the right. Ensure they are in that order.
5. Click Save.

You can use the Preview section to see how your format will look in the URL builder.

B. Create the 'Email Medium Format' 

This format will only contain our constant email field.

1. Name: Email Medium Format
2. Click Next. (No separator is needed for a single field).

3. Drag the Email Medium field to the Configured Fields section.
4. Click Save.

C. Create the 'Email Source Format' 

This format will contain a dropdown for the email source.

1. Name: Email Source Format
2. Click Next.

3. Drag the Email Source field to the Configured Fields section.
4. Click Save.

All the necessary formats are now ready to be assembled into our final convention.

Step 3: Assemble the Convention

With our fields and formats prepared, we can now build the final rule set.

1. Navigate to Tools > Conventions > Conventions.
2. Click the Create a New Convention button.

3. Fill in the convention information as follows:
   • Name: Email Convention
   • For the Campaign parameter, select Enforce Format and choose Main Campaign Format.
   • For the Medium parameter, select Enforce Format and choose Email Medium Format.
   • For the Source parameter, select Enforce Format and choose Email Source Format.
   • For the Content parameter, leave it at Default to allow free-text input.
   • For the Term parameter, select Disable to hide it when this convention is active.
4. Click Save.

Your Email Convention is now completely configured and can be selected in the UTM URL Builder.

Optional Convention Settings: 

When creating or editing a convention, you have a few other options:

• Default convention: Check this to make this convention load by default in the URL Builder.
• Shared: Check this to make the convention available in other projects.

• Field mode: This is an advanced feature for different builder layouts. You can learn more here.
• Configure Custom Parameters or Info Fields the same as UTM parameters.

Step 4 (Optional): Enforce Convention Usage

If you want to ensure that every URL is created with proper governance, you can force all users to select a convention.

1. Go to Project Settings.
2. Click Show Advanced Settings.

3. Check the box for Force conventions.
4. Click Save.

This will

1. Remove the No Convention option from the selection of the convention
2. Disable any URL builders that don’t support conventions
3. Disable URL import

Forcing conventions is a great way to make sure that everyone on your team follows your UTM strategy more closely.

Managing Your Conventions

Once a convention is created, you can easily manage it from the Conventions list page. 

1. Editing a Convention 

You can modify a convention at any time.

1. Find the convention you wish to modify.
2. Click the Edit (pencil) icon next to it.
3. Make your desired changes and click Save.

2. Deleting a Convention 

If a convention is no longer needed, you can permanently remove it.

1. Find the convention you wish to delete.
2. Click the Delete (bin) icon next to it.

3. A confirmation dialog will appear. Click Delete convention to permanently remove it.

Best Practices

• Start Simple: Begin with a basic convention for your most common channel. You can add more complexity as your team gets comfortable.
• Use Clear Naming: Give your fields, formats, and conventions descriptive names so their purpose is clear to everyone.
• Leverage Reusability: The power of formats is that they can be reused. Your Main Campaign Format could be used in Email, Social, and PPC conventions for consistency.

Document Your Strategy: The tool helps enforce the rules, but your team should understand the "why" behind your UTM strategy. Keep a simple internal document explaining your naming conventions.