How to Remove a Parameter From Destination URLs?
When copying links from advertisements, social media, or email newsletters to use in your campaigns, they often arrive with existing tracking parameters attached (such as fbclid or gclid).
These "legacy" parameters can clutter your links and conflict with the new UTMs you are trying to build. This guide explains how to use the Removed Parameters setting to automatically strip these query strings from your Base URL, ensuring your tracking data remains clean and accurate.
1. How to Configure Removed Parameters
Follow these steps to define which parameters the system should ignore:
- Click on Settings in the main navigation bar.
- Select Removed parameters from the left-hand menu.
- Locate the text box labeled Select/type parameters.
- Type the name of the parameter you wish to exclude (refer to the glossary below for common examples).
- Select the parameter from the dropdown list or press Enter to add it.
Note: You can add multiple parameters to this list. Once added, the system will permanently strip these specific tags from any URL you paste into the builder in the future.
2. Common Parameters Glossary
The following are common third-party tracking parameters you may encounter. Adding these to your Removed parameters list helps keep your destination URLs clean.
| Parameter | Full Name | Description |
| fbclid | Facebook Click Identifier | Added to outgoing links shared on Facebook to track user clicks. |
| gclid | Google Click Identifier | Used by Google Ads to track ad clicks and conversions. |
| mkt_tok | Marketo Token | Used by Marketo emails to track click-through rates and verify links. |
| alild | Marketo Cache Bypass | Often associated with Marketo functionality to ensure fresh content is loaded. |
| mktNetwork | Marketo Network | Identifies the specific network context within Marketo environments. |
| icid | Internal Campaign ID | Commonly used by Adobe and other platforms to track internal cross-promotions on a site. |
| cq_ck | Adobe Cache Bypass | A timestamp parameter used by Adobe Experience Manager to bypass cached versions of a page. |
3. How It Works: An Example
Here is a look at how the system processes a link once you have added fbclid to your removal list.
- You Paste: https://www.yourwebsite.com/?fbclid=123456
- The System Cleans: The builder detects the unwanted parameter and strips it, setting the Base URL to https://www.yourwebsite.com/.
- The Final Result: Your new UTMs are appended to the clean URL, resulting in: https://www.yourwebsite.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc...
Best Practices
- Review before removing: Only remove parameters that are used strictly for tracking (like those listed above). Do not remove functional parameters (like ?product_id=50) that direct the user to specific content on your site.
- Keep it updated: Ad platforms occasionally change their parameter names. If you notice a new tag appearing in your analytics, add it to this list.
Need further assistance?
If you are unsure if a specific parameter is safe to remove, please consult your marketing operations team or contact support.