Capture UTM data in Gravity Forms submissions

Problem

You run ads or other marketing campaigns and you need to better understand how your site visitors interact with your site and and which point they convert, but Gravity Forms does not provide any type of tracking data or reports.

Solution

There may not be a built-in solution for tracking data but you can capture the UTM data used in your campaigns in the form submissions.

If you need more info on UTM parameters and how to use them, I recommend reading this article from Neil Patel, How to Use UTM Parameters to Track Everything

There are probably more than three ways to do this, but I will share the three options we’re more familiar with.

1. Built-In Method
2. Attributer Plugin
3. AFL UTM Tracker Plugin

Option One: Hidden Fields and Dynamic Population

This solution will enable you to capture the UTM data used in your campaign URLs and record it in the entry. From there you would need to extract the data manually, or you might be able to use an add-on like GF Chart or GravityCharts to create reports based on the data.

How to set this up:

1. Add 5 Hidden fields to your form

You can use the Hidden field type or a single line text field and switch the visibility to hidden. I typically use the Hidden field type.

There are five UTM URL parameters, only the first three are required, but you might as well add a field for each parameter.

In case you’re not aware, this is a view of the form builder with compact view enabled.

2. Name each field the same as the URL parameter:
   • Source
   • Medium
   • Campaign (Name)
   • Term
   • Content

2. Do the following for each field:
   • Go to the field Advanced settings
   • Check the box to Allow field to be populated dynamically
   • Add the URL parameter, i.e. utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content
   • Save the form

Once that is done, you will start capturing the UTM data in your entries like this:

Option Two: Attributer Plugin

If want to know exactly where your leads are coming from, that’s where Attributer stands out as more than just a UTM tracker. It’s a full-stack attribution tool designed to capture all traffic sources, not just the ones with UTMs, and pass that data into Gravity Forms so you can connect it to your CRM and reporting tools.

How Attributer Works with Gravity Forms

Attributer automatically collects and organizes key attribution data when a visitor lands on your site. This includes:

• UTM parameters from your campaigns.
• Organic traffic details from Google, Bing, etc.
• Referral source from other websites.
• Direct traffic information.
• Landing page and landing page group details.

When the visitor fills out your Gravity Form, Attributer sends this clean, structured data into hidden fields so it’s saved with the submission and can be pushed into your CRM.

Why Attributer Is a Better Fit for Most Businesses

1. Captures All Channels – Instead of only logging UTM-tagged visits, Attributer tells you about every lead source, including those without UTMs.
2. Clean, Standardized Data – No messy duplicates like facebook vs Facebook vs fb. All traffic is normalized into clear categories like “Paid Social,” making reporting much easier.
3. Landing Page Insights – Attributer records the exact landing page URL and the page group, letting you see whether your blog, resources, or tools are generating leads.
4. High Reliability – Attributer runs over 1,500 tests weekly across browsers and devices to ensure the data it passes into Gravity Forms is accurate.
5. Better Support – Email, phone, and even live video call support are available, so you’re never stuck.

Example: Seeing the Full Picture

Imagine you’re running Facebook Ads and Google Ads, but also publishing blog content and ranking well organically. With Attributer in Gravity Forms, you can create reports in your CRM showing:

• Leads from Facebook Ads
• Leads from Google Ads
• Leads from Organic Search
• Leads from Referral traffic
• Leads from your blog vs. other site sections

That’s a 360-degree view of your marketing — and it’s simply not possible with tools that only log raw UTM parameters.

Who Should Use Attributer

Attributer is ideal for businesses that:

• Want to track all lead sources, not just paid campaigns.
• Need clean, consistent attribution data for reporting.
• Care about the performance of both paid and non-paid channels.
• Want landing page insights tied directly to form submissions.

Learn more about Attibuter here

Option 3: AFL UTM Tracker Plugin

A straightforward way to capture parameters in your Gravity Forms submissions, AFL UTM Tracker is a focused, cost-effective solution.

It’s designed to pull raw UTM parameters from the URL when a visitor lands on your site and pass them into hidden fields in Gravity Forms. From there, you can store the data in the form entry, send it to your CRM, and use it in reports.

How AFL UTM Tracker Works with Gravity Forms

AFL UTM Tracker captures the following UTM parameters:

• utm_source
• utm_medium
• utm_campaign
• utm_term
• utm_content

When someone fills out your Gravity Form, these values are submitted alongside their contact details. This allows you to tie each lead to the campaign, ad set, or creative that drove them.

Key Benefits of AFL UTM Tracker

1. Focused on Paid Campaign Tracking – If your marketing strategy relies heavily on paid ads, AFL UTM Tracker ensures those UTM parameters are captured without extra complexity.
2. Direct Mapping to CRM – The raw parameters are sent as-is, meaning the exact values you set in your campaigns are what appear in your CRM.
3. Cost-Effective – If you only need UTM tracking for paid ads and don’t require organic, referral, or direct traffic attribution, AFL UTM Tracker is a budget-friendly choice.
4. Simple Setup – No complex configurations or categorization rules; it’s straightforward and quick to implement.

Limitations to Consider

While AFL UTM Tracker is great for basic UTM capture, it does NOT:

• Capture traffic sources without UTMs (Organic Search, Organic Social, Referral, Direct, etc.).
• Normalize inconsistent UTM naming (e.g., Facebook vs facebook).
• Record landing page or landing page group information.

If a significant portion of your leads come from non-paid channels, you may find the data incomplete compared to a full attribution tool.

Who Should Use AFL UTM Tracker

AFL UTM Tracker is a strong choice for businesses that:

• Run primarily paid ad campaigns.
• Are confident all campaign traffic has proper UTM tagging.
• Don’t require deeper attribution beyond raw UTM capture.
• Want a simple, cost-effective way to integrate UTM tracking into Gravity Forms.

Learn more about AFL UTM Tracker here!

Need More Help?

If you have an active Gravity Forms license, you can also open a support ticket here.

As always you’re welcome to use the comments or chat options below and we’ll be happy to help.