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How to track which posts and sites bring rental inquiries, with UTM links

DoorKeeping team

3 min read

Add UTM tags to the link you share in each place: the same listing address followed by ?utm_source=facebook, for example. When someone opens that link, an analytics tool can record which post sent them, so after a few weeks you know which places are worth your time and which to drop. You need one link per place, a naming rule and a way to read the results.

What a UTM tag is

A UTM tag is a short label added to the end of a web address. Google's own URL builder uses these campaign parameters: utm_source (where the click came from), utm_medium (the type of channel) and utm_campaign (the name of the effort), plus optional term and content fields (see Google's Campaign URL Builder). The page that loads is the same. The tag only travels along so an analytics tool can read it.

Example the plain link is https://example.com/l/maple-2b. The tagged version for a Facebook group is https://example.com/l/maple-2b?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=group&utm_campaign=maple-2b-nov. The renter sees the same listing.

When it is worth doing

If you post a vacancy in one place, tags add little. If you share it in five (a local group, a neighborhood app, a flyer QR code, an email list, a text to a waitlist), tags tell you which of the five deserve the next hour. Tags only count clicks on the link, so they work best where renters tap a link, not where they call a number on a sign.

How to set it up in 15 minutes

  1. Write down where you will share: for example facebook-group, nextdoor, email, flyer-qr, text-waitlist.
  2. Pick a naming rule and keep to it: all lowercase, dashes instead of spaces, one word per source. "Facebook" and "facebook" count as two sources in most tools.
  3. Build one tagged link per place by adding ?utm_source=NAME&utm_medium=TYPE&utm_campaign=UNIT-MONTH to your listing address.
  4. Use each link only in its own place. Never reuse one link in two places.
  5. Check the results weekly in your analytics tool, or in the traffic report of your website if it has one.

If the page you link to is hosted by a listing site, you cannot add your own analytics there. Tags help for pages you control, such as your own listing page.

How to read the results without fooling yourself

A click is not an application. For each source, count clicks, then count how many of those turned into a showing request or an application. A source with few clicks and two applications beats one with many clicks and none. With a single vacancy the numbers are small, so use them to rule out sources that bring nothing, not to chase a decimal.

Example a made-up owner shares a listing in 4 places over two weeks. Clicks: Facebook group 41, email list 12, flyer QR code 9, neighborhood app 6. Showing requests: Facebook 2, email 3, flyer 1, app 0. The email list brought the highest share of requests from the fewest clicks, so the owner sends the next vacancy there first.

Keep it honest and private

Tags describe where a click came from, not who the person is. Never put a name, email address or anything about the visitor in a tag, because the tag shows in the address bar and can be shared on. Do not use tags to treat people differently under fair housing rules. They are for choosing where to post, not whom to answer. See fair housing in rental ads.

How DoorKeeping handles it

Each published DoorKeeping listing has a short public address of its own, doorkeeping.com/l/ followed by a readable name that never changes, so one link stays good for the life of the listing. The page loads without script, so it is quick on a phone. DoorKeeping does not read tags for you today. Add them to the address when you share it and read them in your own analytics. Each showing request on the page reaches you by email, so you can ask a renter where they found it. See the connect page for the listing tools in Claude or ChatGPT.

Sources

  1. Google: Campaign URL Builder (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign), read Oct 30, 2026
  2. DoorKeeping: Connect Claude or ChatGPT (steps and tools list), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

What is a UTM link?
A normal web address with labels added at the end, such as utm_source=facebook, that let an analytics tool record where a click came from.
Do I need Google Analytics to use UTM links?
You need some tool that reads them. The tags do nothing on their own. If you have no analytics, ask renters where they found the listing instead.
Can I use UTM tags on a listing site page?
Only if you can read that site's reports. You cannot add your own analytics to a page you do not control.
How many sources should I track?
Three to five. Too many tags make small numbers meaningless.

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