A tracked link does two things a normal link can't. It records which contacts click it, so you can run automations from those clicks. And you can change where it goes at any time. Here's how to set one up and use it.
A normal link always goes to the same place. With a tracked link, you can change the destination URL whenever you like, and every email and page that uses it updates automatically. Say you're running a launch with a deadline. When the offer ends, point the link at a "you missed it" page instead.
Every click is recorded on the contact's record, and you can use it to trigger automations. This works for contacts Ontraport has cookied. The Contact tracking lesson explains how that works. So a page could offer two choices, like a May session and a June session, and each link could start a different follow-up.
Hover over your profile icon in the top navigation and choose Administration. Under Data, click Tracked Links, then New Tracked Link. Give it a name. Contacts never see it, but you'll pick it by name when you build automations, so use clear, consistent names. Enter the Destination URL and click Save.
In Pages, Mail and Forms, highlight the text you want to link and click the hyperlink icon. In the Create a Link box, choose Tracked Link. Then select your link, or click New Tracked Link to make one on the spot. Click Insert Link.
To use a tracked link outside Ontraport, open your Tracked Links collection and use the column editor to add the Tracking URL Code column. Copy the code and paste it where you want the link. It's standard HTML link code, so it works on almost any web page. You can put the same tracked link in as many emails and pages as you like.
In an automation, the Clicks tracked link trigger starts contacts on a map when they click. As a goal, Clicks tracked link moves contacts forward when they click. For example, you can stop following up with a lead once they've clicked through to your offer page. Because one link can live in many places, one trigger or goal covers every place it appears.
Here's one more idea. For a virtual event, make your meeting's join link a tracked link. Then a Clicks tracked link goal shows you exactly who clicked to join.
So, tracked links let you change destinations without touching your emails and pages, and they turn clicks into automation triggers and goals. Next up is the Marketing performance optimization overview, where you'll go deeper into what's working in your marketing.