Google Ads & impact.com Tracking

impact.com supports direct tracking by default for brands using the Universal Tracking Tag (UTT) or Page Load API (PLA). Partners can use direct links, traditional tracking links, or both. Direct tracking supports Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) partners advertising on Google Ads, where traditional redirect-based tracking links aren't supported.

The steps below cover what brands and partners each need to set up.

Brand setup

Learn how to Accept Clicks on Landing Pages.

Prerequisites

• To use direct tracking, integrate with impact.com through UTT tracking or the PageLoad API.
• Shopify plugin integrations are compatible, since they use the Page Load API (PLA) via server-side web pixels.
• This method will not work for you if you rely solely on click ID or promo code attribution without a landing page tag.

Partner setup

Prerequisites

• Confirm with the Brand that they support this type of tracking.

1

Append your partner ID to every landing page URL

Add the irmp parameter with your impact.com Partner ID to the desired landing page:

https://www.brand.com/product-page?irmp=12345678

2

Pass optional parameters

You should also pass through optional parameters like:

• irad (ad ID).
• subId1, subId2, and subId3.
• sharedid.
• Any analytics parameters suggested by the brand.

See the list of Direct Tracking Parameters for more information.

https://www.brand.com/product-page?irmp=111222&subId1=ABC&subId2=DEF&subId3=XYZ&sharedid=123456

What you don't need

• Domain certification isn't required during the setup process, since you're linking directly to the brand's site rather than routing through a third-party redirect.
• The force_deeplink=1 parameter isn't needed either, since it only applies to redirect-based tracking links.
• The u= parameter in tracking links is also unnecessary, as you're bypassing the gateway entirely.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Clicks show zero or a flat line.	Brand has no UTT or PLA installed.	Confirm with the brand that their tag is active and firing on all landing pages.
Parameters appear in Tracking Template but not on the landing page.	Wrong Google Ads field used.	Move parameters from Tracking Template to Final URL Suffix.
Brand reports seeing traffic but no attribution.	Direct Traffic Tracking rule is not configured or the wrong Partner ID was used in the rule.	Verify the rule matches exactly: parameter = irmp, value = your Partner ID.
Attribution works for some brands but not others.	Brand may use www→non-www redirects that strip query parameters.	Ask brand to confirm their site preserves URL parameters across redirects.
Sub IDs not appearing in reports.	SubId parameters not on the landing page URL.	Ensure subId1, subId2, subId3 are in the Final URL Suffix, not just the Tracking Template.
Conversions tracked but attributed to wrong partner.	Multiple partners using same or incorrect irmp value.	Each partner must use their unique impact.com partner ID.

FAQ

Does this work with Shopify stores?

Yes. Shopify plugin integrations use the Page Load API via server-side web pixels, which is fully compatible with irmp parameter detection.

Can I still use my existing redirect tracking links alongside this?

You shouldn't be using both types of tracking in Google Ads, only direct tracking. Use direct links in Google Ads. Use traditional tracking links outside Google Ads.

Does the brand see my partner data / do I see other partners' data?

No. Each Direct Traffic Tracking rule is isolated per partner. Your irmp value only triggers attribution for your account.

What if the brand doesn't have UTT or PLA?

This method requires a landing page tag. If the brand only uses click ID server-side or promo codes, the irmp method won't work. The brand would need to implement UTT or PLA first.

I was told to use css_pid. Should I use that or irmp?

Use irmp. This is the standard impact.com direct tracking parameter and is what the upcoming automated feature will detect. Using irmp now means zero changes when the simplified feature launches.

What are identification rules?

• There are three ways to identify traffic: by Landing Page, by Referring URL, or using both. As a Referring URL is not always available, setting up Landing Page rules is recommended.
• Each identification rule additionally requires a matching rule, so stricter or more lenient combinations can be set (e.g., contains, starts with, does not contain, etc.).

Landing Page	Description
Landing Page URL	Identify traffic based on landing page URL.
Landing Page Domain	If your program has multiple domains and a domain for each partner (known as Unique Domains), then make sure to set rules. See the Rules reference in Set up Direct Traffic Tracking for more information.
Landing Page Query String	Match by the parameter name only, regardless of the parameter value. For example, adding a link with a dynamic value, AID= , so you could match (exactly matches, contains, starts with, etc.) AID parameter name.
Landing Page Parameter	Use when the landing page parameter is a fixed name=value pair. For example, if you want to track when Partners send traffic to brand.com?partner=123, then input partner in the first box, select contains or exactly matches from the drop-down menu, then insert 123 the last box. impact.com also supports multiple values by separating the values with a comma (and regex queries).

For information on how to identify traffic using Referring URL only, or both Landing Page and Referring URL together, see Set up Direct Traffic Tracking.