Routing guide
A campaign can keep one address while serving pages suited to a country, device or source. Here is how to organize rules, plan the journey when none match and check destinations.
A rule selects a campaign destination based on country, device, browser, operating system, language, referring domain or utm_source received on the public URL. These signals describe context: they do not prove visitor identity and are not fraud protection.
For example, a France + mobile rule can lead to a French page suited to phones. First add that destination to the campaign, then select it in Advanced routing. Do not confuse estimated country with browser language: a visitor in France may use another language, and some information may not be sent.
The engine checks active rules by priority, from the lowest value to the highest, then by creation date when priorities match. The first matching rule selects its destination. Within one criterion, multiple values are alternatives; across criteria, conditions combine. France + mobile therefore requires both signals.
Put a specific case before a broader one. If a France rule comes before France + mobile, it can capture traffic intended for the second rule. Priority does not change percentages: a matching rule targets one URL; weighted or ordered distribution serves the normal journey when routing does not select a usable destination.
If no rule matches, the campaign uses its usual delivery mode among available active destinations. A rule does not have its own fallback URL. If the first matching rule’s target is unusable, the engine also returns to the normal journey without trying the next rule.
Check active destinations and their delivery mode before adding rules. The rescue setting used when no destination responds is a separate campaign setting. A domain’s fallback for its root or an unknown path is separate again. None of these mechanisms reactivates a suspended account, expired trial or exhausted quota.
Too many rules make the campaign hard to explain. A few useful rules with clear names, priority and easy-to-check destinations are better.
Start with a business case the team can explain in one sentence. Add browser, operating system or language only when it actually changes the page to serve. These criteria rely partly on browser-declared information and are not security locks. The plan limits rules per campaign, including paused rules: remove those no longer needed.
For a France + mobile rule, prepare at least three cases. Check the served destination, then pause the rule to recover normal delivery. One visit from your computer does not validate every country: use suitable test contexts and check the final URL, not just the rule label.
For a source rule, test utm_source on the incoming public URL, then without that parameter. UTMs placed only on the destination page cannot trigger that rule. Keep the account and campaign active with quota available during tests so access denial is not confused with destination selection.
| Context | Expected journey |
|---|---|
| France + mobile | Targeted destination, if the rule is active and its target usable. |
| France + desktop | Another matching rule, otherwise usual delivery. |
| Other country or missing signal | Another matching rule, otherwise usual delivery. |
| Unusable target | Usual delivery, not the next rule. |
After launch, compare the period, served destinations, countries, devices and referring domains. The campaign’s routing section also displays rule-associated clicks over 30 days. Referring sources and utm_source are different information: analytics do not offer dedicated breakdowns by UTM field.
If the expected destination receives few clicks, first check criteria, priority, rule status and target status. A missing referring source or different signal may explain normal delivery. Clicks show traffic sent, not final business performance: compare them with business results before changing the whole campaign.
Related guides
For the next step, see read click analytics.
For the next step, see choose a campaign URL shortener.
For the next step, see UTM campaign naming conventions.
For the next step, see URL rotation campaigns.
Rules can use country, device, browser, operating system, language, referring domain and utm_source received on the public URL. Some signals may be missing or modified; they prove neither visitor identity nor the absence of fraud. If no rule matches, the usual delivery mode takes over.
As few as possible. Start with one rule that answers a real need: country, mobile, partner source or language. Too many rules make analytics harder to explain.
