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How do I add the TrueROAS tracking code to my Meta ads?

Put trueroas={{ad.id}} in the URL parameters of each Meta ad, and use the list on the Meta tab to find and open the ads that miss it.

The code Meta needs

Meta needs trueroas={{ad.id}} in the URL parameters of every ad. {{ad.id}} is Meta's placeholder for the ID of the ad. Meta fills it in when someone clicks, so TrueROAS can give the sale to that exact ad, its ad set and its campaign.

  1. Open Setup in the left menu and click UTM Manager. The Meta tab opens first.
  2. In the box Meta Ads. Copy our code and add it to your URL parameters., click the code or the copy icon next to it. You see Copied "trueroas={{ad.id}}".
  3. In Meta Ads Manager, open the ad and paste the code into URL parameters. The picture next to the code on the tab shows that field with the code filled in.
  4. Publish the change in Meta.

If the URL parameters of an ad already hold other parameters, keep them and add &trueroas={{ad.id}} at the end, as in the example under the code: www.mywebsite.com/product?youroldutmlinks=123&trueroas={{ad.id}}. Do not start the field with &, because the ad then shows URL Tag Broken in the list.

The tab also says If you have {{ad.id}} in your URL Tags, you're already set up! The check accepts {{ad.id}} in some parameters that other tracking tools use, such as utm_content, and marks those ads Tracking.

If Meta is not connected yet, the tab shows Connect via Facebook where the ad account list would be. Connecting is explained in How do I connect, refresh or disconnect my Facebook account for Meta Ads?, and picking the ad account in How do I connect or change the ad account behind the Meta, Google and Tiktok tabs?.

Find the ads that miss it

Once Meta is connected and an ad account is picked, a list titled Track Tag (UTM) Manager loads at the bottom of the tab.

  • It holds the ads that Meta shows as active, in review or in process. Paused, rejected and deleted ads are not in it, and neither are ads whose campaign or ad set is paused.
  • Each row has a tick box, a small picture of the ad (or No img), the Ad Name and the Status.
  • Rows appear while the rest are still loading. Ten rows show at first, and more appear as you scroll down.
  • With several Meta ad accounts combined, the list holds the ads of every ticked ad account. See Can I combine several Meta ad accounts in one store?.
  • When loading is done, a message appears above the list. A red message that starts with Some of your ads do not have the tracking tag. means at least one ad has no code. All your ads are reporting the TrueROAS tracking tag! Well done! in green means none is missing it.

Every status in the list, such as Missing {{ad.id}} and Tracking, is explained in What do the tracking statuses in the UTM Manager mean?.

Add the code in Meta Ads Manager

The UTM Manager does not edit your Meta ads. You add the code in Meta, and the list takes you straight to the ads that need it.

  1. Wait until the red or green message shows above the list. While the list is still loading, your ticks are cleared each time more ads come in.
  2. Tick each ad that shows Missing {{ad.id}}. You can tick up to 7 ads at a time. Ticking an eighth shows Max. 7 ads at a time, boss.
  3. Click Open In Ads Manager at the top of the list. Meta Ads Manager opens in a new browser tab with the ticked ads selected for editing. The button stays greyed out until at least one ad is ticked. To open a single ad, click the Open in Ads Manager button next to its Missing {{ad.id}} status instead.
  4. In Meta, add the code to URL parameters as described above, and publish the change.
  5. Back in TrueROAS, click Update at the top of the list. The list loads again, and the ads you fixed show Tracking.

To check that the page your ad links to records visits, use Test Reporting next to an ad marked Tracking, as described in What do the tracking statuses in the UTM Manager mean?.

Good to know

  • The UTM Manager cannot add the code to your Meta ads for you. The code is saved in your Meta ads, not in TrueROAS, so it counts for the whole store.
  • The list is read from Meta each time and nothing is saved. Ticks are not remembered: clicking Update or reloading the page starts with nothing ticked.
  • TrueROAS checks about 575 ads per ad account. In a very large ad account, some ads are not in the list.
  • With several Meta ad accounts combined, Open In Ads Manager above the list and Open in Ads Manager in a row both open Meta Ads Manager in your main Meta ad account. Open the ads of your other ad accounts in Meta yourself.
  • On a phone, the list keeps the same columns, and the buttons above it sit under the title.
  • The list cannot be sorted, searched or exported.
  • What happens to the sales you already have is explained in Why do sales from my ads show as untracked or organic?. If the list stays empty or shows an error, see Why is the ad list in the UTM Manager empty or not loading?.