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How do I add the tracking code to my TikTok ads?

Add the TikTok tracking code to the URL parameters of your ads in TikTok Ads Manager, and use the TikTok tab to find running ads that miss it.

The code TikTok needs

Every TikTok ad needs trueroas=__CID__ in its URL parameters. When someone clicks the ad, TikTok replaces __CID__ with the ID of that ad, so TrueROAS can tell which ad brought the visit.

Open Setup in the left menu, click UTM Manager and pick the TikTok tab. The box there says TikTok Ads. Copy our code and add it to your URL parameters in Tiktok Ads Manager.

  • Click the code or the copy icon next to it. You see Copied "trueroas=__CID__".
  • The grey line under the code shows a finished link: www.mywebsite.com/product?youroldutmlinks=123&trueroas=__CID__.
  • View instructional video under the box shows a short video on the page.

If TikTok is not connected yet, the top of the tab shows Connect TikTok Ads, which opens TikTok in a new browser tab. Connecting and picking the ad account are explained in How do I connect or change the ad account behind the Meta, Google and Tiktok tabs?.

Find the ads that miss it

Once TikTok is connected and an ad account is picked, TrueROAS checks your ads every time you open the TikTok tab. Under the ad account list, a line names the ad account and ends in is your active ad account. A spinner shows while the check runs.

  • Only the ads TikTok is delivering right now are checked.
  • An ad counts as tracked when its landing page link contains trueroas=__CID__, or __CID__ after a parameter that some other tracking tools use, such as ad_id=__CID__. The check looks for __CID__ in capital letters, so copy the code rather than typing it.
  • When every ad is tracked, you see All your ads are reporting the TrueROAS tracking URL! Well done! with a green tick.
  • Otherwise you see Below are your active ads that are not using the TrueROAS tracking tag and a list titled Track Tag (UTM) Manager that holds only those ads.

Each row names the campaign, the ad group and the ad, separated by slashes. Next to it is a status, usually Missing __CID__, with the ad's current link and Add trueroas=__CID__ to URL Parameters. Every status is explained in What do the tracking statuses in the UTM Manager mean?.

Add the code in TikTok Ads Manager

  1. On the TikTok tab, click the code or the copy icon.
  2. In TikTok Ads Manager, open each ad from the list and add the code to its URL parameters. The finished link should look like the example on the tab: the code comes after a ? when it is the first parameter, and after & when the link already has parameters.
  3. Save the ad in TikTok.
  4. Back in TrueROAS, run the check again. There is no button for this, so reload the page, or open another tab of the UTM Manager and come back. Ads whose link now carries the code are no longer in the list.

TikTok does not share the link of some ads, so TrueROAS cannot check them. These rows show the status Can't Check UTMs with one of these reasons:

  • Smart+ Campaign - URLs not available via API
  • Smart+ Ad - URLs managed by TikTok
  • URL not available - may be automated campaign or TikTok Instant Page

Add the code to these ads in TikTok Ads Manager yourself. They stay in the list after you do, because TikTok still does not share their link.

When TikTok returns no running ads for the ad account, the list holds a single row, All Campaigns / - / Smart+ Campaign Account, with the text This account appears to use Smart+ campaigns. TikTok's API does not expose ad URLs for Smart+ campaigns - UTM tracking must be configured in TikTok Ads Manager. The row shows whenever TikTok returns no running ads, not only for Smart+ campaigns, so you also see it when none of your TikTok ads are running right now, for example when they are all paused.

Good to know

  • The code lives in your ads in TikTok, so it counts for the whole store. The check uses the TikTok ad account picked for the store you have open.
  • TrueROAS cannot add the code to your TikTok ads for you, and the list has no button that opens an ad in TikTok Ads Manager. Find each ad there by its campaign, ad group and ad name.
  • The check skips paused ads, so look at the URL parameters of a paused ad in TikTok before you turn it on again.
  • If the spinner goes away and you see neither the green message nor a list, see Why is the ad list in the UTM Manager empty or not loading?.
  • What happens to the sales you already have is explained in Why do sales from my ads show as untracked or organic?.