Track App Downloads From Your Website With App Store Campaign Links
Quick answer: Use an App Store campaign link on your website to measure downloads associated with that link. Create it in App Store Connect, give each page group a recognizable campaign name, and record website button clicks separately. Check Apple's reporting thresholds before treating an empty campaign report as a failed acquisition channel.
Your blog reports visits and your download button gets clicks, but you still cannot tell which pages brought people to the app. Start by assigning recognizable campaign links to a small number of website destinations. Keep a record of where each one appears.
This is an iOS measurement setup for a founder with a blog or free tool. The examples use placeholder identifiers and proposed campaign names. They show a setup you can copy for your own app, without implying that the example campaigns have generated downloads.
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Track App Downloads From Your Website With App Store Campaign Links
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How do you create the first App Store campaign link?
In App Store Connect, select your app, open Analytics, then Acquisition and Campaigns. Create a campaign and copy its link. A new app needs analytics data before the campaign controls become available. Keep the generated provider token; it identifies your developer account.
Use a campaign name you can recognize in a report. I would start with a few task groups such as calculator pages, tutorials, and comparisons. Keep a dated mapping from the campaign name to the pages using it. That makes future changes easier to interpret.
https://apps.apple.com/app/id123456789?pt=123456&ct=web_calculator&mt=8- Download the campaign naming worksheet
Example names, placements, and a test log.
Should each article use a different campaign name?
Use separate names when the distinction changes a decision and enough people will reach each group. Very small sites can begin with a few related page groups. You can still record the individual page path in website analytics while comparing broader groups in the store report.
Do not rename a campaign every time you edit a sentence. Preserve a simple change log for a new placement or a materially different next action. Keep test clicks marked in your own notes and inspect longer periods when the sample is small.
| Name | Placement | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| web_calculator | After a calculator result | Does the result lead to app interest? |
| web_tutorial | After a relevant tutorial step | Does the article explain the next action? |
| web_comparison | After a product comparison | Do interested readers continue to the store? |
How do you keep website clicks separate from downloads?
Record the button click with its page path, campaign name, and placement in your existing website analytics. Trigger it when someone selects the store link. Keep a successful tool completion as a separate event so you can distinguish interest in the result from interest in the app.
Compare those counts with the campaign report using named date ranges. A repeated click, an existing app user, and a visitor who decides against downloading can all appear in the website count. Treat differences as something to investigate. Do not label the click event as an install.
| Field | Example | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| event | app_store_link_clicked | The website action that occurred |
| page_path | /tools/example/ | Which page contained the link |
| campaign | web_calculator | Which store campaign link was used |
| placement | result | Where the next action appeared |
Can a Smart App Banner use the same campaign plan?
Apple supports provider and campaign tokens in Safari Smart App Banners. Follow the banner documentation using values from your generated campaign link. If banner placement is a separate experiment, use a distinguishable campaign name and record its start date beside the ordinary website button.
Test both paths on a supported device. Check the app destination and the parameters you configured, and keep the normal store link usable too. Your custom website click handler measures your own button; it does not automatically observe clicks inside the browser's native banner.
Why might the campaign report be empty?
Apple reports campaign first-time downloads for downloads within 24 hours of using the link. Campaign visibility requires at least five individual first-time downloaders, with minimum thresholds on reported metrics. Give reporting time to update and check a longer date range before drawing a conclusion.
Then verify the generated link, the placement, and your website events. A test click confirms only that you can open the destination. On a small site, keep collecting observations and write "unavailable" when you cannot see a download count. Avoid replacing that missing count with button clicks.
Practical checklist
What belongs on the app store campaign setup checklist?
- 01Generate a campaign link in your app's App Store Connect Analytics.
- 02Record the campaign name and the website pages using it.
- 03Put the link beside a relevant article or tool result.
- 04Record your website button clicks as a separate event.
- 05Test the destination and event on a supported phone.
- 06Check reporting dates and minimum thresholds before judging results.
What else do people ask about app store campaign links?
Can I use ordinary UTM parameters instead of App Store campaign links?
Use the link generated by App Store Connect for its campaign report. You can retain your own website acquisition labels separately. Document both in the same worksheet so everyone knows which system each field belongs to. Assuming every tracking parameter is understood by every reporting system makes troubleshooting much harder.
Should I call the website button-click event an app install?
Give it a name describing the action you observed, such as app_store_link_clicked. Someone can open the store without downloading, and someone who already has the app can click the same button. A clear event name keeps that intermediate action useful without turning it into a stronger result than you measured.
How should a small app choose its first campaign groups?
Start with groups you would act on differently, such as free-tool results and tutorial links. Keep the list short enough to maintain and record which pages belong to each group. Add more detail when the sample can support a useful comparison, while preserving page-level detail in your website events.
Does this setup measure Android downloads too?
This guide covers Apple's store reporting. Android needs a separate implementation; Google Play offers Install Referrer for referral information. Keep platform results in separate columns and check the definitions of your analytics or attribution provider before combining them. A shared campaign naming plan can still make the reports easier to review.
Which primary sources support this guide?
These primary sources explain the product behavior and metric definitions used in this guide. Reviewed on September 21, 2026.
- 01Apple: App Store campaign links
Campaign setup, provider and campaign tokens, download attribution, and reporting thresholds.
- 02Apple: promoting apps with Smart App Banners
Safari banner metadata and links between a website and an iOS app.
- 03Google Analytics: events
How events record interactions such as completing a task or clicking a link.
- 04Google Play: Install Referrer
Android's API for retrieving referral information from Google Play.
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