Tracking affiliate conversions is the backbone of any successful affiliate campaign. If you’re promoting a loan company affiliate program on your WordPress website, understanding exactly where your conversions come from helps you optimize content, increase ROI, and make better decisions.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to use Google Tag Manager (GTM) to set up accurate conversion tracking on your WordPress site, without needing to mess with code manually every time. It’s ideal for affiliates looking to scale their efforts professionally and efficiently.
Why Use Google Tag Manager for Affiliate Tracking?
Google Tag Manager is a free tool that lets you deploy tracking codes (tags) on your website without editing the codebase. Instead of hardcoding affiliate conversion tracking scripts manually, GTM offers:
- Centralized control of all tags
- Easy trigger-based deployment
- Integration with tools like Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, and more
- A safer testing environment with preview/debug mode
Step 1: Set Up Google Tag Manager on Your WordPress Site
Before you can track conversions, you’ll need GTM installed on your WordPress site.
How to Install GTM:
- Create a GTM Account
Visit tagmanager.google.com and sign up with your Google account. Create a new container for your site (choose “Web” as the target platform). - Add the GTM Code to WordPress
You can do this manually or via a plugin:- Manual: Paste the GTM code snippets into your site’s header.php and body.php just as instructed.
- Plugin Option: Use the “Insert Headers and Footers” plugin and paste the code into the respective header and body fields.
- Publish the Container
After installation, publish your GTM container so it goes live on your WordPress site.
Step 2: Define Your Conversion Goals
Before setting up tags and triggers, decide what counts as a “conversion.”
In the context of a loan company affiliate program, conversions might include:
- Clicking on an affiliate loan application button
- Redirects to the lender’s landing page
- Submissions of loan-related inquiry forms
- Clicking on outbound affiliate tracking links
Step 3: Use Click Triggers to Track Affiliate Link Conversions
Once GTM is installed, it’s time to capture user actions—starting with affiliate link clicks.
Enable Built-In Variables:
Go to Variables > Configure and enable:
- Click URL
- Click Text
- Click Classes
- Click ID
These will help you build precise triggers based on user interactions.
Create a Trigger for Affiliate Link Clicks:
- Go to Triggers > New
- Choose Click – Just Links
- Name it something like Affiliate Click Trigger
- Select “Some Link Clicks”
- Set conditions based on your link format, for example:
Click URL contains ?ref= or Click URL contains partnerid=
Add a Tag:
Now that your trigger is ready, you can create a tag to fire when a user clicks an affiliate link.
- Go to Tags > New
- Choose Google Analytics: GA4 Event
- Name the tag: Affiliate Click Conversion
- Set your event name (e.g., affiliate_click)
- Link it to your GA4 configuration tag
- Attach the Affiliate Click Trigger created earlier
Now, every time a visitor clicks an affiliate link (e.g., a loan comparison CTA), the event will be sent to Google Analytics for reporting.
Step 4: Track Form Submissions (Optional But Useful)
If your WordPress loan site collects leads via forms (before redirecting to affiliate lenders), track those submissions too.
Tracking with Contact Form 7 or Elementor Forms:
- Create a new Form Submission Trigger:
- Choose Form Submission
- Set to “Some Forms”
- Use a CSS selector or Form ID to target the specific form
- Create a tag:
- GA4 Event (name it something like loan_form_submit)
- Connect it to the submission trigger
This way, you can differentiate between lead form conversions and outbound affiliate clicks in your reports.
Step 5: Preview, Debug & Publish
Before going live, use GTM’s Preview Mode:
- Click Preview in the top-right of your GTM dashboard
- Enter your website URL
- Interact with your affiliate links or form
- Make sure your tags fire as expected
Once verified:
- Hit Submit and Publish your container
You’re now tracking affiliate conversions without touching your WordPress theme files repeatedly.
Step 6: Monitor in Google Analytics
To see performance in GA4:
- Go to Reports > Engagement > Events
- Find your custom events like affiliate_click or loan_form_submit
- You can even create Conversions by marking these events as important goals
With this setup, you’ll know which blog post, button, or call-to-action is driving the most signups to your loan company affiliate program.
Bonus Tip: Use UTMs with Affiliate Links
Even if the affiliate network doesn’t allow pixel-based tracking, you can still gather insights with UTM parameters.
https://loanbrand.com/?partnerid=123&utm_source=wordpress&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=loan_review_article
Use UTM data in GA4 to segment campaigns and see which content performs best.
Key Takeaways
- Install Google Tag Manager on your WordPress site using either manual code or a plugin.
- Use click triggers to fire events when users interact with your affiliate loan links.
- Integrate with GA4 for real-time reporting of affiliate performance.
- Add UTM tracking to affiliate URLs for deeper analytics—even if postback or pixel isn’t supported.
If you’re promoting offers via a loan company affiliate program, GTM is a smart way to monitor exactly what’s driving results—without relying solely on the affiliate network’s dashboard.
Want to explore a trusted network with high-converting offers? Check out Loan Company Affiliate Program and start optimizing your traffic like a pro.