Referral links - tracking bookings that come from a channel

A referral link is a link to your own booking page with a small tag added to the end. When someone clicks it, Renta can tell which channel sent them. It costs nothing to set up and there is nothing to connect.

Where to find it

Settings → Distribution. Every channel card ends with a Referral link box and a Copy button. The page only exists once Renta has switched distribution on, it is for Owners and Managers, and it needs your subscription to be in good standing. See Distribution channels: common questions.

How it works

1. Open Settings → Distribution and find the channel, for example Google Things to Do. That channel is a referral link only, so the link is all it has. 2. Press Copy next to the Referral link box. If your browser blocks copying it says "Couldn't copy - select and copy manually.", so click the box and copy it yourself. 3. Paste that link wherever you list your shop on that channel.

The link points to your booking page, using your own domain if you have one, otherwise your Renta shop address. After it come two tags: `utm_source=` followed by the channel's name, and `utm_medium=referral`. For Google Things to Do that is `utm_source=google_things_to_do&utm_medium=referral`.

Customers who click it still book and pay on your own page, the same as any other visitor. The card says what Renta charges you for that channel. For a referral link it reads "Your normal booking fee, same as a direct booking - the renter checks out on your own storefront". See Renta's fee vs. your subscription plan.

Seeing the results Go to Insights and look at the traffic section. The UTM Campaigns list shows each Source, Medium and Campaign with its Visitors. A visit from your Google Things to Do link appears with that channel as the Source and "referral" as the Medium. Only the first page of a visit carries the tag. The same section's Visitor → booking percentage is an approximate guide to how many visitors went on to book. See How many people are visiting your site.

Renta also remembers where a visitor first came from and saves that with the booking they make, so the source stays attached even if they browse several pages before booking.

Example

You list your shop on Google Things to Do. You copy the referral link from your Distribution page and paste it as the booking link. A month later Insights shows 48 visitors with the Source `google_things_to_do`, so you know that listing is sending people.

Good to know

• It is only tracking. The link does not change your prices or sync your calendar. Calendar-sync channels such as GetMyBoat or Outdoorsy have their own setup on the same page. See Listing your items on Viator or GetYourGuide.
• Other tagged links work too. Anything you tag yourself with `utm_source`, `utm_medium` and `utm_campaign` shows up in the same UTM Campaigns list, for example a link in an email or a social post.