No redirect. First-party attribution.

Vanity URL Tracking

Track yourbrand.com/creator without any redirect. Your script detects vanity path landings automatically and attributes the visit to the right campaign.

The gold standard for podcast attribution — clean URLs, no third-party domains, 100% first-party.

How vanity URL tracking works

No redirect servers. No third-party cookies. Just your domain, your tracker, and automatic attribution.

1

Host reads the URL on air

The podcast host says "go to yourbrand.com/tim" in the ad read. You've configured /tim as the vanity path in your Castlytics campaign.

2

Listener types the URL directly

The listener goes to yourbrand.com/tim — maybe right away, maybe hours later. Standard analytics marks this as direct traffic with no referrer.

3

Your tracker script detects the path

When the page loads, the Castlytics script checks the URL path against your campaign vanity paths. It finds /tim matches the campaign for that creator.

4

Attribution event fires automatically

A campaign_landing event is sent to Castlytics — the visitor is linked to the campaign. When they convert, the purchase is attributed to the right show.

Vanity path vs. redirect link

Castlytics supports both. Here's when to use each.

Vanity path (first-party)

yourbrand.com/tim

  • Visitor lands directly on your domain
  • No third-party redirect server
  • Cleaner, more trustworthy URL for audio
  • Works even with strict browser privacy settings
  • Requires tracker script on your site

Best for: podcast ads, YouTube reads, radio-style placements

Redirect link

castlytics.app/r/abc123

  • Auto-generated for every campaign
  • Works without a custom domain
  • Great for show notes and clickable links
  • Custom tracking domain available (links.yourbrand.com)
  • No site setup needed

Best for: show notes, newsletter links, clickable placements

Tip: Use both together. Set up the vanity path for the host's spoken CTA and use the redirect link in clickable show notes. Castlytics deduplicates automatically — the same visitor won't be counted twice.

Setting up vanity URL tracking

Takes about 5 minutes. No developer required for the tracking script step.

1

Add the tracker script

Paste one script tag into your site's <head>. Works on any platform.

<script src="https://castlytics.app/tracker.js" data-key="YOUR_KEY" async></script>
2

Create a campaign with a vanity path

In Castlytics, create a campaign and enter the vanity path (e.g. /tim). The script will automatically watch for that path.

3

Tell your host to say the URL

Give the host your vanity URL — yourbrand.com/tim — as their spoken CTA. Castlytics handles the rest when listeners arrive.

Vanity URL tracking questions

Do I need to create a real page at yourbrand.com/tim?

No. You can redirect /tim to your homepage or any landing page. The Castlytics script detects the original path before any redirect fires and records the attribution event. You just need to configure the path in your campaign.

Does vanity path tracking work with Shopify?

Yes. Add the script to your theme.liquid file, set up a URL redirect in Shopify from /tim to your homepage or product page, and Castlytics will detect the path on landing. Connect the Shopify integration to auto-import orders as conversions without any extra code on your checkout page.

What if two campaigns use overlapping paths?

Castlytics matches paths exactly, not as prefixes, so /tim and /tim-podcast would be two separate campaigns. The script checks for exact matches, so there's no ambiguity.

Can I use vanity URL tracking without a custom domain?

Vanity paths require the tracking script on your own website — it's first-party, so it needs to run on your domain. If you don't have a tracking script installed, use a redirect link (castlytics.app/r/abc123) instead. You can always add a custom tracking domain like links.yourbrand.com for a branded redirect.

Will vanity path tracking still work if the visitor blocks cookies?

Yes. The attribution event fires on page load before any cookie is set. Even if the visitor blocks cookies, the vanity path landing is recorded. Cookie blocking only affects session continuity — if they convert on a different device later, that conversion won't link back to the original visit.

Start tracking vanity URLs today

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