In this guide
- The Insight Tag records visits and page-based conversions. The Conversions API sends conversions from your server or CRM.
- LinkedIn adds a click ID to ad links. Keep it (
li_fat_id) so later stages can be matched. - For B2B, send lead stages such as qualified or won, not only the form fill.
LinkedIn is the platform where a single lead is worth the most and the sales cycle is the longest, so the gap between a form fill and a closed deal matters more than anywhere else. LinkedIn's own tracking is browser-based first. This page explains the pieces and how to send conversions from a server, including CRM stages. For the general idea, see how to send offline conversions.
The pieces
| Piece | What it does |
|---|---|
| Insight Tag | A script that records page views and URL-based conversions, and enables audiences and demographics |
| Conversion rules | Definitions in Campaign Manager of what counts as a conversion, with a window and a value |
| Click ID | A parameter LinkedIn adds to ad links; keep it for later matching |
| Conversions API | A way to send conversion events from a server or CRM, matched by click ID or hashed e-mail |
Runs on your domain, anywhere
Your tracking runs on your own domain, so a visit from any country is handled the same way.
Set up the Insight Tag and rules
Install the Insight Tag
Through Tag Manager or the page template.
Create conversion rules
In Campaign Manager, Analyze, Conversion tracking. Choose URL-based or event-specific rules.
Set windows and values
Choose click and view windows that match your sales cycle, and a value if you can estimate one.
Verify
Use LinkedIn's tag helper or the status in Campaign Manager.
Send conversions from the server
The Conversions API takes an event with a conversion rule ID, a time, a user identifier (the click ID or hashed e-mail) and, optionally, a value. In a server container you can use a community tag template for LinkedIn, or call the API from your CRM through a webhook to your tagging server. Check LinkedIn's current developer documentation for access requirements, which have changed over time.
For B2B the valuable events are later: marketing-qualified lead, sales-qualified lead, opportunity, closed won. Send each as its own conversion with the click ID or hashed work e-mail stored at the form. Open Tracked's CRM pipeline holds these stages and sends them back as offline conversions to Meta and Google Ads; for LinkedIn, send them through a webhook to your tagging server and a LinkedIn tag or direct API call.
Check your tracking in one pass
This is an example. Run the check on your own site to see where yours stands.
Capture the click ID
LinkedIn can append a click ID to the landing page URL. Store it in a first-party cookie on arrival and write it to the lead record with the form. Open Tracked's Cookie Keeper (every plan) keeps cookies alive on your server for returning visitors. Without the stored ID you fall back to hashed e-mail matching.
Common problems
A B2B example
A software company runs LinkedIn ads for a demo request form. Last quarter the ads produced 300 demo requests, and the platform shows a cost per lead that looks acceptable. The sales team knows that only 30 became opportunities and 8 closed. If LinkedIn only sees the form fill, it optimises for people who fill in forms, which includes many students and competitors. If the company sends "qualified" and "closed won" back with the click ID or the hashed work e-mail, LinkedIn can learn what a good lead looks like, and the company can judge campaigns by cost per opportunity instead of cost per form.
This is the single most valuable change for most B2B accounts, and it is not complicated. It needs the click ID stored at the form, a CRM that records the stage and a small piece of plumbing that sends each change. The first version can be a daily upload; the better version is an event sent as the stage changes.
Terms you will see
- Insight Tag
- LinkedIn's browser script.
- Conversion rule
- A definition in Campaign Manager of what counts as a conversion.
- li_fat_id
- The first-party click ID LinkedIn uses for matching.
- MQL and SQL
- Marketing-qualified and sales-qualified leads.
- Lead gen form
- A LinkedIn form that collects leads inside the platform.
Watch events arrive, live
A sample feed. In Open Tracked you see the same stream for your own store.
Frequently asked questions
What is the LinkedIn Insight Tag?
A script that records visits and conversions for LinkedIn Campaign Manager and enables audiences and reporting.
What is the LinkedIn Conversions API?
A way to send conversion events from your server or CRM to LinkedIn.
Which conversions should B2B send?
The form fill plus later stages such as qualified lead and closed won.
Do I need the click ID?
It improves matching. Hashed e-mail is the fallback.
Can Open Tracked send LinkedIn events?
Open Tracked hosts the server container where a LinkedIn tag can run, and its CRM stages can reach your tagging server by webhook.
Do I need spreadsheets to read my results?
No. Once tracking is live, the Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit, and you can ask Ari, the built-in AI assistant, questions about your own numbers in plain words. Ari's allowance depends on your analytics plan.
Is Open Tracked different from Open Track or Open Space Track?
No. Open Tracked is the official name of our server-side tracking platform, and the website is opentracked.io. Many people search for it as Open Track, OpenTrack or Open Space Track. All of them lead to the same product: server-side Google Tag Manager hosting, first-party analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Fix your tracking at the source
Open Tracked hosts your server-side Tag Manager, keeps first-party cookies alive and shows what each ad is really worth.
The Open Tracked team
We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?
Comments
Loading comments...
Integrations · 6 min read
