Install sources

Install sources lives in the Marketing area of the dashboard, under Acquisition.

At a glance#

What it does#

Installs grouped by utm_source — the specific source string your links carried, one level below Channels.

For web apps the equivalent page is Traffic sources, which groups web sessions by classified channel and by source/medium rather than by installs.

When to use it#

When a channel's aggregate number needs breaking down. "Paid social is underperforming" is not actionable; "this one placement inside paid social is underperforming" is, and source is usually the dimension that reveals it.

Also as a link-hygiene check. The set of sources appearing here is the set of source strings your links actually carry, which is often not the set you intended.

Workflow#

1. 1

   Scan for near-duplicate source strings

   facebook, Facebook and fb are three sources. This page is where you discover that, and the only fix is in the links going forward.

2. 2

   Read installs per source against their channel total

   A source carrying most of a channel's volume is the one to optimise; the tail rarely repays attention.

3. 3

   Fix the links, not the report

   Source strings cannot be renamed or merged retroactively. Standardise how links are built — see Links.

Permissions and prerequisites#

Requires attribution, and links that actually carry a source parameter.

Limits and edge cases#

• Untagged traffic has no source. It appears as unattributed, not as organic.

• Source strings are literal. No normalisation, no case folding, no merging.

• Mobile-oriented. Web apps should use Traffic sources, which reads the web attribution lane.

• Attribution coverage bounds everything here.

Troubleshooting#

A source I use is missing. The links are not carrying it, or those installs were not attributed.

Many near-identical sources. Inconsistent link building. Standardise and accept the historical split.

Where the data comes from#

Served by

• Tracking

Related#

• Channels

• Traffic sources

• Campaigns

• Automations

• Journeys

• Landing & exit pages

• Marketing overview