URL Parameter Forwarding

What it does

When parameter forwarding is enabled on a link, any query string parameters you add to your short URL are automatically appended to the destination URL. You create one link and reuse it everywhere — just change the parameters.

When this is useful

Campaign tracking across channels

You're promoting the same landing page on Twitter, LinkedIn, and in an email newsletter. Instead of creating three separate links, create one and append different UTM parameters when you share it:

• nimble.li/promo?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
• nimble.li/promo?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social
• nimble.li/promo?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

Each click reaches your landing page with the right attribution attached.

Ad platform click IDs

Ad platforms like Google Ads and Meta automatically append click identifiers (gclid, fbclid) to URLs. With parameter forwarding, these IDs pass through your short link to your landing page so conversion tracking works as expected.

Affiliate and partner attribution

If you distribute links to partners or affiliates, they can append their own identifiers — like ?ref=partner123 — without you needing to create separate links for each one.

How parameters are handled

Parameter forwarding handles common edge cases automatically:

• Destination already has parameters — New parameters are appended with &, not ?. If your destination is example.com/page?color=blue and someone clicks nimble.li/abc?size=large, they land on example.com/page?color=blue&size=large.
• URL has a fragment — If your destination includes a fragment like #section, parameters are inserted before it: example.com/page#top becomes example.com/page?utm_source=twitter#top.
• No parameters added — If someone clicks your link without any query string, they're sent to the destination as-is.

Enabling it

Parameter forwarding is a per-link setting — it's off by default, so your existing links aren't affected. Open any link's URL settings, check Forward URL Parameters, and you're done. Available on all plans.

Common parameters

Parameter	Used by	Purpose
utm_source	Google Analytics	Where traffic came from (twitter, newsletter)
utm_medium	Google Analytics	The channel (social, email, cpc)
utm_campaign	Google Analytics	The campaign name
utm_content	Google Analytics	Differentiates link variations
utm_term	Google Analytics	Paid search keywords
gclid	Google Ads	Click identifier for conversion tracking
fbclid	Meta / Facebook	Click identifier for conversion tracking
ref	Affiliate platforms	Referral or affiliate identifier

To get started, create any link and enable parameter forwarding in the URL settings.