How to use online reference tags and FareHarbor reporting to increase conversions
Improving your conversion rate starts with understanding how customers move through your website and what inspires them to book. One of the most effective ways to get that clarity is by tracking performance through FareHarbor reporting.
Online reference tags give you even deeper insight. By adding simple tags to the links customers click before booking, you can see which pages, buttons, or marketing channels are driving results. That makes it easier to double down on what’s working and adjust the parts of your site that may need attention.
Once your tags are in place, you can run detailed reports right in your Dashboard to measure booking behavior and refine your website strategy with confidence.
What are online reference tags?
Online reference tags are short pieces of text added to a URL so you can track where a booking originated. When a customer clicks a tagged link and completes a reservation, that tag is recorded in your Dashboard.
In practice, reference tags answer a simple but important question: where did this booking come from? That insight helps you understand customer behavior, measure the impact of your website updates, and evaluate the return on your marketing efforts.
With clear data, you can make smarter decisions about which channels deserve more attention and which ones may need improvement.
Where can I use reference tags?
You can add reference tags to nearly any link that leads customers to your online booking flow. This makes it easy to track how different parts of your website and marketing channels contribute to conversions.
Common places to use tags include:
- Book buttons
- Header navigation links
- Homepage banners
- Footer links
- Website page links
- Social media book buttons
- QR codes
If a link directs someone toward booking, adding a reference tag helps you see how well that link performs.
How to implement reference tags in your Dashboard
Setting up reference tags only takes a few minutes. Follow these steps to add a tag to any book button or link.
- Go to Settings in your Dashboard and open Book buttons & embeds.
- In section 1, choose Book button or link, give the button a label, and add a tag name that will help you identify its purpose. Select where you want the button to open, such as a specific flow, Item, or availability.
- Open the Advanced settings in section 2. In the Online ref field, enter the reference tag text you want to track.
- Sections 3 and 4 will generate the code needed for your website. Add this code to your site’s HTML. If you don’t manage your site’s code, share it with your website provider so they can implement it for you.
For example, you might use ‘homepage_book_button’ or ‘summer_campaign_ad’ to identify how a customer found you. Start with a few high-traffic links rather than tagging everything at once. This keeps your reporting clean and easy to interpret.
Pro tip: Keep tags short and consistent so you can easily compare performance across different buttons and pages.
How to report on reference tags and track your conversions
Once your reference tags are active, reporting on them helps you understand which website elements and marketing channels drive the most bookings. Consistent date ranges and filters help you measure changes over time with accuracy.
You can run this report directly in your Dashboard.
- Go to Reports in your Dashboard.
- Run a Bookings report.
- Choose your date range and select the data you want to report on. Use the same settings each time if you plan to compare performance over multiple reports.
- Under Columns, select Detailed report.
- Search for Ref and add Online booking reference to your report.
- Generate the report.
Your results will show all bookings that used a reference tag as well as those that didn’t. This breakdown helps you see which pages, buttons, or channels are delivering conversions and which ones aren’t performing as expected.
You can use these insights to update your website layout, refine your marketing strategy, or invest more in the channels that bring in the most bookings.
Pro tip: Run this report monthly to stay ahead of shifts in customer behavior and quickly spot high-performing pages or links.
How reference tags support better decision-making
Reference tags give you a clearer picture of how customers move through your website, which helps you make informed decisions backed by real data.
When you know which links drive bookings and which ones customers ignore, you can adjust your website layout, strengthen your messaging, or reposition key book buttons with confidence.
Over time, these insights show patterns in customer behavior. You might spot that a homepage button consistently outperforms a sidebar link or that traffic from a social campaign converts at a higher rate than expected.
With this information, you can invest your time and marketing budget where it has the most impact and improve your conversion rate through targeted, strategic updates.
Why reference tags matter for your conversion strategy
Reference tags are a simple tool that can make a meaningful impact on how you understand and improve your website. By tracking the exact links customers use before booking, you gain clarity on what’s motivating them and where they may be dropping off. That insight helps you refine your booking flow with intention rather than guesswork.
As you continue reviewing this data in your Dashboard, you’ll see clearer opportunities to adjust your layout, strengthen high-performing pathways, and support more consistent conversion growth. Small changes guided by accurate information often create the biggest results.
Want to see how smarter tracking can support your business growth? Request a free demo today to explore these tools in action.
