Link URL dimension: where outbound clicks go
Link URL is the dimension that records the destination of a clicked link. In GA4 it is populated by the click event from enhanced measurement, which fires on outbound links and carries link_url, link_domain, and link_text. It answers 'where did people leave to?', but its automatic scope is limited to links leaving your domain — internal and same-domain clicks need separate handling.
What this means
GA4 enhanced measurement automatically fires a 'click' event when a visitor follows a link that leads to a different domain. The event carries link_url (the full destination), link_domain, link_text, and an outbound flag. The link URL dimension surfaces those destinations in reports.
This is how you learn which external resources, partners, or downloads visitors leave to.
Scope limits to watch
By default only outbound links (different domain) are auto-tracked; clicks to other pages on your own domain are pageviews, not click events, so they do not populate link_url. Subdomains may or may not count as outbound depending on your cross-domain configuration.
To measure same-domain CTA clicks or specific buttons you generally add explicit event tracking rather than relying on enhanced measurement alone.
- Populated by GA4 enhanced-measurement 'click' (outbound)
- Carries link_url, link_domain, link_text
- Same-domain clicks need explicit tracking
How it appears in analytics and logs
A link URL value is the href a visitor clicked. An empty outbound-click report usually means enhanced measurement's outbound clicks are off, or all the links are same-domain and therefore not auto-captured.
Diagnostic use case
Use link URL to see which outbound destinations visitors choose, while knowing enhanced measurement auto-tracks only links that leave your domain.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID can record outbound and CTA clicks as first-party events, so you see chosen destinations without third-party tracking on the linked sites.
Common mistakes
- Expecting same-domain clicks to appear in link_url automatically.
- Forgetting to enable outbound-click enhanced measurement.
- Overlooking cross-domain config that reclassifies subdomain links.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Link URL records a destination address, not a person — unless an outbound link itself contains identifiers in its query string. WebmasterID captures the clicked href first-party without profiling the clicker.
Related pages
- File name dimension: tracking downloads
File name is the dimension that records which document a visitor downloaded. GA4 enhanced measurement fires a file_download event when a link points to a recognised file extension, capturing file_name, file_extension, and link_text. It only watches a fixed list of common extensions (pdf, docx, xlsx, zip, and similar), so downloads with other extensions or behind redirects can go uncounted.
- Page path dimension
The page path dimension is the path portion of a viewed URL — /blog/post — excluding the hostname and, by configuration, the query string. GA4 derives it from the page_location of each page_view. It is hit-scoped, so it counts every view of a page, and the most common pitfall is query strings (utm_*, session IDs) fragmenting one logical page into many distinct paths.
- The click event and outbound clicks
A click event records that a visitor activated a link or element. The most common analytics use is the outbound click — a click on a link leaving your domain — which a normal page_view can never capture because the destination is another site. This page covers what to record on a click, how outbound detection works, and which properties stay privacy-safe.
- CTA tracking
Track outbound and CTA destinations first-party.
Sources and verification notes
- Google Analytics Help — [GA4] Enhanced measurement eventsDocuments the outbound click event and link_url parameter.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.