# Why Your Shopify Tour Does Not Show on Ad Links (and the \* Fix) > If your store tour works on a normal visit but not on ad, email or social links, the Target URL is probably exact. Use the * wildcard so ?utm_ links still match. Source: https://ginner-tech.com/blog/aha-tour-not-showing-utm-links-wildcard/ Published: 2026-11-05 Updated: 2026-11-04 [App blog: AHA - Onboarding Tours](https://ginner-tech.com/blog/?topic=app-blog-aha-onboarding-tours) 5 November 2026 · Luke Tran · 5 min read ![Cover: Tour not showing on utm links? Use the \* wildcard in AHA - Onboarding Tours](https://ginner-tech.com/assets/aha-wildcard-utm-links-cover-1200x630-1_Z2ht5kn.webp) You build a store tour, test it on your homepage, and it works. Then Black Friday ad traffic arrives on links that end in `?utm_source=...` and the tour never shows. The cause is usually one setting: the Target URL. This guide shows how AHA – Onboarding Tours matches URLs, and how the `*` wildcard keeps tagged links working. ## Why the tour disappears on tagged links Ads, emails and social posts often add tracking parameters to your links, such as `?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=bfcm`. The page is the same, but the full address is longer. AHA treats those two kinds of Target URL differently: - **An exact URL**, such as `https://yourstore.com/collections/gifts`, matches only that address without any query parameters. If the visitor arrives with `?utm_...` or `?variant=...` on the end, the tour does not run. - **A URL with `*`**, such as `https://yourstore.com/collections/*`, matches every page with that pattern, including ones that arrive with query parameters. The app’s own help text on the Target URL field says the same thing. So if your tour shows on a direct visit but not from your campaigns, check for a missing `*` first. ## Part 1: How it is configured Before you start, check that the app embed is on. In the app, open **Onboarding** and use **Enable app embed**, then **Save** in the theme editor. It says “App embed is enabled” once it is on. Tours do not show without it. ### Step 1: Open the tour and find Target URL In the app, open **Dashboard** and click the title of the tour. In the **Settings** card, find **Target URL**. The help text under it explains exact URLs and the `*` wildcard. ### Step 2: Add the wildcard Change the URL so it ends in `*` for the group of pages you want. The help text uses this example: - `https://example.com/products/*` – every product page, with or without query parameters. Collections work the same way, for example `https://yourstore.com/collections/*`. Note what this means: the tour will appear on every page that matches the pattern, not only on the one in your campaign. If that is wider than you want, keep the pattern as specific as your store’s page paths allow, and test a page you did not intend (see the checks below). A bare `/collections` page (with nothing after it) is not matched by `https://yourstore.com/collections/*`, so test that page separately if you want the tour there. A trailing `/` is removed when you save, so you do not need to worry about it. ### Step 3: Save once Click **Save** in the page header, then go back to the **Dashboard** and open the tour again to confirm the new Target URL is stored. If this is a brand new tour, save it only once. Each extra save on a new tour can create another copy. ### If you need the element picker The **Look up element** link opens your store using the Target URL. A URL with `*` or one that already contains `?` produces a broken picker address. While you pick elements, temporarily use a real page address with no `?` and no `*`. Put the wildcard back before your final save. Also remember that **View on your store** opens the Target URL literally, so with a `*` it will not open a real page. Open a real page yourself instead. ## Part 2: What shoppers see - A shopper who clicks your ad or email link lands on the page with `?utm_...` on the end, and the tour starts the same way it does for a direct visit. - A shopper who types your address and arrives with no parameters gets the same tour. - Each step points at its element with a small arrow, with Next and Back buttons, and a close icon to leave early. - With the default trigger (**Once per customer** and **Current session**), the tour is shown once per session. If you choose **Define days**, it is shown once per customer after that many days. ## Test it with a tagged link 1. Open a private (incognito) window. Your normal browser may remember that you have already seen the tour. 2. Open a page that should show the tour, with no parameters. The tour should start. 3. Open a new private window and add a test tag to the same page: `?utm_source=test`. The tour should start here too. If it does not, check the Target URL for a missing `*`. 4. Open a page you do not want the tour on. If the tour shows there, make the Target URL more specific. 5. Do the same on your phone, since much ad traffic is mobile. If you set the trigger to **Always show** while you test, change it back before you go live. It is meant for debugging and shows the tour on every load. ## Quick checklist - Exact Target URL = no tour when the link has any `?` parameters. - Target URL with `*` = matches pages with that pattern, with or without parameters. - Test with and without `?utm_source=test`, in a private window. - Check the app embed is on and saved in the theme editor. If you would rather have someone check your tours, URLs and theme for you before the sale, [book Ginner Tech support](https://ginner-tech.com/contact/?service=tech-support) and we will go through it with you. You can also [see what the support plan covers](https://ginner-tech.com/services/tech-support/). Last checked: November 2026 AHA – Onboarding Tours is $6 every 30 days with a 7-day free trial: [AHA – Onboarding Tours on the Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com/interactive-product-tours) **Tags** - AHA Onboarding Tours - Shopify - Store tours Luke Tran Founder and senior full-stack developer Luke has worked with Shopify and WordPress for more than 12 years and runs five apps on the Shopify App Store. [More about us](https://ginner-tech.com/about/) **More posts** [Previous post How to Launch a New Collection with a 4-Step Store Tour](https://ginner-tech.com/blog/launch-a-new-collection-with-a-4-step-store-tour/) [Next post Check Your Shoppable Photos on a Phone Before Black Friday](https://ginner-tech.com/blog/check-shoppable-photos-on-phone-before-bfcm/) ## Keep reading [All insights](https://ginner-tech.com/blog/) - App blog: AHA - Onboarding Tours **[How to Launch a New Collection with a 4-Step Store Tour](https://ginner-tech.com/blog/launch-a-new-collection-with-a-4-step-store-tour/)** A new collection usually gets a banner and an email. A four-step store tour walks shoppers across the collection page and points at what matters. Here is how to build it. 28 October 2026 · 4 min read - App blog: AHA - Onboarding Tours **[How to Answer Common Shopper Questions with a Store Tour](https://ginner-tech.com/blog/answer-common-shopper-questions-with-a-store-tour/)** Some questions come back again and again, like where the size chart is. A short store tour can answer them where shoppers are looking. Here is how to build one. 28 October 2026 · 4 min read - App blog: AHA - Onboarding Tours **[How to Build Your First Store Tour with AHA – Onboarding Tours](https://ginner-tech.com/blog/build-your-first-store-tour-with-aha/)** A store tour is a short guided walk across one page. Here is how to build your first one with AHA – Onboarding Tours, step by step. 28 October 2026 · 5 min read ## Tell us what you are building Tell us about your project in a short message. [Start a project](https://ginner-tech.com/contact/) [Email us](mailto:lucdkny@gmail.com)