Your First 7 Days with BlackBox

You've installed BlackBox. Now what? This guide walks you through the exact steps to take in your first week to get accurate, actionable attribution data.

Day 1: Installation & Baseline

• •✅ Confirm BlackBox pixel is installed on your Shopify store
• •✅ Verify it's tracking page views (check your dashboard)
• •✅ Review your historical order data import

• •✅ Review your current marketing channels
• •✅ List all places you send traffic from (ads, email, social, etc.)
• •✅ Check your "data health score" on the dashboard

Day 2: UTM Setup - Paid Ads

1. Go to BlackBox UTM Builder

2. Select "Facebook Ads"

3. Generate UTM links for each active campaign

4. Update ad links in Facebook Ads Manager

5. Tip: Use utm_content to differentiate ad creatives

1. Enable auto-tagging in Google Ads

2. Also add manual UTMs for better control

3. Use utm_term for keyword tracking

Day 3: UTM Setup - Email & Other Channels

• •Update email templates with UTM parameters
• •Format: utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_newsletter_jan_15
• •Test by sending yourself an email and clicking

• •Instagram bio link
• •TikTok bio link
• •YouTube descriptions
• •Podcast show notes
• •Affiliate partner links

Day 4: Review Early Data

• •Are UTM-tagged visits showing up correctly?
• •Do you see campaigns appearing with proper names?
• •Any orders attributed to your campaigns yet?

• •UTMs showing as uppercase? Redo them in lowercase.
• •Seeing duplicate campaigns with slightly different names? Fix naming consistency.
• •Still showing 100% Direct? Double-check UTM links are actually being used.

Day 5: Optimization Begins

1. Identify top performers

- Which campaigns have the best conversion rate?

- Which channels drive highest AOV (average order value)?

2. Identify underperformers

- Which campaigns get clicks but no sales?

- Which channels have high CAC (customer acquisition cost)?

3. Make your first optimization

- Pause one underperforming ad

- Increase budget on one top performer by 20%

Day 6: Deep Dive into Customer Journeys

• •Click into each customer journey
• •How many touchpoints before purchase?
• •What was the first touchpoint? Last?
• •How many days from first visit to purchase?

• •Your typical purchase cycle length
• •Which channels are best for discovery vs. closing
• •Whether customers need multiple touches or buy immediately

Day 7: Set Up Weekly Review Process

1. Check overall attribution data quality score

2. Review top 3 performing campaigns

3. Review bottom 3 performing campaigns

4. Check ROAS (return on ad spend) by channel

5. Identify one optimization to test this week

• •What's your average conversion rate by channel?
• •What's your target CAC?
• •What's your goal ROAS?

Week 1 Wins You Should See

By the end of week 1, you should have:

• •70%+ of traffic properly attributed (vs. showing as Direct)
• •Clear view of which campaigns are driving sales
• •Made at least one data-driven optimization
• •Understanding of your customer journey length
• •Weekly review process in place

Common Week 1 Surprises

Common. Most store owners are surprised by the data.

Email often gets under-credited in last-click models.

This is why attribution matters - clicks ≠ conversions.

Average ecommerce purchase cycle: 3-7 days, multiple touchpoints.

Next Steps After Week 1

• •Read: Attribution Models Explained
• •Read: UTM Parameters 101
• •Advanced: Set up custom attribution windows
• •Advanced: Create customer segments by acquisition channel

Need Help?

• •Can't get UTMs working? Contact support
• •Data looks wrong? Check common issues
• •Want to learn more? Browse all guides