What Are UTM Parameters and How to Use Them Without Mistakes
UTM parameters are essential for tracking the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. This guide covers everything you need to know to implement UTM tracking correctly and avoid common pitfalls.
What Are UTM Parameters?
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags you add to the end of URLs to track where your website traffic comes from. When someone clicks a link with UTM parameters, those tags are sent to your analytics platform, allowing you to see which campaigns, sources, and mediums drive traffic and conversions.
Originally created by Urchin (acquired by Google in 2005), UTM parameters became the standard for campaign tracking in Google Analytics and are now supported by virtually all analytics platforms.
The Five UTM Parameters
utm_source (Required)
Identifies where the traffic originates. This could be a website, platform, or publication.
Examples: google, facebook, newsletter, twitter, linkedin
utm_medium (Required)
Identifies the marketing channel or mechanism.
Examples: cpc, email, social, organic, referral, banner
utm_campaign (Required)
Names the specific campaign, promotion, or initiative.
Examples: spring_sale, product_launch, black_friday_2024
utm_content (Optional)
Differentiates between similar content or links within the same campaign.
Examples: header_link, sidebar_banner, button_cta
utm_term (Optional)
Identifies paid search keywords. Mostly used for paid search campaigns.
Examples: running_shoes, best_coffee_maker
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Best Practices
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Ready to build your UTM links?
Use our free UTM Builder tool to create perfectly formatted tracking URLs.
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