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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

Inconsistent Naming

Problem: Using 'Facebook', 'facebook', and 'fb' as sources fragments your data in analytics.

Solution: Create a naming convention document and stick to it. Use lowercase always.

Using Spaces

Problem: Spaces become %20 in URLs, making them ugly and error-prone.

Solution: Use underscores (spring_sale) or hyphens (spring-sale) instead of spaces.

Forgetting Required Parameters

Problem: Missing utm_source, utm_medium, or utm_campaign breaks tracking.

Solution: Always include all three required parameters. Use a UTM builder tool to ensure completeness.

Using UTMs on Internal Links

Problem: UTM parameters on internal links override the original source data, breaking attribution.

Solution: Never use UTM parameters for links within your own website.

Not Documenting Campaigns

Problem: Team members create inconsistent UTMs without a reference.

Solution: Maintain a shared spreadsheet or template library for all campaign UTMs.

Best Practices

  • Always use lowercase for all UTM values
  • Use underscores or hyphens instead of spaces
  • Keep values short but descriptive
  • Be consistent with naming conventions across campaigns
  • Document your UTM conventions for team reference
  • Test your tracked links before launching campaigns
  • Use a UTM builder tool to avoid errors
  • Review your analytics regularly to catch tracking issues

Ready to build your UTM links?

Use our free UTM Builder tool to create perfectly formatted tracking URLs.

Try it now →