How to build a UTM link
- Paste the page address into Website URL. Its own parameters stay; any UTM tags already on it fill the fields.
- Fill in Campaign source, medium and name, or press a Quick fill button such as Google Ads or Email newsletter and add the campaign name.
- Press Copy URL and use the tagged link in your ad, email or post. Open link checks it lands on the right page.
What each UTM parameter means
| Parameter | What to put in it | Examples |
|---|---|---|
utm_source |
Where the visit comes from: the site, app, newsletter or partner | google, newsletter, facebook |
utm_medium |
The type of traffic | cpc, email, social, banner, affiliate |
utm_campaign |
The campaign or promotion | spring_sale, product_launch |
utm_term |
The paid search keyword | running shoes |
utm_content |
Which ad, link or button in the same campaign | header_banner, text_link |
utm_id |
A campaign ID from your ad platform, used when importing cost data | abc.123 |
The medium matters most for reports. Google Analytics files visits into its default channels by looking at source and medium, so stick to the usual words: email for email, cpc or ppc for paid search, social for unpaid social posts and paid_social for social ads. Made-up mediums often end up in the Unassigned channel.
A naming system that stays tidy
Most messy campaign reports come from the same value being written three ways. A few rules help:
- Lowercase everything. The lowercase option does this for you.
- One separator for spaces. Underscores (
spring_sale) or dashes (spring-sale); pick one and keep it. - Write your values down. A shared list of the sources and mediums your team uses stops
fb,facebookandFacebook.comfrom appearing side by side. - Use content to compare. Two buttons in the same email with
utm_content=top_buttonandutm_content=footer_linkshow which one people click.
Where people use tagged links
Email newsletters, social media posts and bios, ads on platforms other than Google Ads, links from partner or affiliate sites, and printed QR codes. For a printed code, tag the link here, then turn it into a code with the QR code generator so scans show up as their own source. To check what a tagged link contains, paste it into the URL parser.