UTM parameters are small tags added to the end of a URL that tell your analytics tool where a visitor came from. Without them, a lot of your traffic gets lumped into “direct” or “referral” and you can’t tell which campaign worked.
The five UTM parameters
utm_source— where the traffic comes from (google, newsletter, facebook).utm_medium— the type of channel (cpc, email, social, referral).utm_campaign— the specific campaign (spring_sale, webinar_june).utm_term— optional; often the paid keyword.utm_content— optional; to tell apart two links in the same email or ad.
Naming rules that keep reports clean
- Always lowercase. “Facebook” and “facebook” show up as different sources.
- Use underscores, not spaces.
- Write your conventions down in a shared sheet so everyone tags the same way.
Our UTM Link Builder applies these rules automatically.
Where to use UTM links
Email newsletters, social posts and bios, paid social ads, partner and guest post links, QR codes on print material, and podcast show notes.
Where not to use them
Don’t add UTM tags to internal links on your own website. They overwrite the original source of the visit and corrupt your data.
Reading the results
In Google Analytics 4, look under Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition and switch the dimension to session source / medium or session campaign. Then compare conversions and revenue by campaign — and calculate the return with the Marketing ROI Calculator.
