UTM Parameters Setup Guide: Track Your Marketing Campaigns Effectively

You're running campaigns across email, social media, and paid ads. But when you look at your analytics, half your traffic shows up as "direct" or "referral" with no detail about which campaign drove it. This is the problem UTM parameters solve—when implemented correctly.

What Are UTM Parameters?

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags you add to URLs to track where your traffic comes from. When someone clicks a link with UTM parameters, that information is captured by your analytics platform.

A URL with UTM parameters looks like this:

https://example.com/page?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer_sale

The Five UTM Parameters

utm_source (Required)

Identifies where the traffic comes from.

Examples: google, facebook, newsletter, linkedin, twitter

Best practice: Use lowercase, consistent naming. "Facebook" and "facebook" will show as separate sources.

utm_medium (Required)

Identifies the marketing medium or channel type.

Examples: cpc, email, social, organic, referral, banner

Best practice: Stick to standard medium names. Google Analytics recognizes certain mediums automatically.

utm_campaign (Required)

Identifies the specific campaign or promotion.

Examples: summer_sale, product_launch, weekly_newsletter_12

Best practice: Use descriptive names that tell you what campaign this is months later.

utm_content (Optional)

Differentiates similar content or links within the same campaign.

Examples: header_cta, footer_link, blue_button, image_ad

Best practice: Use this for A/B testing or when you have multiple links in one email or ad.

utm_term (Optional)

Identifies paid search keywords. Less commonly used now that Google Ads has auto-tagging.

Examples: marketing_software, email_automation

Creating a UTM Naming Convention

Consistency is everything with UTM parameters. One person using "Facebook" while another uses "fb" creates fragmented data.

Rules for Your Naming Convention

1. Use lowercase only - Most analytics platforms are case-sensitive
2. Use underscores instead of spaces - Spaces break URLs
3. Be specific but concise - "spring_promo_2024" not "spring"
4. Document everything - Create a shared reference guide
5. Never use special characters - Stick to letters, numbers, and underscores

Example Naming Convention

Sources: google, facebook, linkedin, newsletter, partner_name

Mediums: cpc, cpm, email, social, affiliate, display

Campaigns: [product][offer][date] like crm_trial_offer_2024q1

Practical Examples

Email Newsletter Link

https://yoursite.com/sale?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_sale_2024&utm_content=main_cta

Facebook Paid Ad

https://yoursite.com/product?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=product_launch_july&utm_content=carousel_ad

LinkedIn Organic Post

https://yoursite.com/blog?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=thought_leadership

Common UTM Mistakes

Inconsistent Capitalization

"Facebook", "facebook", and "FACEBOOK" all appear as different sources. Pick one convention and stick to it.

Too Many Variations

Using "social-media", "socialmedia", "social_media", and "social" for the same thing fragments your data.

Forgetting Internal Links

Don't add UTM parameters to internal links on your own website. This overwrites the original source data.

Not Using utm_content for A/B Tests

If you're testing two button colors in an email, use utm_content to differentiate: "red_button" vs "blue_button".

Making URLs Too Long

Extremely long URLs look suspicious and may be truncated in some contexts. Use link shortening for public-facing links.

Tools for UTM Management

Google's Campaign URL Builder

Free tool that helps you construct URLs with proper formatting.

Spreadsheet Templates

Create a shared spreadsheet to document all your UTMs. This becomes your single source of truth.

Link Management Platforms

Dedicated tools that let you create, shorten, and track UTM links in one place.

Analyzing UTM Data

In Google Analytics, find your UTM data under Acquisition > Campaigns. Look for:

• Which sources drive the most traffic
• Which campaigns have the best conversion rates
• How different content variants perform

Key Takeaways

• UTM parameters track where your traffic comes from and which campaigns drive it
• Use all three required parameters: source, medium, and campaign
• Create and document a consistent naming convention
• Use lowercase only and underscores instead of spaces
• Never add UTM parameters to internal links
• Use utm_content for A/B testing and differentiating links
• Consider link shortening for cleaner, more trustworthy URLs

Ready to Get Started?

UTM parameters help you understand which campaigns are working. But tracking links is just one piece of the puzzle—you also need to see what happens after the click.

That's exactly why we're building Blyra—to bring link management, landing pages, forms, and email automation together in one platform. When all your marketing tools are connected, you can track the complete journey from first click to final conversion. Join our waitlist to be among the first to try it.