UTM Parameters: What They Are and How to Use Them

UTM Parameters: What They Are and How to Use Them

Last Updated: October 2, 2025

Applies to:

Anyone running digital marketing campaigns who wants to track where their website traffic is coming from
Marketers, business owners, or website managers interested in measuring campaign effectiveness
Users of Google Analytics or similar reporting tools who want clearer attribution for website visits

Common Causes/Issues:

You want to track where your website visitors are coming from.
You’re running marketing campaigns and need to measure performance.
Your reports show “direct” traffic, but you want more detail.

Solution Overview:
UTM parameters are short text codes added to URLs to help you track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns. By using UTM parameters, you can see exactly which campaigns, platforms, or ads are driving traffic and conversions on your website.

Tactical Rundown:

Step 1: Understand the Main UTM Parameters

utm_source: Identifies the source of your traffic (e.g., google, facebook, newsletter).
utm_medium: Describes the marketing medium (e.g., email, cpc, social).
utm_campaign: Names the specific campaign (e.g., spring_sale, product_launch).
utm_term (optional): Tracks keywords for paid search campaigns.
utm_content (optional): Differentiates similar content or links within the same ad/campaign.

Step 2: Build a Trackable URL

Use a UTM builder tool, such as Google’s Campaign URL Builder.
Enter your website URL and fill in the UTM fields that match your campaign details.

Example:

https://yourwebsite.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring_sale

Step 3: Add UTM Links to Your Campaigns

Use your UTM-tagged URL in ads, emails, or social posts.
Only share the full URL with UTM parameters in places where you want to track traffic.

Step 4: View Results in Your Analytics Platform

Log in to Google Analytics or your reporting tool.
Navigate to “Acquisition” > “Campaigns” to see traffic broken down by your UTM parameters.