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The term Urchin Tracking Module may not be part of everyone’s daily vocabulary — certainly, it doesn’t roll off the tongue, and seeing one can look like reading a new language. But, what’s more commonly known as a UTM code, UTM parameter, or UTM tag, tells a data-rich story for digital marketers to dive into and dissect.
Understanding UTM Codes
A UTM code is the long string of information attached to a URL following a domain (or host, frequently ending in dot com) and, if applicable, path (child or sub page from homepage). Starting with a question mark and including letters and characters, this code tracks the effectiveness of different marketing tactics.
What Is the Purpose of Using UTM Codes in Digital Marketing?
Within the UTM parameters are words that signify where online the user came from, and how they interacted with different digital marketing products. Information gained from a UTM tag is used to better understand how different tactics drive users to the page, behaviors of specific users, and overall user trends. The key to gleaning these insights is feeding the information from a URL string into a web analytics tool, such as Google Analytics, or a measurement tool or dashboard within a marketing or advertising solution.
How Do UTM Codes Help Track the Performance of Marketing Campaigns?
Marketing teams determine the UTM codes that are used, meaning there are a finite number of parameters, and each tag is determined by marketers themselves. Think of this as limited, structured data being collected, as opposed to open-ended information.
The information being collected is pre-determined based on how teams want to track results and parse the data collected for attribution. Examples of how UTM codes can provide actionable analytics include:
- More precisely pinpointing traffic sources: Analytics often attribute how someone landed on your site either as direct (e.g., a user typed the URL into a search bar) vs. referral (clicked from another site). Through the use of multiple UTM codes or vendor/platform terms, marketers can hone in more granularly on how someone came to a page.
- Comparing campaign effectiveness by type: Have a hunch that email drives more traffic than another method, or that owned content is outperforming paid? With UTM tracking, the proof is in the parameter.
- Attributing a campaign across media: With multiple tags, you can track information in different ways to be able to slice and dice data more powerfully.
- Measuring test results: See performance across different variables or options within a campaign or page (for example, how different calls to action or link placements may attract click-throughs).
The Five UTM Parameters
UTM codes consist of three required and two optional parameters. While campaign source, medium, and name are needed, including the other two (campaign content and term) is a good practice. As a quick reference, the five UTM parameters are:
| 1. Campaign Source (utm_source) | Required parameter to identify the source of your traffic (e.g., Google, newsletter, Taboola). |
| 2. Campaign Medium (utm_medium) | Required parameter to identify the medium through which the link was distributed (e.g., search, email, CPC). |
| 3. Campaign Name (utm_campaign) | Required parameter to identify a specific product promotion or strategic campaign (e.g., spring sale). |
| 4. Campaign Content (utm_content) | Optional parameter to differentiate campaigns for A/B testing and content-targeted ads. |
| 5. Campaign Term (utm_term) | Optional parameter used to note keywords for paid search campaigns. |
What Is UTM_Source and What Information Does It Track?
The most important parameter, the Campaign Source (which will show in the URL as utm_source), is the most important of all sources, since it identifies your traffic’s origin. A required parameter, it tells where a click came from, be it a site, vendor, or platform.
This could show up in the URL as terms like:
- Website.
- App.
- Newsletter.
Example: utm_source=taboola
What Is UTM_Medium and What Does It Identify?
Campaign Medium tag utm_medium notes the channel where the link appeared to the user. Examples could be a paid ad, organic placement, email, social media, and so on.
This could show up in the URL as terms like:
- cpc.
- Email.
- Social.
- Ad type.
Example: utm_medium=social
What Is UTM_Campaign and How Is It Used?
When you want to know why a click occurred, you will look to the Campaign Name parameter, utm_campaign. This required tag identifies and tracks a specific marketing initiative. If you’re promoting a Black Friday sale through various tactics, this code will tie the different efforts together across sources and mediums.
This could show up in the URL as terms like:
- Product name.
- Sale name.
- Promo code.
- Welcome bonus.
Example: utm_capaign=informational-article
What Is UTM_Term and When Is It Typically Used?
An optional tag, Campaign Term shows up in UTM parameters as utm_term. This can be used in paid search campaigns to distinguish which keyword(s) drove the click to conversion. Marketers can view these analytics to see which keywords are effectively bringing traffic to the page.
This would show up in the URL as the keyword used in a paid ad.
Example: utm_term=utm-codes-explained
What Is UTM_Content and How Can It Differentiate Ads or Links?
Campaign Content (utm_content) is an optional tag that tracks differences within an ad or piece of content. It’s often used with A/B testing, where the tracking term is tied to a specific element and version.
This could show up in the URL as terms like:
- Version letter.
- Text element.
- Image name.
- Button color or placement.
Example: utm_content=headline-a
How UTM Codes Work
UTM codes take the tags of structured data that you’re using for each parameter to create a complete URL. For the example above, a URL with all five UTM codes would look similar to this:
https://www.yourlandingpage.com/page-title?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=social&&utm_capaign=informational-article&utm_term=utm-codes-explained&utm_content=headline-a
When a user clicks on this full URL, the data is captured and sent into your analytics platform.
How Do You Create URLs With UTM Codes?
While the formula above will work when creating UTM codes, it’s best practice to use a UTM builder tool. Such builders are available in marketing automation or ad platforms, analytics tools, and even Google.
These tools will ask for the parameters of the UTM codes you want to include, then create the URL, including all the characters in the correct spots. This reduces risks of manual or human errors, misspellings, misplacements, and the like.
Where Do You Typically Use UTM-Tagged URLs?
Think of UTM tracking like this: Any time you could use more information about at least the three required UTM codes (Campaign Source, Medium, or Name), it’s worth considering UTM-tagged URLs. Marketers often implement this tactic when they’re running CPC or other paid media initiatives, sending communications around a promotion, directing people in influencer or affiliate marketing, providing a URL from an external source, or driving clicks to a campaign landing page.
How Do Analytics Platforms (e.g., Google Analytics) Interpret UTM Parameters?
When a user clicks a UTM code, they are redirected to the page URL that comes before the question mark and UTM parameters. Those UTM tags are then fed into your analytics tool and captured as user behaviors. Marketers can then use this information to better understand user behavior, and inform future strategy.
While Google Analytics (both GA4 and UA) is a popular analytics platform, others — like Kissmetrics or Adobe Analytics — also support capturing UTM code data, as do CRMs, like HubSpot. To view UTM data in your analytics report, go to the analytics dashboard and find a report that captures behavior or sources. In Google Analytics, navigate to the Acquisition > Traffic acquisition report to view results for Session source/medium, Session medium, Session source, and Session campaign.
Benefits of Using UTM Codes
How Do UTM Codes Enable Accurate Campaign Tracking?
A UTM tag feeds into your analytics platform, capturing additional data that can be viewed to better tie marketing efforts to user actions. Generally speaking, integrating UTM codes into your marketing strategy allows for greater granularity when analysing your traffic — the drivers and sources, what works best, and so on.
How Do UTM Codes Help in Identifying the Specific Sources of Website Traffic and Conversions?
UTM codes allow you to infer the impacts that either a single campaign parameter or multiple together have on conversions, and slice and dice that information into different views. For example: Does a Black Friday promotion perform better on email, and a demo video drive people to your site from social? Do more people click a button that has the words “save now” vs. “limited offer?” With these UTM codes, you have data-backed evidence to work with.
Best Practices for Using UTM Codes
Using UTM codes early and consistently will help with the quality of the data you’re collecting. Take time to develop a strategy (what tags to include, when to use UTM parameters, how the information will be most helpful) to ensure you are collecting useful data.
How Should You Ensure Consistency in Your UTM Tagging Conventions?
Get the most out of your UTM tagging practice by sticking to the strategy you’ve created. Changing direction or tactics can cost accuracy in reporting, time correcting course, or money in ineffective ad spend. Remember, consistency doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective: It can be as simple as appointing someone to oversee UTM governance and capturing it in a spreadsheet for all to reference. Document when and why the various parameters are used, and which tags are acceptable. If you use Google Tag Manager, consider documenting that strategy alongside the UTM tag strategy.
How Can You Avoid Common Errors When Creating UTM Codes?
When an error is introduced in a UTM code, it can be difficult to undo without possibly losing some data. Consider the adage “measure twice, cut once” when creating UTM codes and URL strings: Once it’s published online, the URL is out there, even if you think you deleted it before anyone has clicked. Manually creating the URL string can introduce human error, so as suggested earlier, consider a URL builder. Check, and check again that the correct URL string is in the right placement so you aren’t gathering incorrect data, and only use UTM codes for external links.
What Tools Can Help You Generate and Manage UTM URLs?
Check with your media platform or other tools you’re already using, or generate UTM URLs with Google’s Campaign URL Builder. Document the URLs you create and where they are used. As you learn about a tag’s success, include that information: These findings could be in the UTM spreadsheet you may have created, with different tabs or color coding.
Key Takeaways
UTM codes serve as data-rich extensions to a URL. They consist of three required parameters (source, medium, and campaign name) and two optional parameters (content and term) to capture additional information that’s fed into an analytics platform. These tags help marketers better segment and understand user behavior, including details on what drove a person to your website. This information can better inform future strategies by understanding what channels, versions of a piece of marketing, or incentives contributed to their actions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are UTM codes case-sensitive?
Yes, UTM codes are case-sensitive. It’s a best practice to always use lowercase to prevent data fragmentation. For example, if you generally use “Taboola” as your source, but a tag becomes “taboola,” these will become two different sources in reporting.
How long do UTM parameters track data?
While the URL with the UTM parameters can live on, analytics tracking tools often have a limited time (say, six months) where they will track the initial source. After that, a new conversion may begin for a user.
Can I use UTM codes for internal links?
No. UTM codes are meant to track information coming into a site from outside sources. Therefore, using these parameters internally could skew tracking and reporting of user behavior, and not attribute a source correctly.
What is the difference between UTM codes and other tracking parameters?
UTM codes are generally considered to allow marketers more control over how and what is tracked, given that these are the people who set the tags and determine when and how to use them, and can easily be captured in an analytics tool. Other options, such as cookies, log files, or IP tracking, each have their strengths and weaknesses, but also offer less flexibility in customizing what’s collected.
