Overview Video

---

What are UTM parameters and what does utm stand for in marketing?

UTM parameters are special tags that you add to the end of a URL to help track the performance of online marketing campaigns. They allow you to see where your website traffic is coming from and how users interact with your content. By using UTM parameters, you can gather detailed information about the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

In marketing, UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module. The name comes from Urchin, a web analytics software company that was acquired by Google in 2005. UTM parameters are used by Google Analytics and other analytics tools to track the source of website traffic.

There are five main UTM parameters you can use:

• utm_source: Identifies the source of your traffic, such as a search engine (e.g., google) or a newsletter.
• utm_medium: Identifies the marketing medium, like email or cost-per-click (cpc).
• utm_campaign: Identifies the specific campaign you're running, such as a product launch or sale.
• utm_term: (Optional) Identifies the keywords for paid search campaigns.
• utm_content: (Optional) Differentiates between versions of a campaign or links that point to the same URL.

Here’s an example of a URL with UTM parameters:

https://www.example.com?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale

By adding these parameters to your URLs, you can track the performance of different campaigns in tools like Google Analytics. This helps you understand which marketing efforts are driving traffic, conversions, and overall success. Happy tracking!

---

Why are UTM parameters needed for marketing campaigns?

In Google Analytics, UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) campaigns are used to track the effectiveness of specific marketing campaigns. By appending UTM parameters to URLs, you can identify where traffic is coming from and how users interact with your website based on specific sources, mediums, and campaigns.

When to Use UTM Parameters and When Not To

When to Use UTM Parameters

UTM parameters are essential for tracking traffic sources in the following cases:

• External Campaigns
  • Use UTM parameters when driving traffic to your website from external platforms where you don’t have direct tracking (e.g., email campaigns, social media, paid ads).
  • Examples:
    • Links in newsletters.
    • Links in paid ads (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, or banner ads).
    • Links in influencer or affiliate campaigns.
• Custom Campaign Tracking
  • For tracking the performance of specific marketing campaigns, promotions, or seasonal events.
  • Example: utm_campaign=black_friday_sale
• Cross-Channel Tracking
  • When using multiple channels to promote the same content or offer, and you need to differentiate between them.
  • Example: Facebook vs. LinkedIn traffic for the same campaign.
• Non-Google Ads Paid Campaigns
  • For tracking clicks from paid ads outside of Google Ads (e.g., Bing Ads, Twitter Ads).
  • Example: utm_medium=cpc
• Social Media Posts
  • To distinguish traffic from organic social posts and paid social ads.
  • Example: utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
• QR Codes
  • When using QR codes in offline campaigns (e.g., flyers, posters, or product packaging).
  • Example: utm_source=qr_code

When Not to Use UTM Parameters

• Internal Links on Your Website
  • Avoid adding UTM parameters to links within your own website, as this can break the session tracking in Google Analytics and overwrite the original source.
  • Instead, use event tracking or custom dimensions if needed.
• Google Ads Campaigns (Auto-Tagging Enabled)
  • If you’ve enabled auto-tagging in Google Ads, avoid using UTM parameters. Auto-tagging already provides detailed tracking, and adding UTMs could lead to data conflicts.
• Organic Traffic
  • For organic search, Google Analytics automatically tracks sources (e.g., google/organic). Adding UTM parameters isn’t necessary.
• When Not Driving Traffic to Your Website
  • If the goal is to track interactions within platforms like social media or YouTube, UTM parameters won’t be applicable.
• Links to Third-Party Platforms
  • If you’re linking to third-party platforms (e.g., payment processors, partner sites), use UTM parameters cautiously to ensure proper attribution, especially if the user returns to your site.
• To Prevent Link Clutter
  • If the URL will be shared in a context where the UTM parameters might confuse users (e.g., print ads without a QR code), avoid using them.

Best Practices for Using UTM Parameters

• Be consistent: Use a standard naming convention to avoid messy or redundant data in Google Analytics.
• Keep URLs clean: Shorten UTM-tagged URLs using a link shortener (e.g., Bitly) for sharing.
• Track only when needed: Focus on tracking links that are part of campaigns you actively monitor.
• Avoid overwriting session data: Don’t use UTM parameters in ways that disrupt the user’s session attribution.

How do UTM parameters work?

UTM parameters, also known as UTM codes, are simple text snippets added to the end of a URL to help track the performance of marketing campaigns. Here's how they work:

1. Adding UTM Parameters to URLs: When you create a URL, you add UTM parameters to it. These parameters include specific information about your campaign, such as the source, medium, campaign name, term, and content. For example:

   https://www.example.com?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale

2. Parameters Explained: There are five main UTM parameters:
   • utm_source: Identifies the source of your traffic, such as a search engine (e.g., google) or a newsletter.
   • utm_medium: Identifies the marketing medium, like email or cost-per-click (cpc).
   • utm_campaign: Identifies the specific campaign you're running, such as a product launch or sale.
   • utm_term: (Optional) Identifies the keywords for paid search campaigns.
   • utm_content: (Optional) Differentiates between versions of a campaign or links that point to the same URL.
3. Tracking in Google Analytics: When someone clicks on your UTM-tagged URL, the parameters are sent to Google Analytics. This allows Google Analytics to track the data and attribute the traffic to the correct source, medium, and campaign.
4. Analyzing the Data: In Google Analytics, you can view reports that show how many visitors came from each source, medium, and campaign. This helps you understand which marketing efforts are driving the most traffic and conversions.

By using UTM parameters, you can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your marketing strategies and make data-driven decisions to improve your campaigns. Happy tracking!

---

When should you use UTM codes?

UTM codes are very useful for tracking the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. Here are some situations when you should use them:

• Email Campaigns: When sending out emails, add UTM codes to the links so you can see how many people are visiting your website from that email.
• Social Media Posts: Use UTM codes in links you share on social media to track which posts are driving the most traffic to your website.
• Paid Advertising: For ads on platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads, include UTM codes to monitor the performance of different campaigns and ad variations.
• Banner Ads: Add UTM codes to links in banner ads to see how effective these ads are in bringing visitors to your site.
• Influencer Marketing: When working with influencers, provide them with UTM-tagged links to track the traffic coming from their promotions.
• Affiliate Links: Use UTM codes in affiliate links to track which affiliates are driving the most traffic and conversions.
• Offline Campaigns: Even for offline campaigns like print ads or flyers, you can use UTM codes with custom short URLs to track their effectiveness when users type them in.

By using UTM codes in these situations, you'll get a clearer picture of which marketing efforts are most successful, allowing you to optimize your strategies and improve your results. Happy tracking!

---

Are UTMs case sensitive?

Yes, UTM parameters are case sensitive. This means that utm_source=Google is considered different from utm_source=google in Google Analytics.

Because of this, it's important to be consistent with how you use capitalization in your UTM parameters. For example, if you use utm_source=Google in one link and utm_source=google in another, Google Analytics will treat these as two separate sources. This can make it harder to accurately track and analyze your campaign data.

To avoid confusion and ensure consistency, you might want to establish a naming convention for your UTM parameters. For instance, you could decide to always use lowercase letters for all your UTM parameters:

• utm_source=google
• utm_medium=cpc
• utm_campaign=summer_sale

By following a consistent approach, you'll have a clearer and more accurate view of your marketing performance in Google Analytics. Happy tracking!

---

Where to track utm codes in Google Analytics?

Tracking UTM codes in Google Analytics is a great way to understand where your website traffic is coming from and how effective your marketing campaigns are. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

1. Log into Google Analytics: First, go to the Google Analytics website and sign in with your account.
2. Select the Property and View: Choose the account, property, and view you want to analyze. If you have multiple websites, make sure you're looking at the correct one.
3. Navigate to the Acquisition Section: In the left-hand sidebar, click on Acquisition. This section provides insights into how users arrive at your website.
4. Access the Campaigns Report: Under the Acquisition menu, expand the Campaigns section by clicking on it. Then, select All Campaigns. This report shows the performance of all your UTM-tagged campaigns.
5. Analyze UTM Parameters:
   • Campaign: This tells you the specific campaign name (e.g., “Summer_Sale”).
   • Source: This shows you where the traffic is coming from (e.g., “Google,” “Facebook”).
   • Medium: This indicates the marketing medium (e.g., “CPC” for cost-per-click, “email”).
   • Content: If you've used the content parameter, it can tell you more specifics about the ad or link (e.g., “blue_banner” vs. “red_banner”).
   • Term: Used mostly for paid search, this can show the keywords you’re targeting (e.g., “running+shoes”).
6. Customizing Your View: You can customize your view by adding secondary dimensions or filtering the data to drill down into more specific insights. For example, you can add a secondary dimension to see the combination of source and medium together.
7. Using Advanced Segments: You can also create advanced segments to filter and compare different sets of data. This can be helpful to see how traffic from different campaigns compares to each other.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts through UTM codes in Google Analytics. This will help you understand which campaigns are driving traffic, conversions, and ultimately, how to optimize your marketing strategy. Happy tracking!