UTM parameter

A UTM parameter is a tag added to the end of a URL that tells analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, where a visit came from: which site, which channel and which campaign. Without UTMs, a visit that comes from a newsletter or a LinkedIn post is often filed as direct or referral traffic, with no way to measure the campaign that generated it.

What does UTM stand for?

UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module. The name comes from Urchin, the analytics tool Google acquired in 2005 and that became Google Analytics. The format of the parameters has stayed the same ever since.

What are the UTM parameters?

• utm_source identifies the originating site or platform (linkedin, newsletter, google).
• utm_medium identifies the type of channel (social, email, cpc).
• utm_campaign names the campaign (geo-offer-launch).
• utm_term is mostly used to identify the keyword of a paid ad.
• utm_content tells two links in the same campaign apart, for example two buttons in the same email.

The first three are enough in the vast majority of cases.

How do you build a UTM link?

Start from the destination URL, add a question mark, then the parameters separated by the & sign. Example: https://www.mazette.co/en/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=geo-offer-launch. Google’s free Campaign URL Builder generates the link for you from a simple form.

Best practices

Always write in lowercase, because Google Analytics treats LinkedIn and linkedin as two different values. Agree on a naming convention for the whole team and keep it in a shared document. Never add UTMs to internal links on your own site: it overwrites the original source of the visit and skews your statistics.

What does UTM mean outside marketing?

The same acronym stands for two unrelated things. In geography, UTM coordinates (Universal Transverse Mercator) are a map referencing system. In cybersecurity, a UTM firewall (Unified Threat Management) bundles several network protections into a single appliance. In the context of the web and digital marketing, UTM always means campaign tracking parameters.