What is UTM Tracking? A Complete Guide to UTM Parameters

You launched a marketing campaign across email, social media, and paid ads. Traffic is coming in, but you have no idea which channel is actually driving results.

This is the problem UTM tracking solves.

UTM parameters are simple tags you add to URLs that tell Google Analytics exactly where your traffic came from, which campaign drove it, and which specific link was clicked.

In this guide, you'll learn what UTM stands for, how UTM tracking works, and how to use it to measure your marketing ROI.

UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module.

The name comes from Urchin Software Corporation, a web analytics company that Google acquired in 2005. Urchin's tracking technology became the foundation of Google Analytics, and UTM parameters have been the standard for campaign tracking ever since.

While the name is a bit of tech history trivia, what matters is what UTM parameters do: they let you track exactly where your website traffic comes from.

UTM tracking is a method of adding special parameters to your URLs so analytics tools (like Google Analytics) can identify the source, medium, and campaign associated with each visitor.

Example of a URL with UTM parameters:

https://yoursite.com/landing-page?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer_sale

When someone clicks this link, Google Analytics records:

• Source: Facebook
• Medium: Social
• Campaign: Summer Sale

Without UTM parameters, that same visitor would show up as "direct" or "referral" traffic — you'd have no idea they came from your Facebook campaign.

There are five standard UTM parameters. The first three are essential; the last two are optional.

Identifies where the traffic originates.

Examples:

• utm_source=google — Traffic from Google
• utm_source=facebook — Traffic from Facebook
• utm_source=newsletter — Traffic from your email newsletter
• utm_source=partner_site — Traffic from a partner website

Identifies the type of channel or marketing medium.

Examples:

• utm_medium=email — Email marketing
• utm_medium=social — Social media (organic)
• utm_medium=cpc — Cost-per-click paid ads
• utm_medium=referral — Referral links
• utm_medium=affiliate — Affiliate marketing

Identifies the specific campaign or promotion.

Examples:

• utm_campaign=summer_sale_2026 — Summer sale campaign
• utm_campaign=product_launch — Product launch campaign
• utm_campaign=webinar_jan — January webinar promotion
• utm_campaign=welcome_series — Email welcome sequence

Primarily used for paid search keywords. Helps you track which search terms drove clicks.

Examples:

• utm_term=running+shoes — Keyword: "running shoes"
• utm_term=best+project+management+software — Long-tail keyword

Differentiates similar links in the same campaign. Useful for A/B testing.

Examples:

• utm_content=header_cta vs utm_content=footer_cta — Which CTA gets more clicks?
• utm_content=blue_button vs utm_content=green_button — Button color test
• utm_content=image_ad vs utm_content=text_ad — Ad format comparison

Google provides a free tool at Campaign URL Builder.

1. 1Enter your website URL
2. 2Fill in source, medium, and campaign
3. 3Add optional term and content if needed
4. 4Copy the generated URL

Limitation: The URLs it generates are long and ugly, which can hurt click-through rates.

Linkly lets you add UTM parameters and shorten the URL in one step:

1. 1Create a new link in Linkly
2. 2Enter your destination URL
3. 3Fill in the UTM fields (source, medium, campaign)
4. 4Get a short, branded URL with UTM tracking built in

Result: Instead of sharing yoursite.com/page?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=summer_sale, you share yourbrand.link/summer — clean, branded, and fully tracked.

Learn more: Add UTM Tags to Short Links

You can add UTM parameters manually by appending them to any URL:

https://yoursite.com/page?utm_source=SOURCE&utm_medium=MEDIUM&utm_campaign=CAMPAIGN

Rules:

• Start parameters with ? after the base URL
• Separate multiple parameters with &
• Use + or %20 for spaces in values
• Keep everything lowercase for consistency

UTM parameters are case-sensitive. Facebook, facebook, and FACEBOOK appear as three different sources in reports.

Best practice: Always use lowercase.

Keep a spreadsheet or document with your standard UTM values so your whole team uses the same conventions:

Never add UTM parameters to internal links on your own site. This breaks session tracking and makes your data unreliable.

Use UTMs for:

• Email campaigns
• Social media posts
• Paid ads
• Partner/affiliate links
• QR codes
• Offline marketing (print, TV, radio)

Don't use UTMs for:

• Navigation links on your site
• Links between pages on your domain

Future you will thank present you for clear campaign names.

Long UTM URLs look unprofessional and can hurt click-through rates:

Before (ugly):

https://yoursite.com/products/new-arrivals?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spring_collection_2026&utm_content=bio_link

After (with Linkly):

yourbrand.link/spring

The short link contains all the same tracking — it just looks better.

In Google Analytics 4 (GA4):

1. 1Go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition
2. 2Change the primary dimension to "Session source/medium" or "Session campaign"
3. 3You'll see traffic broken down by your UTM values

You can also create custom reports to analyze specific campaigns or compare performance across channels.

Facebook vs facebook vs fb creates fragmented data. Pick one and stick with it.

This resets the session and attributes conversions to internal pages instead of the original source.

Running a campaign without UTMs means you can't measure its effectiveness. Always tag external links.

You don't need to use every parameter. Source, medium, and campaign cover most use cases.

Long UTM strings look suspicious and reduce clicks. Use a link shortener like Linkly to create clean, branded URLs.

UTM tracking tells you where traffic comes from. Link shortening makes your URLs shareable and professional.

Linkly combines both:

• Add UTM parameters to any link
• Automatically shorten to a branded domain
• Track clicks in Linkly AND see data in Google Analytics
• Update destinations without changing the shared link

Example workflow:

1. 1Create a link in Linkly for your summer sale
2. 2Set UTM source=instagram, medium=social, campaign=summer_sale
3. 3Share yourbrand.link/summer on Instagram
4. 4See click data in Linkly dashboard
5. 5See campaign attribution in Google Analytics

Get started with Linkly's UTM builder

UTM tracking answers the question every marketer asks: "Where is my traffic actually coming from?"

By adding simple parameters to your URLs, you can:

• Attribute traffic to specific campaigns
• Compare channel performance
• Measure marketing ROI
• Make data-driven decisions

The key is consistency in naming, using UTMs only on external links, and shortening URLs so they're actually clickable.

Ready to track your campaigns? Try Linkly's free URL shortener with built-in UTM tracking — no credit card required.