What are UTM parameters?

What are UTM parameters, and why do they matter so much?

“UTM” is the abbreviation for “Urchin tracking module.” Urchin Product Corporation was purchased by Google in 2005, and their software provided the foundation for Google Analytics as we know it today.

UTM-what is it: UTM codes are small pieces of text that you may add to a link to give Google Analytics and other analytics tools a little bit of additional information about it.

What are the benefits of using UTMs?

• You could be releasing hundreds of new links per day if you spend a lot of time on social media.
• UTM codes allow you to track the performance of each of those links and determine where your traffic originates.
• The UTM variables in the URL can be used to track general information, such as how much traffic comes from social media.
• You may also use them to track the finer points, such as how much money you make from your Twitter bio.
• UTM parameters can be used in a variety of ways to track links. The UTM within the link, on the other hand, sends up to five distinct pieces of data to Google Analytics:
  • What was the subscriber’s origin? (a social media network, a web page, or a chunk of offline information)
  • How did they get to that? What advertising strategy did they employ? (Google Adsense, blogging, online networking)
  • They were referred to a campaign by the name assigned.
  • What query term did they choose to locate you if you’re conducting an Ad campaign?
  • Content: What link led them to this page?

You can then use that data to figure out which aspects of your campaign are working, where people are coming from, which links they’re clicking, and why they’re coming to learn more.

How to Add Uniform Resource Locators (UTMs) to Your URLs?

Start by using Google’s URL builder to create a UTM for a marketing campaign webpage. You’ll need to go to the corresponding builders if you want to construct UTMs for other destinations.

The steps for creating a UTM for your website or landing page are as follows:

• Enter the URL of your marketing campaign’s landing page or destination page.
• Use the HTTPS version if possible to avoid users seeing the annoying “Not Secure” warning in their browsers.
• Insert the campaign’s originator. The only area which must be completed is this one.
• If you’re running a PPC campaign, including the medium, name, content, and search keyword.

UTM - what is it

What are UTM parameters: Google will provide a URL including your UTM code, which you can copy and paste into your chosen tool or have Google convert into a short link right in the builder.

You’ll save a lot of time in the future if you choose a clever manner to tag your links today. We’re about to discuss a technique to UTM tagging that has shown to be useful for me in determining the performance of my connections.

But first, let’s establish our expectations for what a properly labelled URL may accomplish for you.

Using the Google URL Builder to Create UTMs

You can also manually produce UTMs without using the building tool. The plus sign (“+”) and the period are the only symbols you can use to name each of your items. Letters and numbers are permitted, but no spaces are permitted.

Here are the parameters you’ll need if you choose this path, along with examples of how to utilize them:

UTM source

Parameter: utm_source=[insert name of source here]

It can be used for: This is the most important UTM, as it identifies the referrer that sent a user to your website. Facebook, Google, another website, or even offline referrers such as posters, one-pagers, and brochures could be used.

Let’s imagine you were at a trade event and handed out a few different one-pagers. Your UTM for one-pager number one may be: UTM source=one+pager+1

UTM medium

Parameter: UTM medium=[insert the name of the medium here]

It can be used for: This element specifies the type of marketing that brought the user to your website. The UTM source might be “Facebook,” yet the UTM medium could be “social.”

Using our trade show as an example, your medium would most likely be UTM medium=XYZ+tradeshow.

UTM campaign

Parameter: UTM campaign=[Insert the name of the campaign here]

It’s useful for: determining which campaign is linked to this landing page. When you’re A/B testing different offers to evaluate which is the most enticing, this comes in handy.

For instance, if your tradeshow exhibit is all about launching a new product, your UTM can look like this: UTM campaign=launch+productXYZ.

UTM term

Parameter: UTM term=[insert term here]

Use it for Pay-per-click (PPC) adverts based on specified search phrases.

UTM term=buy+productXYZ is an example.

UTM content

Parameter: UTM content=[insert the name of the content]

When you want to run an A/B test, or when the referring ad or asset has numerous links and you want to know which one the user clicked, this is the tool to employ.

UTM content=link+3 is an example.

Keep in mind that UTMs are visible in your clients’ browsers while constructing them. Keep your eyes peeled now that you know UTM – what it is. Examine how other businesses use theirs to categorize their marketing content and prospects. When you include these strong lines of code into your marketing, you’ll be able to finally show your stakeholders the ROI you promised.

What are UTM parameters, and how do you use them in your social media links?

We’re attempting to use UTM tags to assist Google Analytics by telling us the tale of how our social media traffic is evolving.

It’s as simple as completing those questions for each link you post to determine your UTM settings. Let’s have a look at how everything fits together.

In social media, how to use the "Source" UTM parameter

tl;dr – As the “source” UTM tag, you can use the name of the social site where you’re sharing the link (e.g., Twitter, Facebook).

“Where is my traffic coming from?” is the question that the “source” option seeks to answer.

By including the &utm source= attribute in your links, you’re marking every visit that comes from that link as “this visit came from such and such.” As a result, the “Source” UTM parameter will simply state the origin of the traffic.

It might look simple for you, but there are a variety of ways to accomplish this. If you were tweeting to your followers about a great blog article you had published, you might respond to the query “Where is the traffic coming from?” in several different ways.

• It originates with you, the sharer.
• It’s from Twitter, which is where it’s being circulated.
• It’s coming from your readers, your followers.
• There are a lot of different ways to think about this.

However, Google suggests describing the “referrer,” or the company that is sending traffic your way, in the “source” box. A good source tag for this example would be “Twitter.” There are several compelling reasons for this.

You’ll eventually want to keep track of all of your Twitter traffic in one location

This is much more true when it comes to social media links. When someone shares or Retweets your links, the traffic is no longer coming from you, but rather from the same social media network.

In social media, we’ve found that using the social platform where you’re sharing the link as the “source” UTM tag is the simplest approach. “&utm source=facebook” is tagged when you share a link on Facebook.

How to use the UTM parameter "Medium" in social media

TLDR: For all links shared on social media, consider using the medium tag “social.” This option is used to answer the query, “How is my traffic arriving at my location?”

By including the “&utm medium=” option in your links, you’re identifying every visit that comes from that link as “this visit came via ABC.”

This is a little more complicated than the source tag we looked at because there are probably ten ways to describe how traffic gets to you for every way to indicate where it comes from.

That’s why establishing some UTM conventions ahead of time can be beneficial. This aspect of the link-tracking procedure can be made a lot easier if you make a basic list of alternatives for the “medium” tag.

On Google’s URL builder, they recommend using the general name of the marketing medium for this parameter.

UTM parameter generators and related software

Some software can help you document your UTM strategy, communicate it with your team, and automate the process of adding UTM parameters. You’ll save time and reduce the chances of human error.

• Google’s URL Builder is a free application that allows you to include UTM parameters in your URLs.
• UTM.io is a web-based utility for generating, sharing, and synchronizing UTM parameters.
• Terminus is a web-based application that allows you to design, maintain, and enforce UTM naming policies.

Additional UTM parameter hints

Internal links should not be tagged with UTMs. On internal links, never use UTM parameters (e.g., homepage sliders, internal banners, or internal links on blog posts).

When you click on those internal links, the current session will stop and a new one will begin, with the new session being attributed to the source/medium used on the internal link.

The internal source, not the one that brought the user to the site, will be credited with any subsequent user action, objective completion, or transaction.

Be cautious about what you put in UTM parameters

To visitors and rivals, UTM parameters are exposed in URLs. Personal data such as a person’s name, email address, or phone number should never be included in UTM settings (or any other URL query parameter).

Not only are these attributes visible to other users, but it is also against Google Analytics’ terms of service to gather personal data.

For cleaner URLs, use short links

Because UTM parameters can make links excessively long, use a URL shortener like bit.ly when posting them on social media (or anywhere else where the real link will be viewed).

Use a custom URL shortener that works with your domain if you prefer branded links than generic bit.ly links.

UTM parameters should be hidden from the user

The user is forwarded to the destination URL, which includes the UTM parameters, even when utilizing a short link. After Google Analytics has logged UTM parameters, Fresh URL by Wistia hides them from the browser’s address bar.

Conclusion

UTM parameters comprise quick text identifiers which you can append to URLs (or links) to increase the progress of a website or promotion. UTM variables are a basic, inexpensive, and reliable way to track web activity. UTM parameters are an important part of proper traffic attribution, which is crucial for determining whether online marketing activities result in conversions.