Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters are five types of URL parameters used by marketers to measure the success of online marketing campaigns across different traffic sources and media. Originally introduced by Google Analytics' predecessor, Urchin, these parameters are supported out of the box in Google Analytics. UTM parameters in a URL track the campaign that directs traffic to a website and attribute the visitor’s website session and subsequent sessions within the attribution window to that campaign. Analytics tools parse these parameters to generate reports. For example, a URL might include utm_source=snapchat.com, utm_medium=social, utm_campaign=buffer, and utm_content=buffercf3b2 to specify campaign details.
Use
UTM parameters in a URL identify the marketing campaign that refers traffic to a specific website.3 To define and append the relevant UTM parameters to the appropriate URLs, marketers routinely use simple, spreadsheet-based, or automated UTM builder tools,4 including the Google Analytics URL Builder for websites.5 When a hyperlink contains a URL with UTM parameters, the web analytics software of the destination website interprets the parameter information and attributes it to the browser's website session and the sessions after that until the campaign attribution window has expired (by default, six months in Google Analytics).6
UTM parameters that are passed to URLs can be parsed by analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics, with the data used to populate standard and custom analytics reports.7 Web analytics software may attribute parameters to the browser's current and subsequent sessions until the campaign window has expired.
Parameters
There are six different UTM parameters, which may be used in any order:8
| Parameter | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| utm_id | Identifies which ads campaign this referral references. | utm_id=abc.123 |
| utm_source | Identifies which site sent the traffic, and is a required parameter. | utm_source=google |
| utm_medium | Identifies what type of link was used, such as email or pay-per-click advertising. | utm_medium=ppc |
| utm_campaign | Identifies a specific product promotion or strategic campaign. | utm_campaign=spring_sale |
| utm_term | Identifies search terms. | utm_term=running+shoes |
| utm_content | Identifies what specifically was clicked to bring the user to the site, such as a banner ad or a text link. It is often used for A/B testing and content-targeted ads. | utm_content=logolink or utm_content=textlink |
See also
References
"Custom campaigns – Analytics helps". Google Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2016. https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033863 ↩
"Using UTM Parameters in Adobe Analytics". Adam Greco. Retrieved 24 January 2017. https://community.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/blogs/adam-greco/2016/05/24/using-utm-campaign-parameters-in-adobe-analytics ↩
"Custom campaigns – Analytics helps". Google Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2016. https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033863 ↩
"UTM Builders Guide". M. Mitova. Retrieved 23 January 2017. http://www.campaigntrackly.com/google-utm-builder-guide/ ↩
"Google Analytics URL Builder". Google Analytics. Retrieved 23 January 2017. https://ga-dev-tools.appspot.com/campaign-url-builder/ ↩
Use UTM parameters in Wordpress Rankmath. Retrieved 12 April 2022. https://rankmath.com/kb/utm-parameters-with-redirects/ ↩
"Using UTM Parameters in Adobe Analytics". Adam Greco. Retrieved 24 January 2017. https://community.digitalanalyticsassociation.org/blogs/adam-greco/2016/05/24/using-utm-campaign-parameters-in-adobe-analytics ↩
"Custom campaigns – Analytics helps". Google Inc. Retrieved 15 March 2016. https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033863 ↩