Introduction to UTM Parameter Links

Author: Sergey Osadchenko

Knowledge Level Required: Beginner

Definition of UTM Links

So, what are these UTM links, and why and where should we use them? The internet is full of articles and texts on this topic, and here’s one of the definitions:

UTM link is a URL that includes parameters used by marketers to track the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns, including the source, medium, campaign name, and other relevant information.

Sounds very clever, doesn't it? But what does it mean in practice, what is so magical about these parameters (tags)?

Let's assume you own a website, whether it's a commercial one selling products/services or your personal blog, and you want to share a link to your article, product/service on social networks or buy an ad from a blogger, or even buy ads from multiple Telegram channels.

The question arises: how to understand the effectiveness of such link placement, especially if it’s paid advertisement with bloggers, public channels, and social media channels. This is where UTM links come to the rescue. Here’s my definition:

✅ UTM link is a link to your site or a specific page on it, to which additional tags are attached, allowing you to determine the traffic source (clicks on a specific link) and measure its effectiveness.

What are UTM Tags/Parameters?

Suppose you have a link to a website, for example, my main site: https://devosa.website, and I want to place it in this article so that when a reader clicks on it, I can track that the click was specifically on this link and in this location. Then I need to modify the link and add these “magical UTM tags or as they are also called “parameters”:

https://devosa.website?utm_source=utmbuilder&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=utm_guide&utm_content=introduction_to_utm_parameters&utm_id=ru

You can click on the link, it will open in a new tab, and you will see that the site opens with UTM parameters in the URL.

This link contains additional parameters called UTM tags, which are used to track and analyze the effectiveness of different traffic sources. Let’s look at them in more detail. In Google Analytics or other analytics tools, you can get information about:

Traffic Source utm_source=utmbuilder: This parameter indicates the source from which the traffic was received. In this case, the traffic source is the subdomain utmbuilder, where you are currently reading this guide.
Traffic Type utm_medium=article: The parameter defines the type or category of traffic. Here we use the medium 'article', indicating that the user clicked the link from an article.
Campaign Name utm_campaign=utm_guide: This parameter indicates the name of the campaign or project under which the link was placed. For example, 'UTM guide'.
Content utm_content=introduction_to_utm_parameters: This parameter indicates the specific content or section that attracted the user to click on the link. In our case, it's 'Introduction to understanding UTM parameters'.
Identifier utm_id=ru: This parameter is usually used to identify the advertising campaign, but in this example, I used it to indicate the language version of the article in which the link is placed.

Analyzing these tags allows you to determine which sources, advertising campaigns, or platforms attract the most traffic.

✅ UTM tag is a special additional parameter in the URL that allows tracking traffic.

There are three main categories of UTM tags:

Required parameters: These parameters are usually used to indicate the main information about the link and are necessary for the proper functioning of UTM tags. Typically, these are utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign.
Optional parameters: These parameters are not mandatory and can be used optionally for more detailed traffic tracking. For example, utm_content, utm_term, and utm_id.
Custom parameters: These parameters are not standard for UTM tags, but can be created and used according to unique needs and tracking goals. They allow adding additional information not included in the standard set of parameters. Custom UTM parameters can have any names, but they must start with the prefix utm_ to be recognized by analytics systems.

Required UTM Tag Parameters

UTM Source — traffic source

Designation: utm_source, is a required parameter.

UTM Source parameter defines the traffic source, i.e., where the user came from. For example, if the UTM tag is placed on Facebook, the value of this parameter will be “facebook”.

Example: utm_source=facebook

UTM Medium — traffic type

Designation: utm_medium, is a required parameter.

UTM Medium parameter defines the traffic type, i.e., the category of the traffic source. For example, if the UTM tag is placed in an article, the value of this parameter will be “article”.

Example: utm_medium=article

UTM Campaign — campaign name

Designation: utm_campaign, is a required parameter.

UTM Campaign parameter indicates the name of the campaign or project under which the link was placed. For example, if the UTM tag is placed in the UTM guide, the value of this parameter will be “utm_guide”.

Example: utm_campaign=utm_guide

Optional UTM Tag Parameters

UTM Content — content

Designation: utm_content, is an optional parameter.

UTM Content parameter indicates the content or section that attracted the user to click on the link.

Example: utm_content=introduction_to_utm_parameters

UTM Term — keyword

Designation: utm_term, is an optional parameter.

UTM Term parameter indicates the keyword or phrase that attracted the user to click on the link.

Example: utm_term=utm_parameters

UTM ID — identifier

Designation: utm_id, is an optional parameter.

UTM ID parameter is used to identify the advertising campaign or other project under which the link was placed.

Example: utm_id=ru

Custom UTM Link Tags

UTM Custom — custom parameters

Designation: utm_custom, is an optional parameter.

UTM Custom parameter is used to add additional information not included in the standard set of parameters.

Example: utm_custom=custom

6 Ways to Generate Links with UTM Parameters

There are several ways to create UTM links. Here are the most popular and convenient methods:

Manually: You can create UTM links by adding tags to the URL using special connecting symbols, the opening one being “?” and the connecting one “&”, simply add the tag name and its parameter in any order, as in the example above.
Online Generators: There are many online tools (one of the popular free ones is Tilda generator), that help automate the process of creating UTM tags. Just enter the necessary information, and the tool will generate a UTM link for you.
Spreadsheets: You can use spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to create UTM tags in batch mode. Create a table with parameters and values, then combine them to form UTM links.
Paid Services: There are specialized paid services that provide advanced features for creating and managing UTM parameters. These services usually offer a wider range of features, such as automating the process of creating tags, additional analytical reports, integration with other marketing platforms and tools, as well as more flexible campaign management options.
CMS and Analytics Platforms: Some content management systems (CMS), analytics platforms, and marketing tools provide built-in features for creating UTM links. In such systems, you can create tags directly in the interface without manually adding parameters to the URL.
APIs and Scripts: If you have technical skills, you can use APIs or scripts to automate the process of creating UTM links. For example, you can write a JavaScript script that will generate UTM tags based on the data you entered.

As you can see, there are many ways to create UTM links with tags, ranging from manually adding parameters to the URL to using specialized paid services. Choose the method that is most convenient and effective for you, and start tracking and analyzing traffic to your site.

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