Without reliable tracking, even the most well-planned marketing campaigns can leave you guessing which initiatives are paying off. By using UTMs, you gain clear data that shows exactly where your traffic is coming from.
So let’s break down the exact meaning of UTMs in your marketing, plus everything you need to know when it comes to tracking, analyzing, and best practices.
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters, also called UTM tags or UTM codes, are small pieces of code suffixed to your URL to track the metrics and performance of a specific digital marketing campaign.
The name comes from the software company acquired by Google named; you guessed it, Urchin. Later, UTMs were deeply integrated into GA.
Outside of having an analytics platform like Google Analytics on your site or app, you don’t need to install anything else. Most tracking platforms work right out of the box with UTMs. However, for the UTM to function properly, logging both referral and cookie information is required.
Why are UTMs helpful? Because they allow you to easily “track” users’ behaviors using just a link. In general, UTMs help you answer three questions:
There are many variables to the UTM link. Take a look at the screenshot below.
The URL in the image is “https://events.triplewhale.io/20-data-driven-plays-for-q4-success/” meanwhile the UTM is attached to the URL. The UTM is made up of different parameters, all connected by the “&” which signals a new parameter follows.
Here’s a list of UTM parameters below, plus a full breakdown to follow.
The source parameter identifies where your traffic originates, helping you understand which platforms or partners are sending visitors to your site.
For example, you might use “google,” “linkedin,” or “event” to distinguish between different traffic sources.
The medium parameter specifies the marketing channel or method used to reach your audience.
This could include “webinar,” “paid,” “cpc,” “banner,” or “social,” allowing you to compare performance across different types of marketing efforts.
The campaign parameter labels a specific marketing campaign so you can measure its success across various platforms and content types.
For example, you might name it “mkt-whalies-hostedevent-525” to track engagement for a particular event or promotion.
The content parameter is optional and helps differentiate between multiple versions of the same ad, email, or link.
It’s especially useful for A/B testing — for instance, using “button,” “banner,” or “textlinkA” to track which version performs best.
The term parameter is also optional and primarily used in paid search campaigns to capture the specific keyword or phrase that triggered your ad, such as “shoes” or “crm software.”
There are many reasons why UTM tracking matters when it comes to marketing attribution.
Better Multi-Touch Attribution: UTM tracking ensures every marketing channel and campaign gets proper credit where credit’s due, showing exactly which touchpoints drive conversions.
Smarter Strategy: With clear visibility into what’s working, you can refine messaging, optimize targeting, and double down on high-performing tactics.
Efficient Spend: By identifying underperforming channels and wasted ad spend, UTM data helps reallocate budgets toward the campaigns that deliver the best ROI.
There are many ways to create UTM codes. Use whatever is easiest for you and integrates into your workflows.
Facebook has its own URL parameter builder right in Ads Manager. So let’s use that to create a UTM tagged link for your FB ad.
Set everything up at the campaign and ad set level; the URL Params live at the ad level. Then you can either enter the URL you want to promote or:
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Here is what we recommend for Meta Ads:
utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_content={{adset.id}}&utm_term={{ad.id}}
You can create your own system using a spreadsheet or a project management system such as Notion. Be sure to follow our best practices below if you take this route.
We recommend you use Triple Whale's custom Tracking Parameters in your marketing content. In doing so, each visitor will be informing our Pixel exactly which ad they just clicked on before arriving at your store.
This allows for precise tracking of customer journeys, allowing you to optimize your marketing strategies based on real-time data, improve ad targeting, and maximize your return on investment.
So what is a UTM link in action? Let’s take a closer look.
Let’s say you are a running shoe company called Stride Labs. Below are two use cases for your ecommerce and digital marketing efforts.
Stride Labs is partnering with several fitness influencers to promote a product launch – a new line of performance socks designed for runners and gym enthusiasts.
Each influencer gets a unique link to share in Instagram Stories, so Stride Labs can measure which partner drives the most sales.
This is your URL:
https://events.stridelabs.com/fitness-socks-launch/?utm_source=fitwithjess&utm_medium=influencer&utm_campaign=partnermkt-stridelabs-fitnesssockslaunch-925
To distinguish specific posts, platforms, or creative types, you can add a utm_content parameter. For example, “instagram_reel1”. This tells you which specific post drove the traffic.
Stride Labs sends a VIP early-access email to loyal customers, giving them exclusive first access to the new performance socks before the public launch.
The team wants to compare the email campaign’s performance against influencer-driven traffic.
This is your URL:
https://events.stridelabs.com/fitness-socks-launch/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=partnermkt-stridelabs-fitnesssockslaunch-925&utm_content=vip-earlyaccess
Now that you know the UTM meaning, let’s go over best practices. We grabbed some expert tips to create and implement UTM tracking from Triple Whale’s Rev Ops Specialist, Kelly Sayegh.
Some platforms are case sensitive, which could mean all these examples would be considered different traffic sources:
“My recommendation is to always use lowercases,” says Kelly, “so you don't need to remember the difference in letter case – for example email “small e” versus Email “big E” with each campaign.”
Similar to the point above, try to decide on a syntax and naming convention. “I suggest you keep names short and clear,” says Kelly. “Some companies prefer to use internal codes/numbers like “1234567” and they know what campaign they are referring to,” she adds.
UTMs should be used to track external traffic sources, not how visitors move within your site. Imagine someone scans a QR code at an event and lands on your demo form — perfect use of UTMs.
But if you add those same tracking links inside your website, like in pop-ups or guidebook CTAs, the system can overwrite the original source data and distort your analytics.
As Kelly Sayegh explains, “If we use tracking links directly on our website that aren’t related to the event, the system just collects what’s already there — and that muddies the data.”
Ok, now you understand what UTMs are and what they do; how do you take all this theory and apply it to deploying paid media more efficiently and effectively? Great question.
If your website already uses Google Analytics, it will automatically capture data from incoming campaigns. To view this information, go to Audience → Sources → Campaigns in your dashboard.
From there, you can click on each campaign to see detailed insights into its source and medium.
What you can do is match up the UTMs from your FB ads with your Google Analytics data. From that you can derive what FB says your performance is versus what GA says your performance is.
This method gives you another perspective on paid media performance at the campaign, ad set, and ad level; alleviating some of the visibility issues caused by Facebook’s current reporting.
One of two ways you can do this.
First, you go to Google Analytics and Facebook then crunch/reconcile all that UTM & performance data or…log into your Triple Whale 🐳.
Here’s an example of Triple Whale’s Attribution Dashboard:
Once you’ve connected your UTMs to Triple Whale, your information is automatically pulled into the Attribution Dashboard, presented in a really clean and powerful way.
You can even add leading indicators like average session duration, bounce rate, pageviews per session, FB CPM, and FB CPC. You can see all the campaigns that are driving real dollars for your business.
So that’s how UTMs work. UTM tracking gives you the clarity to see where your traffic comes from, how your campaigns perform, and which strategies actually drive results. Paired with tools like GA4 and Triple Whale, those insights turn into action so you can double down on what works. Ready to see it in action? Book a demo of Triple Whale today.
UTMs track where your traffic comes from by adding tags to URLs, helping you see which channels and campaigns drive visits. Pixels track what happens after the click, like page views, sign-ups, or purchases.
No, UTMs don’t affect SEO when used correctly. UTM parameters are designed purely for tracking and analytics, not for influencing search rankings.
Yes, absolutely! GA4 explicitly supports the UTM parameters listed in this article.
Without reliable tracking, even the most well-planned marketing campaigns can leave you guessing which initiatives are paying off. By using UTMs, you gain clear data that shows exactly where your traffic is coming from.
So let’s break down the exact meaning of UTMs in your marketing, plus everything you need to know when it comes to tracking, analyzing, and best practices.
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters, also called UTM tags or UTM codes, are small pieces of code suffixed to your URL to track the metrics and performance of a specific digital marketing campaign.
The name comes from the software company acquired by Google named; you guessed it, Urchin. Later, UTMs were deeply integrated into GA.
Outside of having an analytics platform like Google Analytics on your site or app, you don’t need to install anything else. Most tracking platforms work right out of the box with UTMs. However, for the UTM to function properly, logging both referral and cookie information is required.
Why are UTMs helpful? Because they allow you to easily “track” users’ behaviors using just a link. In general, UTMs help you answer three questions:
There are many variables to the UTM link. Take a look at the screenshot below.
The URL in the image is “https://events.triplewhale.io/20-data-driven-plays-for-q4-success/” meanwhile the UTM is attached to the URL. The UTM is made up of different parameters, all connected by the “&” which signals a new parameter follows.
Here’s a list of UTM parameters below, plus a full breakdown to follow.
The source parameter identifies where your traffic originates, helping you understand which platforms or partners are sending visitors to your site.
For example, you might use “google,” “linkedin,” or “event” to distinguish between different traffic sources.
The medium parameter specifies the marketing channel or method used to reach your audience.
This could include “webinar,” “paid,” “cpc,” “banner,” or “social,” allowing you to compare performance across different types of marketing efforts.
The campaign parameter labels a specific marketing campaign so you can measure its success across various platforms and content types.
For example, you might name it “mkt-whalies-hostedevent-525” to track engagement for a particular event or promotion.
The content parameter is optional and helps differentiate between multiple versions of the same ad, email, or link.
It’s especially useful for A/B testing — for instance, using “button,” “banner,” or “textlinkA” to track which version performs best.
The term parameter is also optional and primarily used in paid search campaigns to capture the specific keyword or phrase that triggered your ad, such as “shoes” or “crm software.”
There are many reasons why UTM tracking matters when it comes to marketing attribution.
Better Multi-Touch Attribution: UTM tracking ensures every marketing channel and campaign gets proper credit where credit’s due, showing exactly which touchpoints drive conversions.
Smarter Strategy: With clear visibility into what’s working, you can refine messaging, optimize targeting, and double down on high-performing tactics.
Efficient Spend: By identifying underperforming channels and wasted ad spend, UTM data helps reallocate budgets toward the campaigns that deliver the best ROI.
There are many ways to create UTM codes. Use whatever is easiest for you and integrates into your workflows.
Facebook has its own URL parameter builder right in Ads Manager. So let’s use that to create a UTM tagged link for your FB ad.
Set everything up at the campaign and ad set level; the URL Params live at the ad level. Then you can either enter the URL you want to promote or:
Here is what we recommend for Meta Ads:
utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_content={{adset.id}}&utm_term={{ad.id}}
You can create your own system using a spreadsheet or a project management system such as Notion. Be sure to follow our best practices below if you take this route.
We recommend you use Triple Whale's custom Tracking Parameters in your marketing content. In doing so, each visitor will be informing our Pixel exactly which ad they just clicked on before arriving at your store.
This allows for precise tracking of customer journeys, allowing you to optimize your marketing strategies based on real-time data, improve ad targeting, and maximize your return on investment.
So what is a UTM link in action? Let’s take a closer look.
Let’s say you are a running shoe company called Stride Labs. Below are two use cases for your ecommerce and digital marketing efforts.
Stride Labs is partnering with several fitness influencers to promote a product launch – a new line of performance socks designed for runners and gym enthusiasts.
Each influencer gets a unique link to share in Instagram Stories, so Stride Labs can measure which partner drives the most sales.
This is your URL:
https://events.stridelabs.com/fitness-socks-launch/?utm_source=fitwithjess&utm_medium=influencer&utm_campaign=partnermkt-stridelabs-fitnesssockslaunch-925
To distinguish specific posts, platforms, or creative types, you can add a utm_content parameter. For example, “instagram_reel1”. This tells you which specific post drove the traffic.
Stride Labs sends a VIP early-access email to loyal customers, giving them exclusive first access to the new performance socks before the public launch.
The team wants to compare the email campaign’s performance against influencer-driven traffic.
This is your URL:
https://events.stridelabs.com/fitness-socks-launch/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=partnermkt-stridelabs-fitnesssockslaunch-925&utm_content=vip-earlyaccess
Now that you know the UTM meaning, let’s go over best practices. We grabbed some expert tips to create and implement UTM tracking from Triple Whale’s Rev Ops Specialist, Kelly Sayegh.
Some platforms are case sensitive, which could mean all these examples would be considered different traffic sources:
“My recommendation is to always use lowercases,” says Kelly, “so you don't need to remember the difference in letter case – for example email “small e” versus Email “big E” with each campaign.”
Similar to the point above, try to decide on a syntax and naming convention. “I suggest you keep names short and clear,” says Kelly. “Some companies prefer to use internal codes/numbers like “1234567” and they know what campaign they are referring to,” she adds.
UTMs should be used to track external traffic sources, not how visitors move within your site. Imagine someone scans a QR code at an event and lands on your demo form — perfect use of UTMs.
But if you add those same tracking links inside your website, like in pop-ups or guidebook CTAs, the system can overwrite the original source data and distort your analytics.
As Kelly Sayegh explains, “If we use tracking links directly on our website that aren’t related to the event, the system just collects what’s already there — and that muddies the data.”
Ok, now you understand what UTMs are and what they do; how do you take all this theory and apply it to deploying paid media more efficiently and effectively? Great question.
If your website already uses Google Analytics, it will automatically capture data from incoming campaigns. To view this information, go to Audience → Sources → Campaigns in your dashboard.
From there, you can click on each campaign to see detailed insights into its source and medium.
What you can do is match up the UTMs from your FB ads with your Google Analytics data. From that you can derive what FB says your performance is versus what GA says your performance is.
This method gives you another perspective on paid media performance at the campaign, ad set, and ad level; alleviating some of the visibility issues caused by Facebook’s current reporting.
One of two ways you can do this.
First, you go to Google Analytics and Facebook then crunch/reconcile all that UTM & performance data or…log into your Triple Whale 🐳.
Here’s an example of Triple Whale’s Attribution Dashboard:
Once you’ve connected your UTMs to Triple Whale, your information is automatically pulled into the Attribution Dashboard, presented in a really clean and powerful way.
You can even add leading indicators like average session duration, bounce rate, pageviews per session, FB CPM, and FB CPC. You can see all the campaigns that are driving real dollars for your business.
So that’s how UTMs work. UTM tracking gives you the clarity to see where your traffic comes from, how your campaigns perform, and which strategies actually drive results. Paired with tools like GA4 and Triple Whale, those insights turn into action so you can double down on what works. Ready to see it in action? Book a demo of Triple Whale today.
UTMs track where your traffic comes from by adding tags to URLs, helping you see which channels and campaigns drive visits. Pixels track what happens after the click, like page views, sign-ups, or purchases.
No, UTMs don’t affect SEO when used correctly. UTM parameters are designed purely for tracking and analytics, not for influencing search rankings.
Yes, absolutely! GA4 explicitly supports the UTM parameters listed in this article.
Body Copy: The following benchmarks compare advertising metrics from April 1-17 to the previous period. Considering President Trump first unveiled his tariffs on April 2, the timing corresponds with potential changes in advertising behavior among ecommerce brands (though it isn’t necessarily correlated).
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