What are UTM parameters and how to use them
Last updated October 29, 2024
In this article, you will discover what UTM codes are and learn about their applications.
Overview
UTM parameters (Urchin Tracking Module parameters) are codes added to the end of a URL to track the performance of marketing campaigns and traffic sources. UTM parameters provide valuable information about where a user came from, which campaign they interacted with, and which specific ad or link they clicked on to reach a particular website. The information collected from UTM parameters can be used to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, identify which channels drive the most traffic, and optimize website performance.
There are several benefits of using UTM tags in your marketing campaigns. Here are some key benefits:
Campaign Tracking: UTM tags enable tracking of marketing campaigns by providing data on traffic sources, mediums, and campaigns that drive traffic to a website. This helps identify successful marketing efforts and adjust strategies accordingly.
Accurate Data: UTM tags provide accurate data on website traffic sources, conversion-driving channels, and high-ROI campaigns.
Customizable: UTM tags offer high customizability, enabling tracking of specific campaigns or individual content pieces. This level of detail provides a deeper understanding of effective marketing efforts.
Better ROI: UTM tags help optimize marketing efforts and improve ROI by tracking campaign effectiveness.
Easy Implementation: UTM tags are easily implemented by adding a few extra parameters to any URL. This makes tracking marketing efforts and gathering effectiveness data simple.
Example of a UTM code for an email campaign
https://www.example.com/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=newsletter
In this example, the UTM code includes the following parameters:
utm_source=email: This indicates the source of the traffic, which is an email campaign.
utm_medium=newsletter: This indicates the medium through which the traffic was delivered, which is a newsletter.
Types of UTM Parameters
The first three of the five UTM parameters are the most important and required for accurate tracking by Google Analytics. They are:
"utm_source" identifies the traffic source, such as a search engine or social media platform, and helps to attribute the traffic to the right channel.
"utm_medium" identifies the marketing medium, such as email or display advertising, and helps to categorize the traffic by the type of marketing effort.
"utm_campaign" identifies the specific campaign, such as a product launch or holiday sale, and helps to track the success of each campaign individually.
The last two UTM parameters, utm_content and utm_term, are optional and provide extra information about specific content or keywords linked to a campaign. utm_content identifies which content piece generates the most traffic, while utm_term tracks keywords in paid search campaigns. While helpful for more granular tracking, they're not necessary for Google Analytics and can be left out if not needed.
Click here to know how you can add UTM parameters tracking in Mailmodo.